Post Harvest 3: Indonesia Solo Travel

And here we are at the end of my blogging experience to finish out the trip of a lifetime :'( My last stop of my many months of travel was Bali, Indonesia for 1 week. Day 1 included a boat trip out to an island named Nusa Penida to take advantage of my newly-earned Scuba certification. The waters were pristine, the corals breathtaking...and I dove with GIANT MANTA RAYS. I've had many life highlights on this trip - and this one shoots towards the top. These gentle giants swim around a "cleaning station" that the locals call Manta Point, so the odds of seeing 5+ Mantas on any given day is quite high. My guide and I did a couple drift dives, went 100+ ft deep, and saw some mola mola (ocean sunfish) as well!










The next segment of my Bali excursion was a stay in Ubud, one of the city centers on the island. Ubud central was a bustling, traffic-filled place with a beautiful palace and art markets abound. Just outside the city center are UNESCO rice fields, historic temples, and tons of stunning waterfalls. I ended up renting a motor-bike moped for $6/day in order to travel around on my own time - super fun. The Hindu temple had a Melukat water ceremony of which visitors could partake. You needed to wear a specific Sarong sash and dip your head under ~14 fountains, each with a specific healing/purification/prosperity focus. It was a neat little excursion to witness! Indonesia is also known for a specific type of coffee where the Luwak animal eats coffee beans (only the most ripe) and then...digests...the beans...which folks use to make top-quality coffee. Obviously HAD to try it, and it was pretty, pretty, pretty good. My last day in Ubud I took a jewelry-making class, where I melted some silver and hand-crafted my own ring with a local's help - all for about $27. Easily the most expensive part of my stay, since all of my meals were around $3 USD!!!











Finally, my last few days were split between Canggu and Uluwatu on the west coast of Bali. Both are laid-back, fairly touristy surf spots - but they are gorgeous. I took one surf lesson (for only $24 USD) and rented a board myself the next day. My instructor, Rudi, and I decided I've finally graduated from a foamie to a proper surf board. Success!! Uluwatu also has this historic temple on "the edge of the world," up in the cliffs, which really reminded me of Big Sur, CA. Except there are monkeys EVERYWHERE and they're quite mischievous! One tried to take my bag and I saw others drinking out of stolen water bottles! The rest of my time in these areas was spend lounging at the beach, swimming at the hostel pool, reading my kindle, and motorbiking by the coast. Ahhh...life is good, and now that I have the travel bug again...I'm addicted. However, there are great things waiting for me in the states, and I'm truly grateful to have been able to swing this experience of a lifetime. Thank you all for your vested interest & support, and for following along - it made me feel like I was chatting with loved ones throughout the stay :) Please reach out and let's catch up personally!












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