Indonesia is for Monkeys

After our long and mostly challenging hike, we are back looking for some rest and relaxation.
We head over to the Gili Islands which are just off the Northwest coast of Lombok. It consists of three islands and we are staying on the island of Gili Meno. We are staying at Malias Child Bungalow which is a unique form of beach hut accomodation.
It is located right on the beach and we head out most mornings to snorkel and boogie board! There are no cars or motorcycles on the island, it is a fresh, clean and pure tropical paradise! The accomodation is so cheap here I think we plan to spend a bit of time here in our beach hut!

We took the ferry from Bali to the island of Lombok and the city of Senggigi. This city is a very popular tourist spot on the island and has a lot of beaches and resorts. We are spending our first night here before heading out in the morning for a hike of Mt. Rinjani Lombok, an active volcanoe.

Mt. Rinjani forms the second highest volcanic peak in Indonesia, part of the "Ring of Fire". Considered one of the best treks in Asia, this hike will take 3 or 4 days and will take us up the crater rim and down to the stunning crater lake. We can't wait, as it should be quite challenging but so amazing and beautiful!

We wanted to get away from the nightlife and really really relax!

So we found ourselves headed to Sanur on the east coast of South Bali. Instead of Kuta's big waves at the beach, Sanur has calm lapping waves that are excellent for swimming and snorkeling. Here, it is entirely possible to eat and shop without ever losing sight of the ocean. It is really quite and the pace is quite slow here, which was just what we were looking for. And there is no nightlife to tempt us! The main attraction is simply the beach and the scenery is breathtaking. We enjoyed a massage right on the beach! The hotel staff was amazing and we really enjoyed our time here.

Finally, today was a day to just lay on the beach! We found ourselves in Kuta enjoying the sun and sand. It is absolutely gorgeous here! We started the day with a yoga class on the beach. It was a great way to start the day. For they rest of the day we relaxed on the beach before going to try and find some nightlife in Kuta. We found ourselves travelling around Kuta by a horse drawn carriage! It was quite unique and a great way to see the area in the open, though sometimes smelly, air!

We wanted to try some more local authentic food, and just our luck we made friends with the carriage driver who invited us to his family home for a meal. He seemed friendly enough, so we decided to go along. We had the most wonderful food and his family was so welcoming. They had cooked a dish called Babi Guling which is a roast suckling pig, stuffed with spices, impaled on a wooden pole and cooked over a fire of cocunut husks and wood for a couple of hours. It was delicious! All of their food is traditionally served on banana leaves as an offering to the gods. Balinese people only eat with their right hands, as the left hand is seen as impure. After dinner, they offered us a drink of Brem, which is rice wine. It was sweet and we are told it is made from sweet rice.

The rice is fermented for three days and the brem drains into a pan. After a few glasses, we figured we were ready to dance. Kuta is known for its night life and it has a popular strip of nightclubs and bars. We spent most of the night in Bounty Restaurant 1 dancing the night, and early morning, away!

We hopped on a quick flight from Yogyakarta to Bali. It is so beautiful here and we are looking forward to staying here for a few days for some relaxation on the beach, as well as checking out a few attractions along the way.
For starters, we really wanted to check out the Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary.
We spent the day here and saw a few different types of monkeys, including the long-tailed Macaques. These monkeys were really friendly because they are used to living in areas that are heavily populated by humans. And boy were they ever friendly! You can purchase bananas and peanuts to feed the monkeys and you will make a lot of friends fast. Kaitlin found this out quite quickly when the monkeys proceeded to jump on her back in search of more treats. You have to remove all of your shiny jewellery as they will try to grab that as well! Not only are there monkeys, but this forest is a sacred Balinese Hindu sight. There is a beautiful temple and many statues and fountains. We spent many hours touring the gardens here. It was such a beautiful place.

For more information about what there is to see in do in Bali, we recommend this website: www.balitourismboard.org
We found it very helpful!