Ubud and Canggu and Jimbaran, Bali, Indonesia

July 2, 2024

Today, the gang leaves Gili T, has a pretty rough transit, adds another group member, and ends the day in Ubud.

I start the day with one last swim in the Pink Coco pool on Gili T and Wendy goes on one last run around the island. It's so so pretty swimming my laps as the sun rises. All too soon, we are having coffee and packing up last odds and ends and getting in our horse carts back to the harbor. Oh, but what is travel without a little challenge thrown in! We get to the harbor and find that although the tickets say the boarding time is 9:30, it's really 10:30. Sigh. Jack is flying in to Denpasar so Dmitri and I need to be there to meet him, and that throws off our schedule. In addition, we both have appointments at a dental office near the airport. By the time the ferry leaves, travels a couple of hours to Padangbai, then we get transit back to the Denpasar area, we will be too late for Jack's flight arrival. So we do what we do best--plan on the fly. Wendy and Austin will take the booked ferry to Padangbai and Dmitri and I will take an earlier ferry to Serangan, which is closer to the dentist/airport. Sometimes you just have to throw money at the problem to make sure you get to Bali in time to pick up your son who has flown across the world to meet you. Dmitri and I leave Wendy and Austin at the Gili T harbor and we are hustled across the dock to board our ferry. Wendy and Austin get a leisurely breakfast at the Banyan Tree.

Well, although we split up, each of us has mirroring horror stories about the crossing from the Gilis to Bali. I won't go into too many details, but Wendy did say later that it was one of the worst experiences of her life. Man oh man OH MAN is it choppy. All of us are equally happy to be back on land again. I have a coaster at home that I got in Maui that reads "Dear ocean, I think about you all the time." On the ferry Dmitri tells me--Dear land, I think about you all the time.

Putu and her son, Satria, pick up Wendy and Austin and take them straight to Ubud where they grab some lunch and check into our hotel for the next 4 nights, the Sampara Ubud. Dmitri and I are picked up in Serangan by Rama, who takes us first to Smile Ready, where we are getting replacement retainers made for a fraction of the cost it would be in the US.

The people at Smile Ready are lovely and the appointments go quickly. They tell us the retainers will be made in a couple of days and we can either come in person to pick them up or have them delivered via Gojek. Gojek is a delivery service in Indonesia and it's like Uber Eats or something but they deliver goods instead of just food. It's also dirt cheap.

Having completed our dental visit, we are off to the airport to pick up Jack!!!! We haven't seen him since we left for Australia on the 12th of June. We arrive at the airport and he speeds through immigration and customs and it's a very happy parent/Jack reunion.

Jack at Sampara Ubud

Then we are off on the drive to Ubud and there is NOTHING speedy about that. Ah, Bali. We love you but we don't love your traffic or your lack of infrastructure. A couple of hours later we happily bid Rama goodbye and check into the hotel. Then it's off to Olive for dinner. Olive is a restaurant we discovered two years ago when we were in Ubud. The food is delicious, the people are friendly, and it's right near Monkey Forest so you can usually see monkeys running around.

It's an early night for all of us, as Jack has jet lag and the rest of us are pretty wiped from the ferry rides from hell combined with long transits to Ubud.

Side note--there's now an Oakberry Acai in Ubud!!! Whaaaaaaat?!?!?!?!?!?!? Spoiler alert--I don't actually go to that one, but I do go to the one in Canggu. (If you've read my Noosa blog you know the extent of my obsession with Oakberry.)

July 3

It's lovely to start the day listening to the rain outside. Over our next few days in Ubud it sprinkles and even rains off and on but usually it's a light rain and it doesn't prevent us from doing anything we want to do.

I feel like I'll be starting a lot of sentences with "when we were last in Bali" and so, for that, I apologize in advance. But the last time we were here we stumbled across a fantastic restaurant and I think it's changed names and now it's called Clear Cafe.

The restaurant is stunningly beautiful and the food is delish. Jack is awake and hungry and so he joins Wendy and Dmitri and me there. He gets strawberry pancakes, Dmitri gets rock star* oats which are spectacular, and Wendy and I get smoothie bowls.

I also get this heavenly drink called Hot Lava, and Dmitri ends up drinking most of it, as he prefers it to the chai latte he got. (Dmitri: sorry, not sorry)

(*the locals roll their Rs so aggressively that "r-r-r-rock star" sounds like some combination of Arabic and Spanish.)

After breakfast, Dmitri heads to the gym and Wendy, Jack, Austin and I head to the Ubud Cat Cafe to play with cute kitties!

We disperse for lunch and Wendy and I go to Acai Queen and OMG sooooooo good. And so gorgeously presented. And very, very filling. And you get to sit in swings. All restaurants should have swings.

Acai is good. Mango sticky rice is good. Both together--yeah, pretty great.

After some shopping around Ubud, we find a spa down the cute little alley where our hotel is and Jack opts for a Balinese massage. Wendy and I get cream/creme baths.

60 minutes of pure scalp heaven for about $8.

We go back to Clear Cafe for dinner and bring Austin this time.

Once again, it's an early night for the group.

July 4

Happy Independence Day to the Americans back home! Meanwhile, here in Ubud, it's the Day of 3 Breakfasts for me! Believe it or not, I have a touch of Bali belly and so during my 3 breakfast all I consume are a cappuccino, a glass of juice, and some water. Go figure! Wasted opportunity, I say!

Wendy and Austin have planned a temple and rice paddy and waterfall day and Jack is up early (jet lag) and so we all go to grab a quick coffee and breakfast before they leave. Well, that's the plan. It doesn't really work out. Ubud doesn't get going until later in the morning and the restaurants and coffee shops are not open. We try one. Closed. We try another and have a seat because Wendy and Austin are running short on time before Satria is coming to pick them up. There is a special for 40,000 rupiah (~$2.50) for either a croissant and cappuccino or cinnamon roll and cappuccino. Jack gets the croissant and tries to tell the waitress he doesn't want the coffee drink and she's not thrilled about that situation so I quickly jump in and say I'll take his cappuccino. Austin orders a breakfast burrito and an iced latte. Wendy TRIES to order this coffee smoothie drink that's on the menu and she is told they don't have that. She says ok, I'll have the cinnamon roll and cappuccino. No, she can't have that either because they don't have cinnamon rolls. So she says welI, I'll have a cappuccino. No, she is told. An iced cappuccino? Also, no. She finally orders a long black and that order is allowed to stand. We think that there is something lost in translation and, after initial frustration, decide to have a laugh about it.

Clearly, Grandpa does NOT know what we like. Or maybe he just doesn't care...

Meanwhile, Jack has been given the teeniest croissant so he's still hungry. Wendy and Austin head off in search of temples and rice paddies and I join Jack at a nearby restaurant, where he gets French toast. Dmitri comes to find us and after Jack finishes his breakfast, he and I walk over to Clear Cafe. Dmitri is told he cannot have the oatmeal because they are out of it. Sigh. It's that kind of day in Bali, I suppose. He gets a beautiful fruit platter and I get mint infused water. After my THREE breakfasts, I head off with Jack to shop around Ubud.

Jack and a large duck

Dmitri heads to Acai Queen and I opt to not sit at ANOTHER place for breakfast. We wander and shop and Jack and I get lunch at Olive. My Bali belly is feeling a bit better and it's amusing to watch the monkeys.

The barbed wire seems to be helpful for the monkeys as footing...

It's especially funny when we see a monkey swipe a cracker from one of the offerings on the street. Jack heads back to the hotel so I shop away the afternoon with Dmitri and when Wendy gets back, I hit a few shops with her.

Wendy and I head on over to our local spa for a $4 foot massage. That's for an hour of foot rubbing bliss, y'all.

Austin and Jack decide to Grab dinner and Dmitri, Wendy and I head to This is Bali for dinner. Dmitri gets a yummy bowl but Wendy and I aren't hungry due to late lunches for the both of us so we only order mango coconut smoothies.

This is Bali has this great system where you put stamps on a card to customize your bowl.

And, this call button is BRILLIANT! Why don't ALL restaurants have it????

July 5

Dmitri wakes up with a cold. :( BOOOOOO. He tries to go back to sleep but is unsuccessful. I run out and find him some tea and I wish I could have been a fly on the wall trying to explain to the waiter at this one restaurant that I only wanted to buy 3 tea bags. No hot water or anything else. I get him set up with tea and then have to dash because Wendy and I have massage appointments at the Nandini Jungle Resort's Sungai Spa. It's a 35 minute drive and it is worth it. It's through little villages and winding roads and rice fields. And that's even before the spa part of it. Why, you may ask, would you travel 35 minutes by car and pay western spa prices when you can get cheap massages mere minutes from your doorstep? Well, it's because YEARS AGO I spotted Spa on the River in some magazine or some website and I've had it tucked away in my head ever since. And it did NOT disappoint. I mean, WOW. If there is another, more beautiful and serene place on this earth to get a massage, I don't know it.

***Note from Wendy- But something tells me Cindy could find it!

Challenge accepted, Wendy!

We arrive and check in and walk down to a funicular that takes us down, down, down into the jungle.

We have to pick our massage oil--lemongrass--and scrubs--green tea and papaya. We are given a cool ginger lemongrass drink and a cool washcloth. Let the indulgence begin!

Oops, not quite yet.

We next have to walk down down down down DOWN many steep steps until we come across this:

Places like this exist!!!!!! And not just in my imagination!!!!

And it, quite literally is, a spa on the river. While we are massaged and scrubbed for 2 hours, we listen to the water cascading down over the rocks and whooshing down the river. The air, the temperature, the sounds of nature. It defies mere description. AND, the massages are pretty darn good too. Like, seriously, with how beautiful the place is, they do NOT have to try hard. You are paying for the atmosphere. And yet, the massages we get are top notch.

Wendy and I travel together pretty frequently and I can only imagine how many times over the past 20 or so years people have mistaken us for a lesbian couple. This is us: https://www.facebook.com/reel/1137065527349262.

Where we rinse off after our body scrubs:

Sadly we have to leave. We go back up the many steps, have some cinnamon tea, go back up the funicular and MORE steps and then head back to reality. Well, actually to Ubud, which is its own sort of reality.

I am craving mie goreng (stir friend noodles) so I go to Sami's Warung with Dmitri and Jack. Wendy heads off to This is Bali. Then it's off for naps and down time/chill time before getting ready for a special dinner. Poor Dmitri is still feeling lousy but is determined to rally. He barely has a voice but doesn't want to miss dinner.

Putu and Rama were so very kind to invite us into their home for dinner and we are excited to see how the locals live. But first, the sort of poco tiempo vibe that local Balinese have that we haven't so much experienced being tourists. Rama tells us that Satria will be picking us up between 4:30 and 5. Ok. So when Satria texts and says he's on his way, we head to the street to be picked up. And we wait. And wait. Text Satria. Nothing. Text Rama. Nothing. Dmitri googles protocols in Bali with locals and finds this:

Unlike Westerners, Balinese live by the idea of jam karet (rubber time). Their relaxed approach to time-keeping means that things simply happen when they happen. They just ‘go with the flow’, with a very easygoing attitude.  As a result, everything invariably happens later than predicted.

Finally Rama arrives and say there has been much traffic and we head to his home. When we reach his village we enter his family compound and walk past the family temple where a table is set up outside and there are welcome drinks waiting for us. As you might well expect, the food is amazing. And plentiful. Very, very plentiful. Putu and Rama encourage us to eat more, eat more, eat more. And out of respect for them, we do eat more! Much more than any of us would usually eat. It's a very special evening and we leave extremely stuffed to the gills with both delicious food and warm Indonesian hospitality. It's a definite highlight of the trip. We go back and succumb to food comas--except for Austin, who has hit it off with Satria. The two of them go out on the "town" and have a good time drinking and hanging out.

That peanut sauce.....

July 6

Wendy and I are up early and off to Ubud House Yoga for sunrise yoga. Much like most of Ubud (and Bali in general), the streets are bustling and LOUD with motorbikes and beeping and then you go a block or so off the main drag and it's quiet and lush and beautiful. We walk past rice fields on the way.

Kucing, the friendly Ubud Yoga house kitty

Since we are heading out of Ubud, it's only right to have our last breakfast at Clear.

Another hot lava....

One last smoothie bowl from Clear....

Can't resist anything passion fruit

There's a flurry of last-minute shopping and we pack up and Satria picks us up and we have yet another loooooooooong drive from Ubud to Canggu. It's only 25 or so km but it takes nearly 90 minutes.

We arrive to the Villa Samsam and like a lot of villas in Bali, there are bedrooms with aircon, an outdoor kitchen and living area, and a plunge pool. We are here 2 nights.

I take Wendy to one of my favorite places, Secret Spot, for lunch.

Yummy food at Secret Spot:

Dmitri (still sick but getting there) naps, Jack Grabs his own lunch, Wendy and Austin each hit the gym, but separately.

And me? I work on the blog so I don't get too far behind.....

I also take a dip in the pool. And realize I have left my adaptor piece at the hotel in Ubud. Grrrrrrr. I mean, it's replaceable, but frustrating.

This little piece was the source of much angst. However, these are the BEST adaptors/chargers we have found in our travels and we recommend them to anyone who travels internationally (Dmitri: get the updated version with a USB-C plug). Pretty much why I was so eager to get it back rather than buying a new one.

Getting retainers delivered

It's pizza (delivered via Gojek) and poker night at the villa.

Our poker chips. Peanuts are 5 cents, the peas are 10 cents and the mints are 50 cents.

July 7

It's a warm, but beautiful morning at Villa Samsam. Dmitri is trying to sleep off his cold and Austin is sleeping off a night out so Jack, Wendy and I head to Milk and Madu for breakfast. And it's delicious. Every other establishment in Canggu is a fabulous restaurant and it's our great regret that we only have so much room in our tummies and so many meals to eat here in Canggu. After breakfast, Wendy and I try to walk on the beach, but it's high tide and there isn't much room for us to walk. So we pivot and head in the direction of a Sunday market. But along the way we go to a grocery store. I really love grocery shopping in other countries. It's so much fun to see all the unique and different things on the shelves.

We stock up on some fun treats and make our way past this friendly couple:

At the market, I get some incense and some tea from this nice lady who hand rolls the incense and grows all the flowers for the tea in her home garden:

No, but Canggu has its own charm...

Then it's back to the villa for a little cooling off before Wendy and Austin head to the gym and I sort out having left behind my adaptor at the hotel in Ubud. I try to Gojek it to me and I am unable to since Ubud is more than 25 kilometers from where we are currently staying. After some back and forth with the owner of the Sampara in Ubud, he finds a driver who brings me the adaptor all the way from Ubud for 71,000 IDR. That is $4.37. I round it up to 100 k, or $6 USD. And now I don't have to go and buy a new adaptor. Score!

I get in some exercise in the pool then have a lovely nap poolside. Wendy and Austin return from the gym and we have a late take away lunch from Avocado Factory

It's time for sunset so we head to the beach and have drinks and the air temperature is perfect. There are so many people out and about, walking the beach, sitting in bean bag chairs enjoying a beer, swimming in the ocean, surfing. There are about 2-3x more people here now than when we were here 2 years ago during the pandemic, and it's so nice to see Bali bustling again.

We have drinks at Seaweed, Jack gets a take away Game of Toblerones milkshake (Toblerone, Nutella, chocolate and caramel sauce, vanilla ice cream, milk) from Penny Lane, and Wendy and I visit Oakberry for our dinner. Then it's a wander back through the shops before we chill out at the villa.

July 8

Sadly, Wendy and Austin's time SE Asia has come to an end. We leave Canggu and Villa Samsam and head to Jimbaran, which will be a 1 day stop for Wendy and Austin and a 6-night stay for Dmitri, Jack and me. It's been a brief stop in the food and hipster expat mecca that is Canggu. Once again, the distance is short but the driving time is long. Wendy and Austin will miss much about Bali, but it won't be the time spent in the car!

It's back to Milk and Madu for breakfast for Jack and Wendy and me before we leave Canggu.

At Jimbaran, we check into Le Meredien.

We forego two rooms and Dmitri outdoes himself and books us in the Aqua Pool Sky Penthouse. On the bottom level, it's the standard hotel room, with beds and sitting desk area and couch area, but then you walk up the stairs in this little antechamber and there's a huge balcony overlooking the beach with a daybed and a couch and a dining table and a plunge pool!! It is spectacular.

The photo from the hotel's website:

Wendy and Austin have a very late night flight so we hang out with them at the hotel pool and we have lunch and dinner on the beach nearby. Wendy is the first to use the plunge pool for a spectacular last night in Bali sunset.

Our fabulous view

We are sad to see you go, Wendy and Austin. But we are so very happy that you were able to come travel out with us in the world and now share in our love for Bali.

July 9

You have GOT to be KIDDING me!!!! I am sick. AGAIN. I was just sick like 2 weeks ago. Sigh. The timing is not as bad as it could be, given that we have 6 nights total in a nice hotel with not much on the agenda except relaxing. I also didn't have any down days during the Wendy portion of the trip. But COME ON. I was looking forward to swims in the pool, yoga on the balcony, and walks on the beach. Plus, Jimbaran is known for amazing seafood and my nose is so stuffy I can barely breathe, let alone enjoy food.

After a pretty comprehensive and tasty hotel breakfast, off we go to a pharmacy to stock up on meds and kleenex. My head feels so congested. Luckily we have a 2-story room so I can sit outside and enjoy the nice breeze while I read my book. I don't feel up for much else. Dmitri brings in lunch and dinner. I lie around the entire freaking day but at least I can see the ocean. We do some minor Japan planning and realize that we leave for Japan in FIVE DAYS and don't have places booked in Osaka and Kyoto.

At some point during the day, Jack tells us his throat hurts. All of us are down for the count, but Dmitri is on an upswing so he's the functional one of the group. We watch the TaskMaster series 13 final and that is a fun distraction. Then it's time to dose up on meds and hope for a decent night of sleep.

July 10

Dmitri and I have progressed with our head colds but now Jack is in the thick of it. Good thing we have another easy day with nothing on the agenda. I cannot even begin to tell you how riveting it is to report that I basically left the room today to eat breakfast and take our laundry to be dropped off. The highlight is actually being able to sit and enjoy the breeze on our balcony at sunset. One of these days I WILL get in that plunge pool.

July 11

Being sick on vacation is no fun but one thing we learned from our RTW 13 months-long trip is that sometimes you just have to be grateful for what you have and where you are. Also, when traveling for longer than the typical 2 weeks of American vacation, not every day is going to be a "vacation" day where you see sites or go on a tour or have some fabulous experience. Some days you just feel like watching a movie on your iPad and not leaving the room. Some days you need to answer student emails and catch up on work projects (Dmitri) and some days you need to have math tutoring (Jack) and some days you need to do the same mundane tasks you do at home. Even though we are staying at a hotel, today is a "life admin" day. I need to get the room sorted and straightened. I sink wash all our reusable water bottles and the reusable sets of plastic cutlery we bring with us on our travels. Pro tip: Dr. Bronner's everything wash followed by a sterilizing hot rinse from water heated up in the electric kettle is key. I didn't have to sink wash any clothes today since the laundry services here are inexpensive but I've certainly done my share of that on past trips. And bills from home still need to be paid. Home life doesn't come to a screeching halt just because you are across the world in a not-US compatible time zone. Or are battling a cold. Or worse. So not to get all Pollyanna or anything, but even with a cold and all my grumbling, I am IN BALI. And the birds are chirping and there's a warm breeze and I can see the ocean as I type this. I will be able to get healthy foods from friendly people, rest when I need it, and I'm with 3/4 of my immediate family. (Sorry, Mia, but at the time of this writing you are at a Rolling Stones concert!) On the whole, no complaints here today.

I decide enough is enough and head to the beach for a dip in the ocean. It's brief, but wonderful and I'm starting to feel better. I'm really happiest when I have my feet in the sand and salt water on my skin.

Later, all three of us head back to the beach for an evening stroll and a seafood dinner on the sand. And it's a beautiful sunset but I decide to stay in the moment and not pull my phone out to take photos.

July 12

Time to get back to business. I need to do some reserving for our trip to Japan and so I book this kooky little airbnb in Kyoto that looks like what a hotel room would look like if you put it in a conference room--for photos you will have to wait for the Japan blog.

Dmitri and I head to the beach and post up on loungers ($3/each) for the day. And it's the perfect beach vacation day. It's sunny and breezy and I swim in the ocean and food and drinks are brought to me.

Love this place. I'll miss their fab mango smoothies!

And their smoothie bowls....

In the evening, Dmitri and I get a couples' massage at the hotel. We eat dinner with Jack in the room and watch an episode of TaskMaster. Happy day.

I finally get my dip in our plunge pool!

July 13

Laundry day:

After the gym, it's back to the beach for Dmitri and me for a day of lounging. Jack gets too hot/doesn't like to get sandy/doesn't like to go in the ocean, so he hangs back at the room. Dmitri makes a dog friend, who camps out under our loungers all day. There's more swimming in the ocean and eating and drinking. In the evening, there is another plunge pool dip, another breezy sunset, and some more TaskMaster.

Dmitri, playing a game, typing emails, or watching "The Great British Baking Show."

Dmitri and I did walk up the beach and up the hill to check out the Four Seasons. It's beautiful, but a bit more remote and we don't think worth the money. However, I can't resist a dip in their infinity pool!

July 14

I am up early and on the beach before 7 and wow, who knew this was the time to be at the beach! There are tons of people in the water swimming and lots of people walking and dogs running around! It's hopping. And check out that rainbow.

Today we say goodbye to Jimbaran and to Bali. Never say never, but Dmitri and I don't think we will be back to Bali any time soon. It's much too big of a world and we feel we have spent a lot of time here.

Our transit later today won't be quite as hellish as Wendy and Austin's, but it will be long. The first flight from Bali-Kuala Lumpur is at 6 pm. We have a 5-hour layover and then a 7-hour flight to Osaka. We arrive at 9:30 am with what we will assume will be little sleep. It'll be hot and we will have navigate the train system and keep ourselves occupied until 3 pm AirBnB check-in time.

In the meantime, I plan to to soak up the last dreamy tropical breezes Bali has.

Terima kasih, beautiful Bali. Once again you've graced us with warm memories.

I would be remiss if I didn't address the distinct smells of Bali. Every day, offerings are made--in temples, outside of homes, outside of shops, even at the beach. The offerings, called Canang Sari, are made up of fresh flowers, rice, incense, sometimes crackers and fruit and even cigarettes. They are daily offerings made as a symbol of respect and gratitude. The offerings are placed in a woven basket made from palm or banana leaves. I challenge anyone to spend a morning out anywhere in Bali and not see offerings by the dozen. As a result, the whole island smells deliciously sweet and spicy and fruity and smoky and uniquely Bali.

You were warned....

Do NOT mess with monkeys

One of Jack's Ubud haunts

Haven't heard this one before

I love how they dress the statues up! Bali is a madly vibrant and beautiful place!

Red bamboo....soooo pretty

Every time we passed this place, there was a long line and lots of people taking photos in front of it. Hmmmm. Must be some sort of insta famous spot or something.

Many, many, many coconuts can be found behind the restaurants of Jimbaran. They are used while barbecuing to focus the heat on the fish.