Daily Dose of Bali Beauty
One of the best things about Bali are all the photo opportunities! Whether it's flowers, stone carvings, or daily life nothing captures the beauty of Bali but here is a try!
What's that smell? Frangipani!
One of the best things about Bali is the light fragrant floral scents scattered about all over! My favorite scent has become frangipani aka plumeria. I love all products with this scent, I am completely and utterly addicted!
BaliBoutiqueOnLine will be looking into adding the best frangipani/plumeria beauty products!
Speedy Squirrel
One of the greatest things about being on vacation is having the time to enjoy your surroundings. Whilst sitting at the pool something caught my eye lo and behold it was the speediest squirrel I've ever seen!
Cheeky Monkey
There are many things that I love about Bali but one of them are not monkeys. This year we stayed at the best resort ever www.ubudvillage.com
One of our favorite times is breakfast time. Not only are we getting a fresh, healthy, and sturdy breakfast; we also get to overlook the rice terraces and the resort grounds which are absolutely stunning.
All of a sudden I look up and here comes a monkey on the railing headed directly towards me. I jumped up and moved back also forgetting to pick up my Iphone and he sat down and started eating breakfast number one. And that cheeky little monkey went on to eat breakfast number two I think he licked the plate! Look for yourself😩
Ubud on scooter
One of the best things about Bali is seeing it on a scooter. Even though you may not find yourself traveling at a high rate of speed it can be a dicey ride! Check out our clip below.
Seminyak Bali
Seminyak
I have to admit my first few times going to Bali I was so in love with Ubud and Uluwatu that I didn't have much interest in Seminyak or Sanur. So I decided that I would make it a point to spend time on both places before I went to my favorite spot Ubud.
Our first stay was at the Yubi Villas located in Seminyak and really close walking distance to the beach and restaurants, check out their website for further info at www.Baliubivillas.com
The staff at the Yubi exceeded our expectations, they were so friendly and helpful. We really enjoyed our private villa with extremely high walls that provide great privacy for your private pool! We walked down to the beach each night and watched the amazing sunset, it is definitely worth staying in Seminyak even if for just a couple of days.
Bali Travel Tip #1
It is all about the packing. My first trip to Bali I didn't really know what to bring. Of course I knew the weather was hot and humid but until I experienced it first hand I really would have no idea just how hot and humid it could get. I came to the quick realization that about 80% of what I packed I wouldn't even wear. Capri light weight jeans for example were way too warm to wear in Bali in my opinion. What I ended up doing was buying yoga pants and wore t-shirts and tank tops for the most part. In the evening when we went out for dinner I wore my oversized loose fitting cotton type shirts that allowed my skin to breathe a bit more. I bought some more yoga pants there cheaply all under $10.00 USD and cheaper if you were up for negotiating and I was. Ultimately it came down to about $5.00 a pair. I didn't realize that I would be taking a few showers a day and of course wouldn't want to put back on the same sticky, sweaty clothes back on. So definitely bring light weight clothing and a few spares!
https://www.TeedOffTees.com
Loose fitting cotton shirts were life savers!
KAFE
The food of Bali is some of the most delicious food I have ever eaten. I never seem to tire of Nasi Goreng (fried rice). However, the MSG bloat is so horrible I often need a break from traditional Balinese food and sometimes just want a clean salad. The best spot we've discovered for this needed reprieve is called KAFE located in central Ubud. Here are some pictures of some of the best food ever!
One of the best Pesto dishes ever!
It is a very busy spot.
Cute area with cd's, soaps and recycled bags!
The best vegetarian samosas I've ever had!
Cheeky Monkey's
The monkeys within the Sacred Monkey Forest of Padangtegal are commonly called long-tailed macaques.
Throughout Bali, Balinese long-tailed macaques tend to stay within forested areas. However, Balinese long-tailed macaques, including those within the Sacred Monkey Forest of Padangtegal, occasionally wander into rice fields or even village areas that are adjacent to the forest.
Outside of the entrance you will have the opportunity to purchase bananas in order to feed the monkey's. If you do in fact want to feed the monkey's you will have every opportunity to get up close and oh so personal! I've been a few times and U have never managed to feel really comfortable but that's just me.
If you decide not to feed them whatever you do do not bring in any food they will sniff it out and they will win in the end.
Keep close watch of sunglasses, earrings, hats or anything that they could grab and scamper off with, they are skilled pickpockets.
Once inside you will have countless opportunities to take lots of pictures. Inside you will notice that it seems to be a lot more humid make sure you bring water and stay hydrated.
Started out cute….
Ohh wait what…...
Beautiful Balinese stone carved staircase. Good luck on trying to get the perfect photo without a lot of fellow tourists in the background.
Live Performances Ubud Bali
One of my absolutely favorite things to do each time I go to Bali is to see live performances at the outdoor temple in Ubud. There is just something about a fairly small audience, outdoors, with the starts shining brightly overhead, I can never tire of it. If you have the opportunity don't miss it.
Uluwatu Temple Bali
Pura Luhur Uluwatu is one of Bali's kayangan jagat (directional temples) and guards Bali from evil spirits from the SW, in which dwell major deities, in Uluwatu's case; Bhatara Rudra, God of the elements. Bali's most spectacular temples located high on a cliff top at the edge of a plateau 250 feet above the waves of the Indian Ocean. Uluwatu lies at the southern tip of Bali in Badung Regency. Dedicated to the spirits of the sea, the famous Pura Luhur Uluwatu temple is an architectural wonder in black coral rock, beautifully designed with spectacular views. This is a popular place to enjoy the sunset.
The temple is inhabited by large number of monkeys, who are extremely adept at snatching visitors' belonging, including bags, cameras and eyeglasses. Keep a very close grip on all your belongings and stow away your eyeglasses if at all possible. If you do have something taken, the monkeys can usually be induced to exchange it for some fruit.
When visiting temples dress as modestly as possible. When paying a visit to a Balinese temple, both men and women are expected to wear shirts that cover shoulders and part of the upper arms. Flip-flops are perfectly acceptable, so long as the overall look is modest.
The following leg coverings are mandatory for both men and women preparing to enter a Balinese temple:
Sarong (also known locally as kain kamben) around your legs
Temple scarf (known as a selendang) around your waist.
These items are usually rented out at most temple entrances, but you’re absolutely free to bring your own.
Photo of the temple at Uluwatu.
This monkey managed to steal a sandal from a tourist as he was sitting on the wall his sandal was dangling! Then came in this fella who snatched it up and took off with it. I don't think he recovered his sandal that day.
Tanah Lot Bali
A popular day trip from south Bali, Pura Tanah Lot is the most visited and photographed temple in Bali, especially at sunset when crowds and traffic overwhelm the site. However, it has all the authenticity of a stage set – even the tower of rock that the temple sits upon is an artful reconstruction (the entire structure was crumbling) and over one-third of the rock is artificial.
For the Balinese, Pura Tanah Lot is one of the most important and venerated sea temples. Like Pura Luhur Ulu Watu, at the tip of the southern Bukit Peninsula, and Pura Rambut Siwi to the west, it is closely associated with the Majapahit priest Nirartha. It’s said that each of the sea temples was intended to be within sight of the next, so they formed a chain along Bali’s southwestern coast – from Pura Tanah Lot you can usually see the clifftop site of Pura Ulu Watu far to the south, and the long sweep of sea shore west to Perancak, near Negara.
This clip is not of the actual temple but of the beautiful sea. Your daily zen enjoy.
I stood around for a long time drifting off into the sounds of the water!
Why Bali?
Many people ask how I even ended up having Bail on my list of places travel to, and the truth of the matter is I didn't. My companion whom we will call "The Angry Brit Abroad" convinced me to go on a trip of a life time to Bali. After watching Eat, Pray, Love I still decided to go.
Flying from Los Angeles where I am based to Bali takes about 24 hours, this includes on average a 3-4 hour lay over in Taipei. I will be honest; finding out how long it took to get there was a bit daunting, but I agreed to go and it changed my life forever.
EVA Airline
