Bali & Sulawesi, Indonesia

Greetings, family and friends! We are happy to share photos and experiences from our 2-week August trip to Indonesia. (Sorry we're slow to share)

We spent most of our time in Bali, famous for its beaches, surfing, temples, and yoga vibe. Then we went to Sulawesi, a rewarding island north of Bali and east of Borneo (Borneo was one of our stops during our first sabbatical, to see orangutans).

Bali

Bali. The name itself is fun, don't you think? Like it should be a beloved Italian dessert. Oh my, you absolutely MUST try this Bali!

It's by far the most visited of Indonesia's islands. Locals thank (and blame) Julia Roberts' Eat Pray Love movie. Since then, Bali has been overrun with young backpackers seeking adventure, surfers seeking glory, Aussies seeking a party, and yoga lovers seeking Instagrammable well-being. We can't blame them. Bali has a lot to offer.

Beaches Galore

We're not beach people. (Why do people think laying about and burning is fun?) But we couldn't come to Bali and skip its famous beaches. It has dozens, many of them with gorgeous turqouise waters and fine sand, puncuated by dramatic limestone cliffs.

All beaches are open to the public, yet each attracts a certain type of visitor. Some are mainly for the surfer crowd. Like this one, Suluban Beach, where the "beach" is a tiny cove for waves to return surfers to their admirers.

Other beaches (like Melasti Beach and Padang Padang Beach) give young adults a safe space to post selfies and make middle-aged people aware of their age. For some unfair reason, those are also the prettiest beaches.

And others are resort beaches for us older types, families eager for all-inclusive options, or the wedding/honeymoon set. At Nusa Dua, a long beach littered with resorts, we found five(!) destination weddings within steps of each other on a Saturday afternoon.

Nusa Dua was great for evening walks. On one, Davina befriended an adorable stray pup that had a limp and looked lonesome. It took an immediate liking to her and hobbled alongside the full length of the beach, like a teenager with his first crush. Geez, talk about clingy. That's what we get for being friendly. Luckily, we came across a Russian couple that looked in dire need of a cute dog. We introduced them and ran. Phew.

Rice Terraces

When planning this trip, we saw so many glorious internet photos of rice terraces. Corwin was smitten. He HAD to visit one. Davina was less sure. Having seen her share of rice fields, she asked, "Are you sure?" "Of course!", Corwin replied. "These aren't just ordinary rice fields. They're terraced. They're art, Davina."

So we went to the most famous rice terrace of all, Tegalalong field in central Bali. It was lovely, even if well before harvest, the peak season for photographs. Still, quite pretty.

But, to be honest, it was not nearly as awesome as Corwin expected. See, when planning, we didn't really process the fact that rice terraces are set on hillsides. Visiting them requires hiking those hillsides. Which, as our friends can attest, is not really for us. Don't get us wrong, we love nature. We just don't like having to work for it. After about an hour of hiking the terraces, we gave each other a silent glance, honed through many years together, that says, "Um, can we please finish already and get a milkshake?"

Picturesque Waterfalls

Central and northern Bali boast dozens of tropical waterfalls with wading pools. We enjoyed this one, the Goa Raja waterfall, in northeast Bali.

Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary

One of Bali's favorite attractions is its Monkey Forest Sanctuary, a large temple and conservation center that cares for hundreds of grey macaques.

But don't be fooled by their cuddly cuteness. Grey macaques are clever and sneaky. Some will steal just about anything -- food, sunglasses, wheel rims, you name it.

Masterpiece Temples

Unike Indonesia's other 15,000+ islands, Bali is predominently Hindu. Balinese temples fuse that heritage with the island's own animist tradition. They are playful and stunning.

Many have fantastical stone sculptures of gods and demons meant to protect the grounds and ward off trouble. So fun! Corwin wants one for his office.

Pura Tirta Empul. This temple, considered one of the most sacred in Bali, is built on a "holy water" hot spring that still continually bubbles up.

On special occasions, locals bathe in its purifying waters by rinsing themselves under multiple fountains. Tourists can do so, too, during the day. We opted out because, well, it seems a bit odd to partake in a religious practice if you don't practice that religion. It's not a popular opinion, though. Hudreds of Westerners come through daily, queuing for long periods to have their stunning, Instagrammable cultural experience.

Pura Taman Saraswati. This popular temple in Ubud, a main hub in central Bali, was built relatively recently (1950s, rather than, say, 800 AD). Set in a water garden, it honors the goddess Saraswati. Nowadays, it's less a temple than a necessary stop for tourists to dress in purple and queue up for pretty photos. We obliged.

Pura Kehen. We were the only visitors during our trip to this remote temple built in the 800s AD. It is a terrific example of Balinese temple style. The stone gateway entrances with picturesque backgrounds. The ornate stone carvings. The tiered pagados, layered with straw roofs on each tier. Super impressive!

The temple also features an enormous 400-year old banyan tree, sitting about 200 feet high with hundreds of branches, with a small treehouse pagoda in it for prayer.

It also had this cool gamelan, the national instrument.

Pura Luhur Uluwatu. Bali's most famous temple is set on a cliff overlooking the beach. The temple itself is off-limits to tourists. People go mainly for the the spectacular view.

It's also the site of a wonderful kecac fire dance each evening. The dance depicts a sequence of the Ramayana, the Hindu epic poem about the god Rama. Here, the dancers show Rama and the powerful monkey god Hanuman trying to rescue Rama's wife Sita, who was abducted by the demon king Ravana. The story is a staple throughout Southeast Asia. This version was fantastic because of the gorgeous setting and sunset, the lively performers (Hanuman scampered up towers and posed for selfies) and, especially, the musical accompaniment performed by about 50 men chanting and swaying along the ends of the stage in their historical Balinese garb.

Kecak dance

Ravana, the demon king

Hanuman, the monkey god

Ancient Dances

Davina attended a traditional dance double-header. First up, the Barong, featuring mythical creatures in a good vs. evil dance battle. Great costumes!

Next up, the Legong, a graceful dance with complicated body movements, finger gestures, and eye expressions. Corwin once tried something like it at a playground dance-off in the 80's. It did not go well...

Shadow Puppet Theater

This region is known for its shadow puppetry, an ancient form of storytelling. The 1-foot high puppets are made of strips of leather cut to shape and inricately pixelated, and then glued to a stick. The puppeteer works behind a white screen, casting fire light onto the puppets so that the audience sees the figures dance across the screen. Our show featured the Ramayana again, accompanied by gamelan music.

This 5-min video gives background on how it's done and appears to the audience, if interested in learning more. There will be a quiz afterward.

Coffee Plantations

Bali's mountains are well-suited for coffee plantations. They are famous for Kopi Luwak coffee, aka civet coffee, which is made from arabica beans that are first digested by in-house weasels that can smell & spot the ripest ones at night. Staff then sort through the droppings for beans to clean and roast. The tuckered weasels love long daytime naps . We aren't big coffee drinkers, but the tour was fascinating and their (free!) flight of 14 teas was lovely. And the weasels are kinda cute, don't you think?

Geckos!

One of Davina's favorite things about Southeast Asia is its geckos. She ADORES them. We had them in spades at hour main lodging in Bali. The middle one below spent hours one night on the ceiling, directly above Corwin's bed pillow. It was a rough night for him. But Davina couldn't have been happier.

Offerings

Bali is very tourist-friendly, to the point that it's hard to learn about local life. But now and then we caught a glimpse. One ritual we enjoyed was the small daily offerings (flower petals, garnishes, and incense on a banana peel pallet) that people leave for the spirits by their home and businesses, while Westerners bustle about in search of the perfect cappucino.

Sulawesi

Sulawesi??

We hadn't heard of it, either. Not, that is, until talking to Corwin's graduate school mentor and current travel guru. Judy very strongly suggested it. And Corwin knows better than to ignore her feedback. So, off to Sulawesi we went!

Turns out it was perfect for us, easily the highlight of the trip. Sulawesi doesn't have Bali's range of activities or tourist infrastructure. But maybe that's a good thing. Sulawesi feels very real and local. Its people are friendly. It's not overrun with tourists, and those who do visit are more into cultural exploration than partying or lounging. It was a great fit for us. Plus, the snorkeling and animals were amazing. Thanks again for the great suggestion, Judy. We owe you a box of chocolates!

Snorkeling

Sulawesi stands squarely in the Coral Triangle, an expanse of sea that touches the Soloman Islands in the east, Indonesia in the west, and the Philippines in the north.

The triangle has the greatest diversity of reef fishes in the world, making it the "Amazon of the Seas" and home to many of the world's best snorkeling & diving sites. That includes Bunaken Island, just off the northern tip of Sulawesi (see pinkish circle on map).

The snorkeling there was spectacular. The water was warm and calm, and clear too, with visibility up to 20 meters. We didn't have to work hard to find fish. They found us. We could just drift on the gentle current and let them parade by us. And so many did. The volume and diversity of colorful fish astounded -- far surpassing our past snorkeling experiences. We muttered "wow" repeatedly.

Plus, SEA TURTLES! Dozens of them riding the gentle waves or napping in their reef nooks. Most were green turtles like this one below; one was an endangered hawksbill turtle. They are so calm and graceful. We envied them.

So where are the photos, right? If we were proper bloggers, we would have brought an underwater camera to film it all. Sorry. We are clearly improper. We have only the two images above, courtesy of our tour company. This other site offers a video and many photos that give an accurate sampling.

The Bunaken tour company kindly gave us full-body wetsuits to keep warm and buoyant. Plus, added bonus: the suits kept us from needing to lather our arms and legs in sunscreen. How wonderful! Except, evidently, once in the water, wetsuits ride up an inch on the arms and legs. Who knew? Corwin left with a souvenir: 1-inch sunburns perfectly aligned on his ankles and wrists, like pink tattoos. He earned many amused glances. (Poor Davina did not. She lacks his special talent for burning.)

Tangkoko Nature Reserve

We spent two days at this terrific national park, home to several animals only in Sulawesi.

Black Crested Macaques

The "selfie monkey" -- so nicknamed for a legal case in which one of these monkeys took a selfie with a professional photographer's camera.

We came across a troop of about 20 on our morning hike near a beach. They were surprisingly calm and comfortable near humans. And don't they have wonderful, goofy long faces? Just don't let them near your bike.

Spectral Tarsiers

These tarsiers are one of the smallest primates in the world, able to fit in the palm of your hand. They roost in ficus trees all day and emerge at dusk for a photoshoot before their nightly forage. Their huge eyes allow them to see well at night, their heads swiveling 180 degrees to take in everything. And they're kinda cute (and demonic) too! Just never enter a staring contest with them. Trust us on this.

Some better photos below borrowed from a pro's site:

You can read more about the tarsiers here, if interested.

Cuscus Bears

These sloth-like marsipuals hang out all day in the tree canopy. We saw these two from a long distance. Which is probably for the best, because they're unnerving up close.

A better photo from another source:

Black Sand Beach

Tangkoko has a lovely beach, its black sand finely ground from lava rock. Not as Instagrammable as the Bali beaches, but much more satisfying for us. It was so calming to share the large beach with just locals and fishermen. We miss it.

That's all. Up next: Our September visit to Australia