A bunch of close friends. “Barkada”. We’ve long planned this — and planned around a 5-night Nile Cruise on a chartered Dahabiya or sailboat. Cairo and Alexandra first, prior to the cruise from Luxor to Aswan. Then 3 more nights in Aswan to include a day trip to Abu Simbel. There were concerns prior to the trip. Left on February 17, about the time when the world is whirling and reeling from Coronavirus issues. But we were all set for this trip. So, armed with masks, wipes and alcohol sprays, we went. The flights to Cairo and then to Luxor, as well as the long drives to Alexandria and Abu Simbel were uneventful. The weather was perfect, all rides comfortable, though I must confess we underestimated Egypt’s cold temps. The whole cruising time, we had breakfasts on the riverboat’s deck in our terry bathrobes. The same robes we donned fordinners! It grew warmer by the time we reached Aswan and Abu Simbel. Finally, we parked our boots and rubber shoes and wore our sandals to go shopping. All throughout the journey, we were floored by all these ancient wonders and happily absorbed all the ancient history lessons. It was our luck that we had very competent tour guides. Egyptologists. Yes, you take special courses for that. We also met some foreign Egyptologists in the hotels where we stayed — archaeologists who specialise in Ancient Egypt. Such interesting people. The ones we met must be in their 60s-70s but you can still sense that burning passion in them. The kind you can almost touch! By journey’s end, we can only feel so thankful for the wonderful cruising adventure, the excitement triggered by the history lessons, the fun and mirth all throughout the holiday and most importantly the good health and safetyenjoyed by everyone. This is our story. Feel free to click on the links for more photos and details.
The last week-long family trip (to Korea) was when I turned 6-Oh. Bali was next choice and should have been scheduled last year when I turned 65 but I was out of the country then ticking off a dream trip. So here we are — the entire caboodle minus 1 😔 — finally having our highs in BALI.
We touched down on an early morning flight to Denpasar and was promptly whisked away to Seminyak to spend the rest of the day there. Potato Head Beach Club was planned as an entire day’s destination and activity and on hindsight, that worked out really well. A friend has just been here and we thought the young members of the family would enjoy the vibe here. And so we started our holiday in a beach (Seminyak) and ended the holiday week in another beach (Nusa Dua). In between, we managed to develop temple fatigue 😂🙄🤣
Temple Watch. Food Trip. Shopping. Beach. Cocktails. Repeat. Not necessarily in that sequence. With trips between tourist sites taking far longer because of the traffic, and with temples teeming with too many tourists, temple fatigue’s a natural consequence.
Offerings at Holy Spring Water Temple
Holy Water Spring Temple In Tampaksiring
The first 2 temple visits were welcomed with much enthusiasm and awe. I was actually smarting from how my “elves” seem to appreciate Balinese architecture, art and culture. Those temples may have sucked all energy though after the 4th one. Yup, I may have pushed them too far. 😂. Not even the healing waters of Tampaksiring proved enough to reenergise my family. Unlike the visit to the first 2 temples, it was much warmer in the Ubud area when we visited Sawasrati Temple and the Ubud Royal Palace — which is really more temples than a real palace. It’s hard to appreciate art and culture in this heat. Besides, we were having very late lunches because of the traffic situation. But no tempers flared. Just waning energies and interest. Oh, well.
Bathers praying for healing.
Pura Taman Sawasrati
The last time I went to Bali, Ubud was my trip’s highlight. I liked the rice paddies, the art galleries and yes, the temples too. But there were just too many people here now. There is an area here where you can visit the Ubud Royal Palace, Sawasrati Temple and the Ubud Art Market in onestraight and short path. You bet all corners had tourist buses and hired vans offloading tourists round the clock. The Ubud Art Market still has the few art shops but there are more bag and clothing vendors here now. And I suspect there’s only a few suppliers of these bags and clothing. They’re all the same all over the island!
Puri Saren Agung (Ubud Royal Palace)
Tanah Lot Lunch Place
Tanah Lot
I saved the Tanah Lot and Uluwatu Temple visits for last. Preferably at sunset. But traffic jams can ruin the best plans 😔 Tanah Lot was a “take 2”. We missed sunset the first time we tried to visit. Then on our second visit, the area was cordoned off because of high tide. We opted to simply have a meal in one of the tiny dining areas with a cliff view of the temple being beaten by waves as high as 3 meters. Apo thinks she had her best Nasi Goreng here, even better than the duck lunch and more we had a day earlier in Tebasari Resto in Ubud. As for me, I savoured the scenic view of the temple while enjoying my Sate Babi and banana split for dessert.
Entrance to Tanah Lot
Lunch at Tebasari Resto and Bar
We said goodbye to our last Temple — Uluwatu — earlier than scheduled. We meant to stay till sunset but once more, the crowds compelled us to head back to our hotel to bathe and scrub the dust away. Tomorrow we’ve decided to just stay in. No more temples. We’d just enjoy the hotel, maybe attend the Pilates session, some water fun activities, wait for happy hours 😍 No more sunset watch. Bintang and Bali beers for company and we’re fine.
lifeisacelebration 