Bali

After waiting a year and a half to take this trip due to Covid, I finally got to experience the southern hemisphere.  Bali is truly a very beautiful and tropical island that I highly recommend visiting.  I used EF once again to travel to Indonesia and we had a group of 23 people and two amazing tour guides, Sumantra and Agung.  This was a 12 day trip in total, including travel time.  We stayed in three different cities in Bali;  Seminyak, Ubud and Nusa Dua.  I don't actually have a favorite city this time, normally I always do but my least favorite was the third place just because there was less to do.  In Seminyak, we saw a few temples that were gorgeous and experienced Bali nightlife.  We also did some shopping and learned how to barter in local currency.  The group also took a day trip to another Island, one that is very popular on social media.  It had some of the most gorgeous views and some that I recognized.  We got to swim at one of the beaches we visited called Crystal Bay.  This was a highlight for me.  In Ubud, we saw more temples, got to take a local cooking class and plant our own rice and making a Bali offering.  We also visited the infamous Monkey Forest, took a yoga class and got to experience a spa like no other.  Our group also did the famous Bali swing and ziplined at the most photographed place in Bali; the Rice Terraces.  In our final city, Nusa Dua; our hotel sat right on the beach so the views from the rooftop pool were stunning.  We had more free time in this city but there was less to do.  We mostly enjoyed the hotel, got another massage and enjoyed some water sports.  We also visited one more temple and this one sat on a cliff overlooking the Indian Ocean and we got to watch a traditional Bali dance called Kecak.  Overall, this trip was one of the best trips I've ever taken.  I do sadly have to admit I was a little disappointed in some of the beaches, Florida's gulf coast is still nicer in my opinion.  When the trip was over, I was ready to leave Bali but wasn't ready to come all the way back to the states.  I was so close to so many other awesome destinations but I'll go back!  Here are the photos I took and some I had to just fight through the rain as we visited Bali at the start of rainy season.  Enjoy!

My next trip will be to Thailand with EF again at the end of January.