Uluwatu

We arrived in Bali to sunshine, heat and humidity. It is a beautiful place and we're eager to start on the second major leg of our trip. We'll be here about 2 1/2 weeks, and then we'll be returning to Seattle.

Our first destination in Bali was the town of Sanur. The areas was actually a bit odd for us, the first time in our trip we didn't get extremely lucky in our choice of locations. The hotel was amazing, but we were the odd ducks in Sanur. Everyone else, and I really do mean everyone, was a senior citizen from Holland or Belgium. Not too many locals around, either.

Not all was lost, though. The surrounding areas were pretty darn amazing. We took day trips to Uluwatu and the main town of Denpasar.

Here is the grounds of the Musuem Bali in Denpasar, the main urban area of Bali. Not many tourists, and the architecture in Bali is just stunning. They keep referring to "Bali style" for their architecture and art. They really do have a unique and exceptionally good style.

We hired a driver and took a day trip up to the Bukit Peninsula and the Uluwatu area on one of the following days. Wow - we'll be back here to stay for a few days at the end of our trip. Justin was slobbering a bit when he saw the waves.

Here we're up on a 50 meter high limestone cliff overlooking the Suluban surf break. Look how clear the water is!


The local surfers have what is, once again, called "Bali style", influenced by the traditional Bali dances and ceremonies.



Looking back from Uluwatu temple along the limestone cliffs. Uluwatu is one of the 4 most important temples to the Balinese.

Part of the temple was only for locals during religious ceremonies, and the rest of it was open for tourists.

We watched a Kacek (c's are pronounced ch in Indonesia) dance. Stunning a capella performance.

Even though it was a tourist performance, it was impressive, and we were right on the edge of the cliff.


The fire part of the Kacek fire dance.

$ingapore

Singapore is a very modern asian city, 85 km from the equator, with lots of rules and order. We felt quite at home in many ways, which was a bit refreshing after our Vietnam adventures. Cars stopped at every red light, and pedestrians crossed when you'd expect. The water was safe to drink. We even took advantage of the opportunity to use ice cubes and enjoy an iced latte at a nearby Starbucks. Who knew how good that could taste.

Above is a view from our hotel window, and the funny looking canopy toward the bottom is a covered area full of restaurants, shops, cafes, and bars. Remember to click on any picture to enlarge.

Singapore is quite possibly the most orderly city in the world. Quite a contrast from the rest of SE Asia. Here is a shot of Singapore's Chinatown... yes, it seems like every city has a Chinatown but never have we seen one quite so well organized. Daryl, you would be thrilled.

Very, very modern city full of cars, tall buildings and lots of technology. The city is also impeccably clean and incredibly safe. Chewing gum is banned, and there are strict fines for any type of littering or disorderly conduct. Good behavior from everyone, please.

Our hotel was in a lovely area of town, right on a river, surrounded by restaurants and cafes. It was a huge area filled with people walking around, and it was largely covered to keep folks dry during the monsoon like downpours. In the evenings, it was full of people enjoying the cooler temperatures (including us).

Ah, Singapore. This is a town where Justin and Stacie learned the value of the USD. Or rather, lack there of. After downing a $6 cup of coffee (drip coffee) and and a beer for $12.99, we realized it was best that we would not be staying long in Singapore.

Clark Quay, the area under the strange looking canpoies was one of the main night spots for restaurants. It was a great place to hang out and spend the evening. Every kind of theme you could imagine in the restaurants. Some very cool, some a little weird. The picture above is a bar called Clinic - you sit in wheelchairs and drink from IV drips or siringes. Odd, and a little creepy really. We don't want to do that until we have to!

We didn't have long to spend in Singapore, so we had to soak it up quickly. And soak it up we did. If you ever look at the forcast for Singapore, it always seems to say 86 degrees and thunderstorms. We have had few occassions to see it rain so hard, anywhere. Not all day, just in the evening, but it was amazing how such a large city could just keep on going with such limited visibilty. Our plane actually landed in Singapore in one of these storms- not my favorite thing.

We had quite a fabulous couple of days in this city, and then had to head out of town while we still had some travelers checks left.