Kuta Hotels
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Bali
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After the nightmare getting here and the luke warm reviews I'd got of Bali (pronounced "Baaahhli" with an aussie accent) from people going the other way we were a little wary of staying in Kuta, Bali's most popular beach town. Fortunately Bali is great and so is Kuta. Phew.
I can see why people don't like it though; it's more like a place for a 2 week holiday than somewhere you go for an "authentic experience" (those mythical places), its very busy and there are more 24 hour bars and clubs than there are temples or anything else like that. There are also lots of Australians... If you can possibly get over these factors it is a great plae to be and a good place to relax for the last stop of our travels, thats right the last stop. Sort of.
We arrived late as usual from our interesting journey via minibus, bus and boat and wandered down one of the two streets most known for budget hotels and restaurants. Thankfully we found somewhere quickly and went out for some dinner which comes cheap in Kuta - around a pound for steak and chips, fantastic, I of course opted for the more traditional Balinese dishes, immersing myself in the culture. Then I had Bolognaise, and beer.
Kuta beach itself is huge and not too bad, as beaches go, nothing to write home about, on the internet maybe but not home. The attravtion is the sea and more specifically the surf which is why Kuta and Bali are famous as destinations for surfers worldwide. Two things made me learn to surf; sitting on the beach means constantly telling someone that you don't want a pineapple or an ice cream or a massage or a lighter or a bow and arrow set (?) or a "bloody good, bloody cheap" beach mat - the only othe beach option is to be in the sea itself. The other reason is that watching people surf 8 ft waves while you bob up and down and try to swim with them quickly instillls a feeling of inferiority. So I learnt to surf, which is something I have honestly always wanted to be able to do - standing on a plank of wood and leaping into the Thames as a boat goes past just never did it for me and Kuta is apparently the perfect place to learn. Rather than an expensive surf school I let a Indonesian fella teach me on the beach for a few quid, 2 hours later I was transformed forever into a bodacious durf dude. Man. Seriously though, I was up and off after his lesson, feeling good about it too thank you very much.
That pretty much dictated the rest of our time in Bali, going to the beach and dividing our time between surfing (and splashing - Jen) and saying "no" to the beach people. Oh yeah and we have indulged in Bali's not-really-that-famous nightlife a few times here with the Swedish boys we met and various other people we've met, and Bali is a good place to go out, its official. There's a place thats open 24 hours and is shaped like a boat, not only that but the staff all wear sailor outfits, there's a bar, a karaoke bar, a live band room and a club, AND when you leave in the wee hours you get touched up by prostitutes, fan-tastic.
This isn't the last entry by the way so stay tuned, although it;s our last "new" destination there's another one, it's complicated, think of it as a secret track on a n album you have to listen to silence for 5 mins to get too. Only it's not crap. Waffle waffle waffle
Latest Comments (2)
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Top blogging (reply)
May 6, 2008 13:07 EST by planit25
Sean and Jen. Steve Rankin here. Been following your exploits since the other crew departed these shores on 19 Jan. Naturally I have been keen to read Luke's blogs - and quite why A and J can't post some commentary I don't know (actually I do but....)- but yours have been regular and hugely entertaining. You've turned me on to reading travel blogs and this site in particular, and I have to say t... show all
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Don't let me down.... (reply)
May 4, 2008 08:15 EST by matt4tune
Sean... I have never heard a secret track I liked. At the same time I have never heard an album (travellers blog) I have liked as much as this........
don't let me down boy!
Looking forward to getting you back....
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