Having just said goodbye to Surin and my fellow volunteer friends, I had mixed emotions of sadness, but excitement to see my friends Sophie and Shane, in Bali. I had a six hour coach journey to Bangkok from Surin and then a four hour flight to Bali. A good book and eye mask (thank you Marion!) and I was all set!
Sophie and Shane were already there and waiting for me when I reached Bali airport. It was so great to see them! I hadn't seen Shane since my visit to China and Hong Kong, back in 2009! A short taxi ride to our hotel and we were all set to begin our weekend together. The hotel was so serene and beautiful. We had our own private pool with jet spa too. This is all too luxurious compared to the rest of my backpacker trip! We caught up lots and enjoyed an Indonesian lunch and walk around the area. There were many beautiful scenes of greenery and rice fields in Ubud, it was so peaceful.
I felt a little ignorant as I had settled in Thailand and learnt some Thai words, but here I was in a new country and although some things were familiar, I felt like a fish in new waters. People spoke good English here though, and were very friendly too. It was lovely to speak to some of the locals about their way of life. We were invited to look around someone's personal temple. Bali is a Hindu country, so there were many familiar looking dieties, statues and food offerings around, that I felt rather at home in a way! It was also so much more vegetarian friendly here than anywhere else I have experienced so far in South East Asia. We enjoyed Balinese coffees and fresh avocado juices when the walking got too much! Although a few degrees cooler than temperatures I was used to in Thailand, it was a dry heat in Bali, so didn't feel cooler!
Tomorrow we will be saying goodbye to Sophie, as she was only visiting us shortly. We made the most of our time with her though. Tomorrow, Shane and I will check out the Bali Spirit Festival. This is a yoga, music and dance festival held every year in Ubud.
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