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Bali Getaway: Snorkeling around Nusa Penida, Balinese Cooking in Ubud, and Exploring Uluwatu



November 11, 2024: Arrival in Bali

Today, we traveled from Surabaya to our final stop of the holiday: Bali! First issue—there are street dogs everywhere, and since Mark is not a fan (just plain scared), that’s a bit unsettling. We had a smooth taxi ride to the airport, checked in, had a coffee, flew to Bali, took another taxi to Ubud, and finally arrived at our hotel. Fun fact: we got an upgrade and now have an ultra-luxurious mini-villa! After that, we enjoyed a nice dinner in Ubud and are now off to sleep, as tomorrow will be a long day!




November 12, 2024: Snorkeling around Nusa Penida

Today, we were picked up at 6:20 AM for another snorkeling adventure—the last one was such a hit that we wanted to do it again! We started the day with an exciting ride, as the speedboat took us racing over the waves.





We spent the entire morning and afternoon together on the boat, though only Mark went into the water. At the first snorkeling stop, he spotted a manta ray and a whitetip shark. Later, at the second stop, he encountered a beautiful sea turtle.

In between, we enjoyed lunch on the island at a spot with an absolutely breathtaking view—a perfect midday break.




In 2018 I even climbed down to the beach. This time we didn't have the time to do that. It takes ~1h one way. And now they are even building an elevator for make the beach more accessible.

After lunch, Mark went snorkeling one last time and saw plenty of colorful little fish, while I relaxed on the boat. On the way back, the speedboat flew over the water again, a fantastic ending before heading back to the hotel.

In the evening, we ordered smash burgers from a burger joint around the corner and are heading to bed early—we’re absolutely worn out from all the busy days!


November 13, 2024: Cooking Class, Uluwatu, and a Dinner by the Sea

We started the day with a delicious banana pancake and juice from the hotel. Then we took a traditional cooking class at Casa Luna, which was super fun! We made all kinds of tasty dishes, including Gado Gado.



Balinese food processor



After the class, we enjoyed an iced coffee around the corner, then were picked up a bit earlier by our taxi. The taxi took us to Uluwatu, where we encountered the infamous cheeky monkeys and watched an impressive kecak fire dance!




After the show, the same driver took us to a seaside restaurant, where we had a delicious fish dinner before heading back to the hotel. Tomorrow is our last day here before we head home!


November 14, 2024: Relaxing and Heading Home

Today, we took it easy on our last day. We packed up, had breakfast, checked out, and enjoyed some coffee. For lunch, we went to Namaskara Coffee & Superfoods and had a delicious meal. Then, we wrapped up our trip with a relaxing massage. Now we’re off to the airport, and soon we’ll be flying back home. What an amazing journey this has been!





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