Bali - Jimbaran fish market

Jimbaran fish market might not the typical tourist spot but is definitely worth checking out.

For many, Jimbaran is a synonym to fresh grilled fish spiced up Balinese style and enjoyed at a table located right on the beach - wet feet included at high tide. Located at the west coast of that narrow stripe in the south of Bali, it is a rather interesting place. Quieter than Kuta or Seminyak, alternating locals with Balinese style resorts (actually we stayed around the area) and the main fish market of the island. The best of staying in Jimbaran are the dining opportunities by the beach. Very similar to the restaurants in Koh Samui, at Jimbaran Beach you can have really fresh grilled fish (e.g. red snapper) together with plenty of staple side dishes and drinks at one of the many warungs for two and pay less than 20 EUR in total.

The beach is not particularly famous but during daytime is considerably less crowded than any of the other and quite clean, so if you also chose to stay in the area, it might be worthwhile spending some time there - we didn't realize until the day we were flying out when we killed time until it was time to go to the airport, hanging around the hotel pool area. There are not many sightseeing opportunities around, other than Jimbaran Fish Market shown in this post.

KLM lost my suitcase, so we went to the place where you could be without a bikini, the fish market. I really like the energy of local places, as they provide an opportunity to snap the real life in the island. It was a bit late, but still there was some activity on the "dried fish" stalls. I was stroke by the beauty of the jukung or traditional Balinese outrigger canoes. This boat is one kind of outrigger canoe that also use the crab claw sail, which was invented by the Polynesians. This type of sail is very special. With a triangular shape, it can produce very large amounts of lift when reaching and its performance is overall superior to any other simple sail plan. That's maybe the reason why they manage to come so far? They had smart engineers to optimize their boats!!!

The bars on the side reminded a lot of the boats we saw in the Polynesian Culture museum of Hawaii Big Island as well as those in Boracay. The magic of the Pacific, in the end... It was all coming from one amazing nomad culture.

We went by walk from our hotel Keraton Jimbaran Beach Resort, but it is located right in the middle of the south, so you can drop by anytime on the way somwhere maybe - try to come before 12PM.

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Bali - Tegenungan Waterfall

Pity we didn't bring our bathing suits as this waterfall would have been the perfect way to end a magical day in Ubud. This magic waterfall marks the end of our day around Bali. One of the things I did not like though, is to discover how retarded the Balinese Hindu are when it comes to the role of women. Banning women on their period out of temples is a subtle way to call us dirty and unworthy, even if the human race can actually survive thanks to those days. Really guys, get over it.

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Bali - Goa Gajah Temple

Even though Goa Gajah translates into Elephant Cave, you won’t find any pachyderms here. 

One theory is that the elephant aspect came from the stone figure inside the cave depicting the Hindu lord Ganesha, characterised by an elephant’s head. Inside, you can also find the three mysterious stones whose meaning I forgot and can't seem to find - maybe they represented heaven, earth & humans? - but they are interesting in their simplicity surrounded by so much carving. The cloth around them is believed to be sacred. The cave’s entrance shows a menacing giant face considered to be an elephant with its wide open mouth as the door, together with some forest and animals motifs. Goa Gajah was built on a hillside, since 2 rivers meet here, the site and its waters are considered sacred, you can see the holy fountains at the entrance as well as our driver washing his hands in this purity.

The complex is open daily 08:00 - 16.00. As with any temple in Bali, women during their periods are forbidden entrance and wearing a sarong and waist sash is a must.

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Bali - Gunung Kawi Temple

Despite the effort - you have to walk 600m and then 315 stone steps to get there and it ain't easy on that heat - I am extremely thankful to our driver for bringing us to Gunung Kawi, the ancient temple of Bali carved on stone. This was the first temple that felt truly off the beaten track. It was not packed with Chinese tourists on their all-inclusive holiday, so we could explore it in silence, letting the holiness of the spot come into us.

The temple is carved in rock and was built back on the 11th century. Can you imagine how much effort it took? The environment is also amazing as the rice terraces and green palm trees make a beautiful contrast against the dark rock. The only sound you will hear is with that of water trickling along the irrigation channels at the bottom of a valley, combined with some farmers who work on their rice fields on the distance.

The monuments you first see are in relief directly on a solid rock hill. The shape is that of a burial tower, as it seems to honor a king that reigned Bali 1050-1077 but then gave up to become a religious hermit. When you cross the river, there is cloister with 5 cells carved out of rock, where the temple caretakers used to reside. Then, there is a second hermitage that might have served as sleeping spot for visiting pilgrims. In order to get in, you have to remove your shoes.

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Bali - Pura Tirta Empul

Tirta Empul means Holy Spring in Balinese. It is a temple founded around a large water spring in 962 AD. When you enter the temple, there is a pond with some Japanese carps. Not so unique... But cross the second gate and the magic starts to happen. The central yard of the temple, Jaba Tengah, contains 2 pools with 30 showers. This is a holy spring where non-hindu are not allowed in. 

When you pass the shower area, there is a second third with super clear waters, where the spring provides fresh water and it is considered to be holy. The temple is dedicated to Vishnu, another Hindu god name for the supreme consciousness Narayana. I was really impressed by the second pool as I had never seen such clear waters in a temple in South East Asia.

Another stop of our day in Ubud.

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Bali - Tegalalang Rice Terraces

While mountainous, Bali is agricultural place where rice is a staple food. Rice requires a lot of water and it is therefore typically grown in rice paddies all over Asia. These are large squares of flooded terrain, that even have their own kanji: 田. But Bali has a lot of mountains and little to no flat terrain, hence the challenge in terms of arable land was overcome by the knowledge passed down by a revered holy man called Rsi Markandeya in the eighth century, who taught them how to make subak or terraces along the mountain. The outlook is something from outer space, wherever you look the only thing you see is the greenery and terraces that spread beyond your eyesight. The walk in the area is quite a cool experience, but remember to bring mosquito repellent, water and waterproof shoes like the TEVAs I typically sport in these occasions. The trail is quite narrow, so it is quite easy to put one foot in the mud (as it happened to me > * <) and get stained. Don't be like one guy we saw, with one sneaker completely muddy and the other completely white, probably bought the day before. Lots of photo opportunities await but make sure to come in a non-rainy day, as this beautiful place turns into a wet mud nightmare quite quickly...

Tegallalang is located 30min away from Ubud and was our third stop of the day, after the Monkey Forest and the flash shopping.

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Bali - Ubud Central Market

Everything gets a bit rushed when you got one day to explore Ubud, so our visit around the city center was minimal. 

Ubud is the place where artisans who inherited their skills from their parents still produce beautiful wood and stone carvings, printed clothing and a million other things you might be interested on bringing back home (such as carved buffalo heads, which look amazing in an industrial living room or restaurant, also very popular in South Africa). We didn't have time for much, so we were dropped for one hour and then picked up around this pretty temple.

3 rules if you are going to shop:

1. Spend some time around the market, familiarizing yourself with the offering.

2. Buy in bulk whenever you can (so you can press more on the price)

3. Remember to bargain (always) - I personally HATE the bargaining game, but it's really needed in these countries

Actually, I bought a lot of things in Seminyak (the posh neighborhood where many Australian stores like Seafolly - which is not cheap but offers awesome bikinis - and For the love and lemons - amazing lingerie - are located) and Kuta (at the main mall, there is a TOPSHOP store, where I got some cool summer looks, CONVERSE store, where Enrique got some leather sneakers, plus all mainstream and local surf clothing brands, combined with lots of Ralph Lauren). Hippy clothing and balinese prints are not really my thing - just brought a robe -  hence, for fashion shopping I would suggest to save your pennies and wait for Seminyak, which won't be super cheap, but well worth it.

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Bali - Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary

Finally, I found some time to share some of our great experiences in Bali. Despite making all the mistakes a tourist could fall into (e.g. not spending any night in Ubud, visiting traps like "turtle island") we cherish our week there. Bali is one of the most memorable places we've ever been to, #2 after Hawaii's Big Island.

We start our Bali stories from the sacred Monkey Forest in Ubud, which offers the perfect combination of nature, wildlife (read, monkeys) and temples (3 of them to be specific, one with a holy spring to cleanse both body and mind, one major temple to meditate and another with a graveyard, where bodies wait until the mass cremation ceremony which is held every 5 years). Note: We are suckers for macaques and forests hence our extreme appreciation.

Just so we start off right, let's clarify the reason why Bali has become a mecca for yoguis, vegans, surfers and travelers altogether: Hinduism dominates Bali, despite being part of Indonesia (a predominantly muslim country). In fact, Balinese Hinduism resembles more the Hinduism of 2000 years ago, than what we see in India today.

Do you wonder why is Hinduism predominant in Bali? Once upon a time, the Hindu Majaphit empire dominated most of the Indonesian archipelago and had its base in Java (the largest island of Indonesia) around Yogyakarta. The empire was invaded by muslim forces in the 14th-15th century, so the Majapahits took his courtiers, artisans, priests and members of the Royalty and escaped East, ending up in Bali, an island with lots of mountains, quite easy to defend. Bali was a society revolving around agriculture, they were kept outside the Dutch East Indies and the maritime silk road. They just kept growing their rice and keeping their traditions alive.

We visited Monkey Forest as the first step of our Ubud route. It opens 8:30 - 18:00 (last tickets at 17:30). It is advisable for you to NOT bring any food and to keep your belongings packaged, to avoid any bites or thefts. There are about 600 monkeys living in the forest, divided into 5 groups: in front of the main temple, Michelin, eastern, central, and cemeteries. Each group consist of 100 – 120 monkeys containing infants (0 – 1 year), juvenile 1 (1 – 2 years), juvenile 2 (2 – 4 years), sub-adult male (4 – 6 years), adult female (over 4 years), and adult male (over 6 years). The pregnancy lasts 6 months, typically leading to 1 infant that is taken care by the mother during 10 months. While being omnivores - watch out for your sandwich, their main fare is sweet potato, fed by the sanctuary staff in combination with banana, papaya leaf, corn, cucumber, coconut, and other local fruit. They weight up to 8 kg (females up to 6) and live around 15 years (females up to 20).

Monkeys are very amazing creatures to me. As we learnt in Jigokudani, their gestures are extremely human-like, what makes them quite an insightful animal to reflect upon, we are clearly not so far from each other. Definitely a must if you visit Bali.

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Granada - Lío

No soy de comer mucho, pero sí picotear con un buen vino en un entorno agradable. Lo cual no resulta especialmente sencillo cuando estás explorando una ciudad en un fin de semana, con lo que no da tiempo a planear ni reservar en los top spots de tripadvisor. De ahí que Lío fuera una agradable sorpresa. Probablemente terminamos allí por razones de supervivencia (i.e. frío) pero nos encantó el ambiente y el menú, así como la localización - pegadito a la Catedral.

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Granada - Mirador de San Nicolás

En el corazón del Albayzín, ese barrio de Granada plagado de callejuelas de herencia morisca, se encuentra el Mirador de San Nicolás, un pintoresco balcón desde el que admirar la Alhambra y esa Sierra Nevada que la enmarca. Granada es una ciudad en las que da gusto patear, explorar callejuelas y toparte con tesoros a la vuelta de cada esquina.

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Granada - Boutique Hotel Gar-Anat

Gar-Anat se remonta al s.XVII, donde servía como hospital de peregrinos. Pasó a manos de particulares en el s.XIX y se deterioró hasta que se rehabilitó e inauguró como hotel en 2008. A veces es difícil hacer regalos, así que este año por el cumpleaños de Enrique, le regalé un finde en Granada. Las habitaciones tienen diferentes diseños, con muros decorados con poesía. El patio tiene un árbol en el que puedes colgar tus deseos. Un sitio con muy pocas habitaciones pero mucho encanto, en el que pasar un finde inolvidable explorando Granada entre dos.

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Granada - Streets & Tapas

En Granada uno camina mucho. Cosa que naturalmente, genera hambre y trae a la mente el dicho de que el tapeo en Granada es único, porque con cada copa "te regalan una tapa".

Esto no falta a la verdad, pero oculta el hecho de que pagas por un vino bastante más de lo normal y pierdes la libertad a la hora de elegir lo que comes (algo que complica las cosas cuando eres un poco especial - si no comes fritos, como yo). Nosotros seguimos las indicaciones del hotel y la verdad que empezamos bien, con La Platea, que nos gustó bastante. Después terminamos en un sitio de pescado (léase pescaito) que no era muy adecuado para mí y terminamos con un sushi ligeramente overpriced. No fue una experiencia culinaria demasiado memorable, probablemente por faltarnos ese amigo de Granada que sabe por dónde llevarte - esto es una indirecta a todos los locales que conozco.

Aún así, tiene su gracia lo de ir de un lado a otro probando diferentes cosas - quizás un plan más apetecible en Otoño o Primavera que en Enero.

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