Playing Family Travels
From left: Daniel (age 2), Justine, Alicia (5) and David Melzer at the Tegallalang rice fields
A Land of Contrasts The Melzers roam volcanic ash and white sand beaches in Bali
The Melzer Family
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e went to the island of Bali during the last Golden Week. We stayed in three hotels in completely different parts of the island to make the most of our trip. The first one, located on the north coast, was Lilin Lovina Beach Hotel
beijingkids
2013 June
photos: courtesy of the melzer family
Travelers: Justine and David Melzer and their two kids, Alicia (age 5) and Daniel (2) Destination: Bali, Indonesia (Ubud, Lovina Beach, and Jimbaran Beach) Dates: September 22-October 7, 2012 Cost: RMB 44,770. This includes flights for two adults and two kids on Jet Star (RMB 13,500) and Air Asia (RMB 4,500), hotels (RMB 450-1,850/night), car transportation (RMB 2,000), two boat trips (RMB 1,220), and food (RMB 5,700). Visa fees, sightseeing, souvenirs, and spending money not included. Tour company: None. We used booking.com to find hotels, and reserved our flights through each airline’s website (Jet Star for Beijing to Singapore, then Air Asia from Singapore to Bali).
(six days), the second one was Kertiyasa Bungalow in Ubud (three days), in a town quite in the heart of the island, and the third one on the south coast: Keraton Jimbaran Resort and Spa (six days). To get around on the island, we hired a car with a driver at the hotel or took a taxi for short distances. There were vivid, eye-catching colors everywhere. Many people still wear traditional Balinese clothes, and the streets are filled with Hindu decorations made of plants and flowers. The diversity of nature was also impressive, with both black and white beaches, dry and lush regions, and mountains and volcanoes in the center of the island. The kindness of the local people was outstanding. For example, we arrived late at night to our first hotel. The manager simply entrusted us with the room key, asked if we need anything for the night, and told us to check in the next day because of our long trip. The town of Ubud is one of the major sightseeing spots in Bali. It is the cultural center of the island, with many temples, yoga retreats, and arts and crafts. The locals call it “the soul of Bali.” At the beautiful Ubud Palace courtyard, we had a chance to enjoy a Legong dance preformed by professional Balinese dancers. We also visited the wellknown Monkey Forest in Ubud. We didn’t expect so many monkeys just hanging around outside! Once, while having dinner at a restaurant, a