Family Travels Playing
Justine and Alicia in the gardens of the Brahma Vihara temple
monkey jumped on our table, discarded the straw from Daniel’s juice, and drank it straight from the glass! We were shocked at first, but then it was very amusing. Not far from Ubud, we went to the famous Tegallalang rice fields. We enjoyed the short hike through this beautiful landscape, but since we have seen a lot of rice terraces before this one seemed quite small to us. In the south, we visited the Pula Uruwatu Temple, which is situated on spectacular cliffs between a small forest. We had a relaxed picnic and enjoyed the sunset over the sea behind the pagoda. The best part was definitely our stay at Lilin Lovina Beach Resort on the less touristy north coast. We had our own bungalow with a pool, and breakfast was served on our private terrace facing the beach. The kids couldn’t get enough of collecting shells on the beach, finding starfish in the calm waters, and watching fishermen return with full nets in the afternoon. One morning, we were taken to see frolicking dolphins at sunrise by a fishing boat. Seeing so many dolphins at once was an unforgettable experience for the kids. After a short drive, we also hiked to the 40m-high Gigit Waterfalls after passing through beautiful rice fields. The kids loved taking a refreshing bath in the cold spring water. The driver we hired on the north coast of Bali took us to an ancient Buddhist temple called Brahma Vihara on the top of a mountain. This is a beautiful temple with interesting ancient buildings, a very spiritual atmosphere, and fantastic gardens. We were the only visitors, and got to enjoy the tranquility of this place. Alicia loved picking fallen orchids and Daniel was excited to see exotic birds tweeting loudly from the trees. By contrast, we booked a trip to Turtle Island on the southern coast of Bali, expecting to see turtles living freely in an appropriate reserve. But this turned out to be quite a tourist trap: very expensive, with most of the turtles living in small plastic water basins. Some kids even
rode on them. In the end, the guides insisted on taking a break at the reserve’s restaurant. The only nice memory of this trip was the private glass bottom boat tour from Nusa Dua to Turtle Island; the kids could see exotic fish and coral underneath. We didn’t expect to eat such delicious dinners in the seafood restaurants located on the southern part of Jimbaran Beach. We loved spending evenings there watching the sunset and eating terrific fish. Afterwards, the kids were excited to walk across the beach to our hotel revealing crabs in hiding with their pocket lamps in the dark. Justine Melzer
Travel Tips: • The best time to visit Bali is the dry season between May and October. • Bali is a convenient destination to visit with kids; ours generally liked the non-spicy local food and freshly-squeezed juices. Some places, like Ubud, had many organic restaurants. There are small markets – often with ATMs inside – and bigger hypermarkets accessible by car. It was also very easy to organize tours and reserve transportation. We booked our trips at the front desk, but there are numerous local travel agencies as well. We communicated in English with the locals. • Because it is a long ride (3-4 hours) from the airport to the north coast of Bali, it is much less touristy than the other parts of the island. • Jimbaran Beach on the south coast is probably the most beautiful beach on the island. It’s very welcoming and kid-friendly, with white sand and calm turquoise waters. Not surprisingly, the resorts here are more expensive. You’ll also find an International SOS clinic in this area.
June 2013
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