Life of the Mayers: Bali: Seraya (Part One)

After a final peaceful morning of sleeping in, and delicious breakfast, all of the employees at Villa Beachside gathered to bid us farewell (including the owner). It was really a touching gesture that I appreciated, and made me even more super sad to go...even as excited as I was to explore our next Bali accommodations and location. They ALL stood there and waved until we were out of sight. I know, because I was waving back the entire time.

We arranged with the owner from our next accommodation to pick us up (transportation is super cheap here), because it was so far and so remote, we didn't want to risk losing time on getting lost in an area with poor cell reception. It was a 3 hour long and windy drive along the coast and mountain regions of Bali, and while I was a bit carsick from it, it was so picturesque.

Our 2nd accommodation was even more remote than we had planned. While it was only 3-4 miles from a town, which is what we planned on, it took about 30 minutes to get there because of the conditions of the road, which we did not plan on. But it was amazing.

Our stay was a the Frangipani Inn (another AirBnb treasure) with Sales. He was in the tourism industry for many years in the urban areas of Bali, before returning to his remote birth place to open his own Inn and Restaurant. The internet was spotty, the conditions were basic but immaculate, but it was my favorite place for the whole trip. The accommodations are 3 stand alone villas, and they are great.

We arrived, got settled, and immediately headed down to the restaurant associated with the inn for lunch. There is no other alternative for food, and while initially disgruntled at this, I very quickly became more than accepting as there is no other place that I wanted to eat after experiencing the cooking of Sales's cousin Kadek. Serious, the man is a chef magician.

Hot day = Cold beer. I love Bintang.
Seriously, I really started liking beer on this trip!

Adam is suspicious of my enjoyment of beer

After enjoying an incredible lunch and a few large beers, that made the world a much better place, we set out to explore the "neighborhood". By neighborhood, I mean remote coastal village of awesomeness.

Adam getting to know the neighbors

Exploring the coastline...all rocky beaches on this side

Hawaiian reminiscent <3

Our own little villa

A picturesque end to our first afternoon in Seraya

Plotting activities for the day with Sales: Owner and Chauffeur extraordinaire!

We enjoyed a fresh breakfast of "tost egg" and "omlet" before embarking on our day. While waiting for breakfast to come to fruition, we watched the village come to life. The number of women that walked by with large objects or piles of objects balanced on their heads left me incredulous.

And then we were off.

Balinese rice fields

Snake fruit: Sketchy appearance (texture of snake skin too), but absolutely delicious!!!!

The biggest target of our day's excursion was Besakih Temple, the largest temple in Bali. Despite being a dismal day on the mountain weather wise, it did not diminish the incredible marvel that this place is. A massive monument, built in the middle of no where, for the people.

Besakih Temple

Besakih Temple: Adam and our wonderful guide

Besakih Temple

Besakih Temple: The ability to balance perpetually blow my mind

Our next stop was 'White Sand' (aka Virgin Beach) Beach in Karangasem. Just to stretch out our legs and spend some time in the pristine waters. There is a nominal fee to get onto the beach for non-residents, for upkeep and such, and I think this is a great idea.

Virgin Beach

After relaxing on the beach, we found some energy (after hours in the car), to end our day tour of the Taman Soekasada Water Palace. While I don't think I would have made a special effort to get here to explore it (or gone out of my way), since we were in the area, it was great to stop by and view this place.