Christmas in Bali
Bali, Indonesia, 2011-12-24 12:00 by Laerke


Martin’s parents were coming to Indonesia for 2 weeks over the holidays to visit us, we decided that we were going to show them beautiful Bali! We arranged for a rental car so we would have the freedom to go where we wanted and it worked out great. December is the rainy season in Bali and we did see our fair share of rain, but Bali’s beauty is not diminished by a bit of rain - that also just means that Bali is even greener than normally and that the waterfalls are in full flow :)



Driving in Bali requires a vigilant driver – luckily we have Martin :)

We started in Sidemen which is a small area that is great for walks in the rice fields and gazing at all the beautiful views. We stayed at a really nice place that had beautiful pool with a view, Martin’s mom indulged in a Balinese massage and we all enjoyed some lovely meals in the open air restaurant surrounded by all the greenery.


After 2 days in Sidemen we drove to Jasri by the ocean, here we settled into a fantastic two storey traditional Lumbung at Irene’s Homestay. From here we took day trips to Pantai Putih, a beautiful white sand beach where we cooled down in the water (Martin’s parent’s thought it was very hot all the time), and to the water palace in Tirtra Gangga. Here we swam like royalties in the pools and also took time to view the beautiful rice terraces nearby.


Christmas Eve was going to be spent in Ubud, so a few days before we headed into Ubud. Here we had rented the cutest little house in a lovely garden. Martin’s mom was excited go explore all of Ubud’s interesting shops, Martin and I went on some good walks in the surrounding countryside, and we all enjoyed some super delicious food.


Christmas Eve came and we surprised Martin’s mom with a half-day at a spa. Later we went out for Christmas dinner at Murni – it was a lovely experience as all the waiters were happy and wearing santa hats, there was a big beautifully decorated Christmas tree and the food was fantastic – we were all bursting at the seams after finishing the turkey! Back in our house we put the presents under Buddha (in lack of a Christmas tree) sang Danish Christmas Carols, exchanged gifts and ate konfekt, it turned out to be a great Christmas Eve!


Our last destination before Martin’s parents were going back to Denmark was Munduk, a small village up in the mountains, it was significantly cooler up here in the mornings and evenings. After dinner we would cuddle up on our balcony under blankets and stargaze and eat chocolate. During the day we went for walks in the beautiful surroundings, and we also drove to a few of the mountain lakes. Upon leaving one of the lakes a thick blanket of fog suddenly rolled down the mountain side and engulfed us, the fog silenced everything and we walked in a soft, magical world.


Martin’s parents last night in Bali was beautiful, we saw them off with sundowners at the swankiest hotel in Munduk, with an absolutely fantastic view down over the rice fields – and all the way out to the ocean! It was a perfect ending to two lovely weeks in Bali.


Sundowner views, on Martin’s parents' last night in Bali