Japan to Lovina, Bali

Both ff us woke up well rested. We packed up and headed out to find breakfast. We went to a Japanese market and picked up a few yummy breakfast items. I got some meat ball looking things, which were delicious. Brian got some packaged croissants. We headed for the train station, and started for the airport. At one point we had to switch trains. In Japan, you have to keep your train ticket to be able to get out of the station. I lost mine, so Brian had to pay a small fee to get me through the gate! Brian says I am a ¥170 wife. Ha .. Not funny. 

Day one in Bali

After another long 7hr flight, we were dead tired and feeling gross from no shower, and airplane meals... We found our driver with a sign saying "Mr. Brian Hayes" and took off for the northern part of Bali, Singaraja area or Lovina more accurately. We drove a looong time, stopped at the top of a mountain and ate our first Balinese meal. Brian had like a half chicken(only it was one of those scrawny ones, so not much) and I had curry. We finally made it to our hotel, paid, and got upstairs and crashed on the bed, windows open and dying from the heat. We were so tired though, it didn't matter.

Of course we got smoothies every time.  I am eating a chocolate banana. Mmm

Day 2

We woke up and wanted to go see the waterfalls in the area, but the woman at the front desk (Indonesian married to the Australian owner) said that there was a "ceremony" which is, we discovered, another way to say holiday or like a religious day. So she said she could find us a driver at two pm, but no earlier. We decided to borrow their bikes and head into town. The bikes were... Well... A bit rickety, but they got us there! We went down to the beach and saw a temple, and then got hit up by people on motorbikes wanting to take us around to waterfalls. We made a plan to meet a guy named Martee at nine the next morning.  After giving him our hotel info, and arranging a pick-up at 9, we walked down the beach. We got hit up by another guy wanting to take us snorkeling, and promised us we could be back by the time we left with our other driver at 2. So we said, sure. We paid 300k rupiah (which is a little less than $30) and we got on this tiny boat and headed out. It seemed very sketchy, but fun and exciting, probably worth it for the ride alone. Snorkeling there was amazing, lots of fish and brain coral. (The pics below are in the wrong order. I can't figure it out. Just enjoy)

Snorkeling

Lovina Beach

End of snorkeling = Trust the boat and the guy.

Beginning of snorkel trip = no trust with the boat or guy

Brian's confidence immediately with the boat.

We got back in and decided to do the dolphin tour in the morning as well with the same guys, since they said we'd be back by eight. 300k again and we would be picked up at 530 am. We ate lunch there on the beach, it then Started to rain... We got on the bikes and it started to POUR. We made it back home, and thought since we were already wet we'd just go like that to the waterfall. We paid the guy 350k, and he drove us to Aling Aling waterfall. The rain was still coming down hard. It was fun to look out the window at the puddles and puddles of rain built up on the roads. We also saw so many motor scooters with 2-4 people on them bundled up, trying to keep from being pelted while driving thru the rain. 

Soaked to the bone.  Seriously, I didn't ever dry after this

By the time we got to Aling Aling, the guides said the weather was too bad for the water slides and stuff, so we just went into the park and walked around. We luckily were able to borrow an umbrella..not that it helped at all... We walked down the steps and saw the huge raging waterfall. We got soaking wet despite the umbrellas, and started back up a different way. We got to the top and made our way to our driver, having spent maybe 1 hr there. If that. We were wondering if he could take us to another site, and he said, pay me another 200k. Um no, since we had agreed with Martee for 550K for the whole next day. So we told him about paying someone for tomorrow that same amount and just decided to go home since we already paid him enough. (we think the owner woman at the hotel charged us a big markup to go to that waterfall because the driver hung around and probably wanted to get his full payment from her) When we got home, we took warm showers (hot water ran out!) and ate at the restaurant at the bnb. 60-65k for a meal, which was actually a little spendy:). We hit the pillow at 7 pm and were out for the night.

Raging Aling Aling Waterfall

Aling Aling Waterfall. So powerful with all that rain!

This was the pathway to our hotel we were staying in

From the balcony of our hotel. They are planting rice

Day 3

We woke up really early at 5am to meet the dolphin tour guys outside. They took us individually on scooters through the dark streets, dropping us off on the beach, where a bunch of others gathered. We went out with the small boat again and saw an amazing sunrise topped off with dolphins! There was like a mad rush every time dolphins came up to get close and or run them over it seemed. We took some awesome pictures, and sometimes just put the phones down and watched. 

Us with some awesome Swedish ladies

Kissy Kissy 

Yay! A pic of him looking at the camera

Dolphin watching

Is a caption necessary on this?

This could be what I like to call the POT (Picture of the trip)

Brian LOVED sitting on the front of the boat and watching Dolphins

I joined him..and almost fell in

We got back to our hotel and ate breakfast, then met Martee and drove back to the Aling Aling waterfall where we had an amazing time sliding down the waterfall, and jumping off between two waterfalls. We had fun with our guide, he stopped at every shrine and offered a water and a prayer. 

Our guide praying.

Beautiful waterfalls

The Aling Aling Waterfall Slide

He is amazing. I love him

Action Shot!

We got back to our driver, and headed to Lovina town and ate on a dock over the ocean. It was so pretty. It started to get really windy, and cold, then it began to rain on us while we were eating.  We finished up quickly and headed to Sekumpul waterfall. 

To get to the waterfalls, you have to hike down 700 steps. We were warned by Martee to not cross any rivers if you can't see the rocks.  We got pretty wet going down to that waterfall as well. By the time we got to the river Martee was talking about, I saw how big and deep the river was, and I decided not to cross it.  Brian crossed the raging river to the big waterfalls anyway. He stood on a rock facing them, getting soaked by the splashes from the falls. Brian met some young Indonesian boys and took some pictures with them, of course they zoomed in on the whole body and didn't get the waterfall really at all. Makes you wonder if they think we take horrible pictures of them when we take for them.  I tell ya what though, they think we are celebrities because they always want us in the pictures with them.

This is the pic the Indonesian boys took

Don't mind the giant waterfall they missed...

Celebrity picture

Sekumpul Waterfall (7 waterfalls)

It was really an amazing view

Brian crossing the raging river to the falls

We hiked back, and our driver took us back to Lovina where he dropped us off in front of a spa. Oh yes!! We had an hour long massage.  We walked around Lovina and ate Thai that night. It was delish! And spendy...Brian couldn't make them a deal for dessert, so we got no dessert just to stick it to em! Martee drove us home for our last stay at mumbul hotel.