The Terrific3 travel blog

Unfortunately, I’m still under the weather. Not sure what I have. I’m slightly improved from the first day, but still having some abdominal pain and generalized fatigue had nausea, and was up a bunch of times last night. I’m most bummed that I’m wasting a good opportunity for some beach runs, but also trying not to exercise while my body heals.

Since we were all up at the crack of dawn (Murphy’s law since we have a later night planned today), despite me not feeling great, I didn’t want to miss the opportunity for sunrise on the beach. I think this was the first time my kids have ever seen a full sunrise. I couldn’t help but att attach so

In the afternoon, we finally left our resort for a cultural activity. I saw finally as I’m definitely resorted out by now and ready for real life. We booked a tour of Uluwatu temple and the traditional Kecak fire dance through an Airbnb experience. I knew you could book tickets yourself but I liked the idea of being driven by someone who has already bought the tickets and can guide us. With 2 little kids, it saved us tons of time not waiting in lines, and also being able to get out before the inevitable traffic jam.

Our driver Bawa met us at our hotel at 345pm. I love meeting guides and drivers as it’s a way to learn more about their culture. I learned that he’s been a guide/driver for 4 years, minus 2 during COVID, when he was out of a job and took care of his 1 and 3 year old while his teacher wife homeschooled other kids. He said COVID was very hard on Bali as he estimates 50% of people are involved in tourist work. He also acknowledged that being a stay at home dad was very difficult. His wife and him have now started an Indonesia trip planning service where they put together details of your trip. He asked me to pass on his info so here it is: +62-821-4784-8856. I can’t vouch for his trip planning service as that’s not what we got but he is very nice, is a family man, and was a great guide tonight for us.

Uluwatu temple sits on the edge of a cliff and is dedicated to the Balinese Hindu God Rudra, the god of storm and wind, built here as a way to protect the island from elements. It was gorgeous here and also exceedingly crowded, to the point I had to hold both kids’ hands as I feared we would be separated (and btw Apple Watch SEs do not work off your international plan, if you were wondering).

The place is also notorious for cheeky monkeys, which I had read, and Bawa warned us about. It was fun for the boys as it was the first time they had seen monkeys in the wild. One monkey stole a poor kids’ eyeglasses and had to be coaxed back by food to give them back, but broken….

The fire dance started at 6 but by the time we entered around 530pm, the stage seating area was already 75% full. We found some seats and settled in and met a nice couple from Denver who were in Bali on their honeymoon.

The whole place was gorgeous and had healing spiritual energy for sure. A very different feeling from the quietness of most of the temples we visited in Thailand in the low season, but this one should be on the no-miss list. I had hesitated going after I got sick as had heard about crowds and traffic, but we found a way around the traffic by getting up 5 minutes before the show ended and slowly exiting so as to watch the show but be the first ones out. Our guide thanked me for my idea as he said he often gets stuck in the road that leaves for over an hour.

The dance itself was amazing. Both my boys were riveted. I didn’t realize it was the story of Ramayana, which I read to both boys every Diwali season. There was also a paper description in English which helped keep S engaged, and he and I explained to Z what the story was. The guy who played Hanuman was a funny, cheeky character, very much monkey-like. In the middle of the show, he entered the audience and handed a man his microphone. The man then proposed to his girlfriend (in Indonesian) with the crowd cheering him on. It was a sweet moment for sure.

With Bawa’s help, we were able to exit the show venue at 7pm and be back at our hotel before 8pm and I kept both kids from arguing too much in the back seat by handing them Indonesian gummy worms for every 5 minutes they were quiet. Now kids are asleep (I think) and it’s my turn.

I feel like something shifted in me today with my illness—maybe it was being in a place of spirituality and healing, or finally interacting with real people in Bali—but I’m hoping that I’ll have a good night of sleep tonight without waking up in pain. Until tomorrow, when we will be writing from Ubud.