Bali’s Volcanoes and Hot Springs are Worth a Visit!
My first day touring Bali was spent on cultural activities like dance. On my second tour day with Bali Bliss Tour, we went to the Batur Volcano and its famous healing Hot Springs. There are three volcanos, Batur, Mount Agung, and Bratan. I chose Batur because I wanted to soak in the hot mineral water. And it was wonderful! 
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Nusa Penida is an island off the coast of Bali (and part of the nation of Bali). Rumor has it that manta rays and mola mola (oceanic sunfish) hang out at one of the dive sites there, so I scurried off to check it out!
I did my research and went diving with Blue Season Bali. A Five Star PADI dive center, their instructors and dive masters were fully qualified, professional, and friendly to boot! A lovely way to start my diving in Indonesia. My fellow divers were fun as well. I headed off with my camera equipment, hoping for some cool sightings. (By the way, if you are looking for any dive camera equipment, don’t hesitate to contact my friends at Backscatter.com. They have absolutely everything you need for underwater photography, and I mean everything. If the manufacturer doesn’t make a product, Backscatter does! They have given me great service by answering my beginner-ish questions, steering me toward awesome products, and giving great customer service. Check them out!!!!)
I did three dives off Nusa Penida one day, and the next I went to Tulumben to dive the USS Liberty. Sadly, the USS Liberty was a fiasco. I’ve heard from many people what a beautiful dive it is…but on the day we went the surf was wicked, and just getting in the water was difficult and dangerous. The visibility was absolutely horrible. I took a few photos, but it wasn’t a good dive. I skipped the second dive as I had no desire to navigate the surf again.
All in all, I have to say my dives in Bali were disappointing. No mantas, no molas, and Tulumben was a bust. However, I only went for two days, and that is certainly not enough to really judge an entire island’s dive sites. I can say that if I went back and planned dives, I would go with Blue Season Bali, they were terrific.
Touring Bali Includes The Barong and the Rangda
While enjoying a day out in Bali with Bali Bliss Tour, I learned quite a lot about Bali’s culture and history. First, the majority of Balinese are Hindu, and there are temples and offerings everywhere…in that, it reminds me of Thailand. In Bali, deities and shrines are covered in material of black and white checks, and offerings of food are covered by a small ornate umbrellas. Both the good and bad spirits are honored. Good is white, Black is evil and this is because the day is light and the night is dark….the Balinese believe you can’t have one without the other, and the evil must be honored in order to keep it at bay. So fascinating!
Bali Bliss Tour is a tour company dedicated to private and personal tours. My guide for the day, Nyomen, was so knowledgeable! Our first stop was to see the traditional Balinese dance of the Barong and the Rangda, the never ending fight between good and evil. The Barong, a mythical creature resembling a lion or tiger, is the protective spirit of good. In the dance we first see the arrival of the protector, the Barong, with accompanying monkeys. Later the arrival of the bad spirit, Rangda, brings havoc, and a lot more dancing! The battle between good and evil is never ending.
I loved the dance!
Afterward, Nyomen took me to a family run coffee plantation for a tasting. The coffee was delicious!
I will pick up on the tour for Fab Photos Friday! Bali is amazing.
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The trip to Bali was exhausting….and long. The routing was very lacking! I had to fly from Sydney to Kuala Lumpur, a 9 hour flight, then from Kuala Lumpur to Depensar, Bali. I arrived in need of succor, and I certainly received it at the Maya Sanur Resort and Spa. I was given a cool towel, a cold drink, and a warm welcome. It was a lovely introduction to the island of Bali. I loved my simple yet luxurious, “zen” room with a deep tub and fabulous balcony.
Find the best deal, compare prices, and read what other travelers have to say at TripAdvisor
The grounds at the Maya Sanur are gorgeous, and also very cultural. I can’t wait to share the culture of Bali with you!
I had an amazing Maya Massage and facial at the spa where one is treated like royalty. Incredibly beautiful and relaxing!
My stay at Maya Sanur was wonderful. I was well taken care of. My favorite spot? The infinity pool with ocean view, of course! A wonderfully relaxing spot next to the beach bar…my order? Lemon Squash! If you are headed to Sanur Beach, I recommend the wonderful Maya Sanur Beach Resort and Spa!
Thank you, Maya Sanur, for a lovely stay! And anyone interested in staying at the Maya Sanur should click Find the best deal, compare prices, and read what other travelers have to say at TripAdvisor
What comes to mind when you hear “Australia”? I’m betting that Koalas and Kangaroos are at the top of the list, along with the Great Barrier Reef and the Opera House. Australia has so many creatures who appear only on the Australian continent, and that alone makes these animals special…not to mention adorable. And they truly are adorable.
On my tour of the Blue Mountains with Blue Diamond Luxury Tours our last stop of the day was at an animal sanctuary. Many of the animals are not able to go back into the wild, though some are born onsite. To see Koalas (they aren’t bears, they are marsupials), Kangas, Wombats, and Wallabies is a rare treat. Just watching them brings joy!
Here are some awesome birds!
As I carefully planned my itinerary for Sydney, I knew I had to have a day to visit the Blue Mountains. I have read several books where they figure prominently, their blue haze a romantic background to so many stories. The Blue Mountains definitely lived up to their romance.
Shying away from large tours and tour buses, I asked the concierge at the Four Seasons Hotel, who recommended Blue Diamond Tours, a small tour specialist, taking a maximum of fourteen people. Luxurious, specialized tours! One learns so much more from small tour groups where the guide can actually take the time to tell stories. Blue Diamond Tours picked me up at the Four Seasons Sydney at 7:10 a.m for a full day tour. They use Mercedes mini buses for transport, and they are as comfortable a tour bus as I have ever been on. Our guide was Mina, very outgoing and gregarious, telling the worst jokes ever! It was a fun tour with him, absolutely!
In keeping with a luxury boutique tour, our first stop was in the Blue Mountains for morning tea. After tea or coffee with scones, jam and cream, we were on our way to amazing views and cold mountain waterfalls. The Blue Mountains are so called because of the Eucalypt trees which thickly cover the valleys. The Eucalypts give off a bluish haze which is quite beautiful and ethereal. Our first visit was to the Three Sisters, a rock formation said to be three sisters who were turned to stone. The legend is an aboriginal dream time story, and you can get the details right HERE. I do love the story.
Close to the Three Sisters is Scenic World, in the main Blue Mountains town, Katoomba (meaning shiny in aboriginal language) a company which runs two cable cars over the valleys, and one train ride through the forest. They also have walk ways so you can get down into the rain forest. Yes, under the canopy in the blue mountains you will find a temperate rain forest! I was stunned by the beauty of the plants and trees, especially the tree ferns. Their foliage is so delicate! There also lives in the forest a genus of Dwarf Pine Tree which predates the dinosaurs. The tree has been found in numerous fossils.
After our walk and rides at Scenic World we headed to Katoomba Falls, one of the many waterfalls of the Jamison Valley. It was so cold and clear, just beautiful. The sun was in the wrong spot for photos, but I’ve tried! We then went to Flat Rock, now known as Lincoln’s Rock in honor of a climber who died tragically of cancer. The views from Flat Rock are gorgeous. While at Flat Rock I heard another tour guide talking about how the mountains were once under the ocean. He showed his group shells in the rocks, and demonstrated how the aboriginals used the red rock as paint. Fascinating!
Then it was off to a yummy lunch at a pub, and the second part of our tour. To be continued!
