My intention when I booked this flight from Bali to Hawaii was to get the cheapest flight possible. I found a fantastic fare ($500 or so) but it was via Taiwan on China Airlines - with a 19 hour layover. I went to the net to find if this was doable and it turns out -- it's a thing. 

Our hub was in Manila. Since we were laid over here, we decided to stay for a few days. It was my first time here. It was not a very fortunate trip, as there was bad weather and my companions were sick. But we managed a few outings. On our first day, our mission was to get beads for a friend in Guam. This is a shopping area next to the Church of the Black Nazarene. Supposedly not a good area, but we were fine. 

Our hotel was the Melasti Beach Resort and Spa on Legian Beach in Denpasar.It was an older hotel, but the grounds were very nice and the morning brunch was great to have. Our last day was spent shopping for the most part. We also did massages, and some good eating. 

I was impressed by this vendor who gave us a whole schpiel on each of "his" designs. He appeared to be a craftsman, but someone told me he was just a salesman. He was good though. I bought a few pieces from him.

My friend Tim, who is a frequent traveler to Bali and beyond, suggested we go to Munduk. We are glad we took his advice. It is inland, with mountains, waterfalls, lakes. Lots of beautiful scenery and an escape from the hustle and bustle of the city. Anne found an eco-tourist resort which was built next to a rice paddy. 

My travel companions had gone to Ubud in the first part of their trip, and was so glad that they wanted to go back, because it was the only place in Bali that I had wanted to go to. Anne found a very nice villa behind a rice paddy. Though it took a while to find it, it was a great find once we did.

Last November, I traveled with a small group of friends from Guam to Bali. I am used to traveling alone, so this was a new experience for me. It was so much more pleasurable to travel with friends than be alone. Since it has been almost a year since I went, this post will be mostly photos, with whatever text I recall. (I forgot I had started this blog a few months ago, the previous blog piece).

I was hanging out at my local tavern and a friend, Sherry, mentioned that she was going to Bali and casually asked if I wanted to come. Her travel buddy was a friend from my high school, her cousins, and other friends. Turns out that this trip was in two shifts, and I was able to get in on the second shift. I had always wanted to go to Bali since the 80s when there was a direct flight between Guam and Bali and all my friends were going, and I never did it back then.