To Uluwatu avec Dewa….

After settling in at the Bali Tropic both Ryan & Andrea and us agreed that we should venture out on some day trips to get off the overly beaten track to scope out some natural wonders. First up was a day trip to Uluwatu, the south-western and most exposed tip of Bali. A quick call to the Billy Bali man and guide extraordinaire Dewa had us locked and loaded to roll westbound come mid morning.

The dry drive was well worth it when we arrived at the 11th century cliffside built temple. For the first time in our trip we came face to face with the local species of monkey. Careful now, but as cute as they were, in Uluwatu these monkeys have a calculated way of coming into more food….

Step 1 – Snipe up to an innocent tourist.
Step 2 – Grab anything and everything you can off of them. Namely hats and sunglasses.
Step 3 – Swiftly bail from the scene of the gank session and perch yourself high.
Step 4 – Wait for the pissed off tourist to grab a temple attendant to trade a snack bar for whatever is in your hand.
Step 5 – Make the trade and grit down on some chocolatey goodness.

Repeat till your heart is content.

Andrea felt the brunt of this monkey philosophy with a swift snag of her sunglasses right off her head. It was like lightening striking. Pretty amazing really considering that Dewa had warned us of the dealio and that we were all on guard per se.

Less the quasi monkey debacle we all had a wonderful time overlooking the Indian Ocean and its many leftward breaking reef breaks below… [below]

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After our temple excursion and sweating out to the mid-day heat, we piled back into Dewa’s van to head to the famous Uluwatu surf break. What an amazing site. Ryan’s goal was to scope as many surf breaks as possible in setup for the end of their trip, however, just watching people surf in the rustic cliffside bars and cafes with steep walkways was a true treat… [above]

After a surf watching lunch we charged more north to check out Padang-Padang as well as Dreamland for the surfing options. The Uluwatu region reminded us all of the Nicoya Peninsula of Costa Rica. Folks of all nationalities and styles amalgamate in a small area zipping around on motor bikes from one surf break to the next depending on the swell, however in this case, virtually every surf break is world renowned and when macking may have numerous pros ripping each set wave. As picturesque as it is badass really. Say no more.