As my time in Bali comes to a close, I thought I’d share some of my favorite shots from the trip and a brief story or information with each one. Enjoy!
While our villa wasn’t exactly in the resort, we got to use Sayan Terrace Resorts pool and spent several evenings enjoying stunning sunsets overlooking the Ayung River (which we later rafted down) and some beautiful rice terraces. The pool was always empty and a great spot to relax and enjoy a Bintang (local beer).The Aerial view of our resort was quite beautiful as well. The pool is pictured in the middle surrounded by thatch roofed villas of all shapes and sizes. Little pathways made their way between villas, pools, and a restaurant. My drone had its first crash landing here but despite a chipped propeller kept working without issue.Just outside of Ubud is a beautiful trek called the Campuhan Ridge Walk. This seemed a popular spot for early morning runners and people hoping to catch the sunrise. It wasn’t too crowded and gave us some of the best moody morning views of the trip.Tegallalang Rice Terrace is perhaps Bali’s most famous rice terrace. It was near harvest, so the rice looked much less green than we expected but during sunset the color contrast was quite beautiful. Like most things in Bali, this place is overrun with tourists and the tourist industry. Taxi drivers yelling and honking, shop owners calling for you to buy, drones flying everywhere, and rice field owners asking for donations. Its understandable to was money for tourists to walk through your fields, but a simple ticket entry fee would be simpler and preferable to all parties in my opinion. There are plenty of less crowded rice fields for sure, but I guess it takes knowing a local or living here to find the really good ones.Eventually as sun sets, the crowds begin to thin and the pressure decreases. Here in the background you can just make out of the many tree swings which tourists in Bali seem to love (and thus appear everywhere). The amount of labor and thought that has been going into these rice terraces for centuries is incredible to observe.Through the dense foliage you can see the beautiful blue waters of Kroya Waterfall (often mislabeled Aling-Aling Waterfall on Instagram we found out). This beautiful waterfall can serve as a fun rock slide. According to the gate attendants at the park you must have a guide to do this or they will fine you. Entry to the park is 10,000 IDR, with a guide it goes up to 125,000 IDR. The water looked inviting but we didn’t risk the fine.This is the actual Aling Aling falls according to what we were told. This super tall waterfall is not one you can jump from. It is however quite a lovely site. Above it and on up the river is the Blue Lagoon and Secret Gardens which we didn’t have time to explore.Tukad Cepung Waterfall has been labeled the hidden waterfall. In my Bali research, I read articles as recent as 2017, saying this was “off the beaten path” and “barely discovered by tourists”. This is apparently no longer true, as we found the waterfall packed with people. There is a 10,000 IDR entrance fee and then a long but pretty walk down many stairs and through a hidden green canyon up to the falls. Its hard to get a photo like this as the crowds are packed in front of the falls all trying to do the same thing. But with some patients we managed to snap a few.Canggu was one of the first places in Bali that has felt peaceful and relaxed. Despite reading online that both Ubud and Canggu were good places for ex-pats and escaping the crowds, we found the Ubud was nearly just as bad as the Kuta area. Walking these beautiful Canggu beaches was a perfect was to spend the evening.The much emptier beaches of Canggu gave me some much needed drone flying practice and I successful made 3 flights here. The overhead clouds helped with lighting and and dark sand makes a nice contrast with the white froth of the ocean.After watching the sunset over Canggu, we decided to leave the beaches lined with fun looking beach clubs and bars and find some street food. We ended up getting a fusion burrito at a little food truck which was delicious. Food in Canggu is hard to beat in my opinion. There seemed to be plenty of cheap local options but there are also many excellent healthy more western options as well. While many restaurants serving Avocado toast and smoothie bowls tend to be a bit more expensive, the relaxed atmosphere and clean environments make it worth paying a bit more here. Overall Canggu was the nicest place I visited in Bali and the only one I’d come back to for a longer visit. It seems set up for relaxed, ex-pat, beach life with healthy food options, yoga, surfing everywhere, and a lack of the general business that overshadows much of Bali.One of my favorite aerial shots of the Canggu area near Echo Beach, The water and air both seem so much crisper and cleaner up here than further down the coast. These rocks in the ocean were quite stunning when viewed from above.
