Today we came to Kuta- a beachside town in Bali. Not as secluded as Nusa Dua which has high end luxury resorts with their private beaches Kuta is a beach town with a lively night life and has hotels and accommodations of all shapes and sizes to cater to the myriad tourists from all over the world.
The car ride from Ubud to Kuta was pleasant and uneventful.
Our hotel is called Amnaya Resort, located at the centre of town. Pretty good location, nice room, with large restaurant, swimming pool etc. I missed Purana Resort, the cute little boutique hotel that we stayed in Ubud for the last three days. Boutique hotels give you a very personalised attention and you make friends with the front desk staff and get to know them a bit. in a day or two one starts feeling like home in such places.
Compared to that, this hotel is large, four star and has lots of people. It has all the trappings of a large hotel with all the amenities.
Soon after we settled in the room, hunger reminded us that it needs attention! And, it started raining !! We had already decided to go out if the hotel to grab lunch, so we remained steadfast in our resolve to find a restaurant of our choice.
And, we did. Barely five minutes of walking in the busy road we found what we were looking for
We ordered some chicken and pork and some mint mocktails.
The food was nice as it has been…. consistently good so far, in our dining out experiences.
Then we made the mistake of going to the beach and this did us in. The beach was ok, not as pristine as some of the other beaches but plenty vendors and activities.
I was melting in any case as the humidity was very high though the sky remained cloudy.
If you plan to come to this town, plan on being on complete relax mode, nowhere to go, no hectic plans to be made, just chill, swim, sip a drink, read a book,listen to your fav music, … the world is not going anywhere.
it’s 9 pm here now, time to go to sleep. The town is preparing for their lockdown day on the 29th as is this hotel. Therefore we have to do whatever outside activities we want to do, tomorrow.
The 29th in the traditional Balinese custom is to be observed as Nyepi day. This day, also known as the Day of Silence, is a Balinese holiday held every Isakawarsa according to the Balinese calendar, and it can be traced as far back as 78 A.D. The observance includes maintaining silence, fasting, and meditation for Balinese Hindus. The following day is celebrated as New Year’s Day.
There will be no transport, no activities, no entertainments and the guests cannot go out of the hotel. Even the airport will remain closed for 24 hours.
The day before, the Balinese people take out a procession with a demon called Ogoh Ogoh !!
They take out this procession in the evening prior to the Nyepi day and burn the effigy in the evening. They believe that all the negative energy is burnt along with Ogoh Ogoh. The day after, is hence, a day for fasting and reflection and no action. 30th will be the beginning of another year for the Balinese.
We are quite looking forward to experiencing this day along with the Balinese people.
Tomorrow I am hoping for a long relaxing day, mornings spent by the pool, and evening at the beach with drinks and dinner.
Good night from Kuta, Bali for today.
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