So I went to Bali in early 2000 with an ex-girlfriend. Indonesia is a beautiful country. I don’t remember all that much, but I do recall that some parts of it were as scenic and green as Hawaii was to me.

In the picture above, it was during a day trip to some waterfalls. We were there with a driver we had connected with and hired to get us around. The place was beautiful. It was interesting because you couldn’t always tell who was working in an official capacity and who had something else going on.

In any case, my driver told me to go to a kid, pay him, and he would take us in and show us around. It was like a guided escort of sorts, though I got the sense this was more of an informal arrangement than anything official.

This was at a restaurant near the waterfalls. I don’t remember the food much, but the scenery was pretty amazing. There was also a lot of rain happening around that area.

As part of the trip, we headed out to check out some hot springs. They were not quite what I expected, but still enjoyable. I thought they would be more natural in appearance, but it turns out the pool is simply filled with hot spring water. Not exactly what I pictured, but nice nonetheless.

On our way there, we were stopped at some sort of checkpoint in the mountains. According to our driver, we had to pay in order to pass through. The individuals there had firearms and machetes, which was a pretty unnerving situation. My travel companion argued and did not want to pay. She said the guns were probably not real, and I pointed out that the machetes certainly were.

Despite the unexpected situation along the way, we got to see monuments and all kinds of interesting sights. The area felt heavily influenced by Indian culture and tradition. Though once outside of the Bali region, the influence shifted to something more aligned with Muslim culture.

One of our dinners was right on the beach. We had lobster and all sorts of amazing seafood.

The place we stayed at was a villa. We had our own pool, backyard, and a two-story space. It was a really nice setup.

Bali had a lot of construction happening at the time. It has been a while, but I recall seeing a lot of construction equipment and active work going on. This was even the case near our villa.

Another thing that stood out in my memory is the level of poverty we encountered. I remember a child asking me for my towel when we visited the rice paddy region. It was a moment that really put things in perspective.

I also recall seeing a lot of stray dogs while there. We spotted those along with monkeys, which are well known for grabbing your belongings if you are not careful.

Visiting Bali was a wonderful experience. I often wonder how things have changed since then. I would love to return someday.