my first trip to Bali

after all the time i have spent in SE Asia it seems a bit strange that i never made it to Bali.  the transit section of the KL aiport is especially boring.  wouldn't want to get trapped there for too long.  there wasn't even a major airline club room which seemed odd. so i arrived in Bali tired and hungry.  i'd been up for an early flight from Yangon, connecting in KL and getting to Bali took a little longer than expected.  i was immediately struck by how clean everything was and how nice the taxi drivers were.  the roads were good and traffic wasn't bad.  the hotel staff at Akmani were pleasant and helpful.  there were so many westerners everywhere. 

when i woke up on my first day i knew i needed to sort out my plans and i did, kind of, i knew i wanted to sit on the beach for a few days then head inland to Ubud and then out to Lombok.  i booked a hotel on Echo Beach just north of Seminyak.  it should be less touristy and the beaches cleaner. then i headed to the rooftop pool for a swim.  i met an Australian and we walked down to the beach for what turned out to be a spectacular sunset.  it felt so good to walk in the sand and i discovered something called Smirnoff Ice. 

it's an amazing feeling to see so many places where it's safe to eat and they have good fresh food.  in Myanmar a jaunt to a clean restaurant where the food is fresh and prepared without an excess of oil requires a 30+ minute taxi ride which i've already described.