First of 14 resorts
We made it! 25 hours and 48 minutes later we are here and settling down at beautiful Scuba Seraya resort in Tulamben, on the northeastern side of Bali, Indonesia. We hear the waves lap on the sand and watch as palm trees sway underneath the stars. The trek was well worth it and we’re ready to start our 8-week Best of Southeast Asia resort tour – 9 locations, 14 resorts and 100 dive sites. Follow our posts for daily photo/video updates and resort / diving comparisons.
The Journey from LAX
Our journey began at LAX with a short layover in Taipei. The first of the strenuous tasks occurred during our first flight, when the end of Brent’s movie-watching was interrupted by various announcements before landing leaving him with an unfinished plot (tragic!). The second most difficult task was getting through immigration in Bali. After about two hours of standing in line, we succumbed to uninteresting conversation and brief but frequent remarks about which line appeared to be moving faster.
But we made it without a glitch. Our driver from Scuba Seraya Resort was patiently awaiting our arrival despite the delay. He helped us load our gear in the car and showed us a quick glimpse of Bali, including an array of kites in the sky, kids and their parents on motor scooters, and a lush, tropical landscape – all before the sun set behind the clouds.
Tips for travelling to Bali
It’s really not a bad commute, but here are a few tips before you make it:
- Know the exchange rate. You encounter lower conversion fees by withdrawing cash from ATMs (instead of trading your currency for Rupiah). The problem is that the machines show Rupiahs only, so you need to do the conversion yourself.
- Bring your own water bottle for the plane. It got dry quickly.
- Both airports (Taipei and Denpasar (Bali)) have free Wi-Fi – awesome!
Stay tuned for daily updates
From what we have seen so far, Scuba Seraya looks amazing. We can’ t wait to dive tomorrow and see everything in full daylight! Here’s a preview of what diving Bali is like.
– Quinn
