A city on fire

I don’t have many good things to say about Denpasar, the main city in Bali. It is a touristy place on a already touristy island. While Bali had many spots we enjoyed, Denpasar was sadly not one of them. The main thing you can do here is partying and chilling on the beach. Which is of course lined with bars. The traffic is messy, the sidewalks and public transport non-existent, making getting around pure hell. From every second store, a woman pops out yelling «Massaaaage?» and every other scooter-driver asks if you need transport. Yes, even when you are walking around in a group of three.
That being said, I wasn’t thrilled about spending New Year’s Eve here. Nonetheless, we kicked off the evening in high faith, even going into party territory – the beach – after dinner. Fighting our way through the crowd, my motivation to spend the evening around people grew smaller and smaller (as did the percentage of fabric per outfit). After an overpriced drink (government tax and service charge excluded, long waiting time included), we headed back to our hotel for a quick dip in the pool. To have at least a little bit of New Year’s Celebration, we headed to the roof, to watch the fireworks on the beach from a distance.
After climbing a sketchy looking – and possibly only there for maintenance – ladder, we had a wonderful 360 degrees view of the city. Now, I usually don’t like fireworks all that much. Mostly because they scare my dog – and probably lots of other animals as well. However, this little rooftop under construction provided us with probably one of the most magical New Years (yes I know, very dramatic) I’ve ever seen. The city was all but exploding around us. I don’t have the words to describe it and the video doesn’t do it justice, but there is something I can say: I was suddenly glad to spend the New Year’s Eve in Denpasar. Which already says it all.

So, Happy New Year everyone! Let’s hope it is a good one:D Until we see each other again: Have a great time!