One Year on Earth

Overview

• We spent our entire time in Indonesia on the island of Bali. There is so much more to discover in Indonesia including the huge islands of Java and Sumatra and the smaller islands of Lombok, Flores, Komodo and the Gilis. Next time…
• Bali has some great things going for it – gorgeous beaches, active volcanoes and (if you can get away from the main, heavy-trafficked roads) beautiful rice fields. If you’re looking for a luxurious vacation of sitting on the beach and staying in amazing hotels at a terrific bargain, this is your place. If, however, you’re coming to explore the amazing culture and history of the island, you’re going to have to look hard to find it.
• Bali has suffered some of the woes of mass tourism – the island is geared to tourists and you feel like the authentic Balinese experiences are a thing of the past. Many of the locals in the main cities view you as a way to make money. You can’t blame them for that.
• To find the “real Bali”, you’re going to have to get away from the main cities or just get plain lucky. We didn’t do as much exploration of the island as we should have, but were lucky enough to have some great cultural experiences including watching a few Balinese ceremonies and meeting a real-live Balinese medicine man. These experiences, along with a stay at an unbelievably luxurious villa we found for a bargain, helped to make our trip to Bali worthwhile.

Blog Entries We Wrote

• To see all the blog entries we wrote about this country, please click HERE.

Pictures We Took

• To see some of the pictures we took in this country, please click HERE.

Cities/Areas We Visited

• Kuta, Bali (Oct. 2-3, 2007)
• Seminyak, Bali (Oct. 3-6, 2007)
• Ubud, Bali (Oct. 6-10, 2007)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Places We Stayed

• Poppies Cottages I – Kuta – beautiful cottage surrounded by gardens

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

• Sesari Villa – Seminyak – unbelievable villa with private pool

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

• Puri Saraswati – Ubud – very nice bungalow with large terrace in heart of Ubud

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Places We Ate

Seminyak

• Kuni’s Japanese Restaurant – sushi and dumplings

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

• Ku-De-Ta – cheeseburger in paradise
• Made’s warung – really bad Indonesian food
• Mykonos – incredibly bad Greek food

Ubud

• Cafe Wayan – Indonesian food
• Dirty Duck Diner – overwhelmingly overcooked duck

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

• Babi Guling Bu Oka (aka Ibu Oka) – Balinese Suckling Pig

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

• Ibu Rai – appetizers
• Terazo – very good Western food
• Satri’s Warung – small, hidden restaurant serving cheap Indonesian and Western fare
• Restaurant Batur Sari – terrible tourist-trap buffet, but amazing views of Gunung Batar volcano

Things We Did

Kuta/Seminyak

• Sat on the gorgeous beach; Watched the surfers and the sunset
• Read a lot

Ubud

• Shanna had a medicinal healing massage
• Took a Cooking Class on Indonesian/Balinese Food
• Saw a Balinese dance show (the Legong of Mahabrata Epic)
• Rented a motorcycle and explored Ubud and nearby rice paddies
• Visited Sacred Forest Monkey Sanctuary

 

 

 

 

 

 

• Met Medicine Man (Ketut Liyer) and attended wedding ceremony with him; had palms read

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

• Hired a car and driver (named Nyoman) to explore Bali

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

• Visited Traditional Balinese Village
• Toured Goa Gajah – Elephant Cave Temple

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

• Viewed Gunung Batar volcano

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

• Visited Besakih Temple

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

• Visited Pura Tirta Empel (Holy water Springs)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Country Facts

• Capital City – Jakarta
• Currency – Indonesian Rupiah
• Exchange Rate – 9,100 Rupiah to $1