If I had to describe Bali in one word….paradise! Every time someone asked me how to describe Bali that was the first thing that came to mind. What can I say….it was truly magical. For the record, I don’t usually say I’ll go back to places but this one I’d definitely come back and explore further. Before we jump into the details you need to understand that in order to go to Bali you need TIME. Make sure you have enough vacation days as it takes a little over 24 hours to get there depending on where you’re coming from. So honey…this is no quick trip unless you’re from Australia (which we met a lot of great Australians there by the way). I’ve become very strategic with my vacation and only take long trips over holidays maximizing my time. This time I chose the Thanksgiving holiday to travel. The good thing about Bali is if you plan ahead it can be a super affordable trip. I found a flight that was around $700 from Houston and my itinerary included two cities, Ubud and Seminyak, where we stayed a total of 7 days.
Ok now that we got that out of the way…let’s get into it!
Ubud
Per usual, my friends and I, chose to stay in an AirBnb called Lebah Villas. It was a large villa with rainfall showers and a pool overlooking the green lucious rice fields. There was 5 of us and we each paid about $33/night! The views were breathtaking when we arrived. The sun creeping through the windows every morning inviting you into the warm embraces of the day, stepping out onto the patio and breathing in the tropical air. There was a lovely pool that overlooked what seemed like the jungle in the distance. Every morning I was just overwhelmed with gratitude for being able to explore and experience a place like this.
The people are what made our experience what it was. Immediately we saw that the people of Bali were some of the most friendly and patient people. They made sure we had everything we needed at the villa and even took the time to explain their culture to us and answer all of the questions we had.
Because of the jet lag we didn’t do much the first day. We went to a great gastronomic restaurant for dinner called Mozaic overlooking the city of Ubud. The food really appealed to all senses but displayed specific regions specialities. I definitely would call it an experience in itself. It’s on the pricier side but if you’re feeling fancy thats a must do. We took the rest of the night to get some much needed rest to go out and explore the next day.
Like any place, there are a few things you just have to do while you’re there. One of them being visiting the rice terraces. We went to the Tegallalang Rice Terraces. They are a sight! Not only are they a part of Bali’s rich culture, they are Instagram worthy (if that’s what you’re into). They have the infamous Bali’s swings there as well. It’s like you’re a kid again and they’re pushing you in this large swing…except this time you’re way above the ground and if you fall you’ll break your neck. But don’t worry! They have harnesses and plenty of things to strap you in so you don’t fall. Check the weather because if it rained at all the terraces can be quite muddy and slippery and you’ll need to make sure you wear sneakers.
So we took a cooking class which is typically not my cup of tea but my friend was into it so I said why not. We found this through Airbnb experiences ($25 per person). Airbnb experiences are a great way to connect on a local level. I learned so much in this class! Not even just about cooking but their way of life and how important family is in their culture. The first stop was to go to the market and buy some of the supplies we would need for the cooking class. I got to eat some fresh fruit and other sweet treats. All the food was tropical and so colorful. I wanted to taste everything! The cooking class was at someone’s house or what they call a compound as it is a large plot of land. That’s what made the class so personal. The teacher told us about her family in this compound. Everyone continues to live under the same roof and the sons bring their wives to live with them and take care of the family. I personally don’t know how she did it because she takes care of everyone! You could see in her eyes how heavy that burden was. What was refreshing to hear is the culture is evolving to where women may not have so many responsibilities in the future. We concluded by cooking traditional Balinese food and it was so tasty!
One thing that you have to look out for when exploring in Bali are the offerings. Religion is engrained in their culture and you will see the offerings everywhere. They put them out during different points in the day. They look like little boxes made out of leaves with some of their favorite things in there along with flowers. You not only see them in the residential areas they put them out in front of their storefronts and restaurants as well. The last thing you would want to do is step on their offerings. So look down!
Talking about culture, you have to visit one of the temples when you’re there. There’s so many to choose from and I don’t think you can really go wrong! There are some popular ones like the Elephant and Water temple but that means more crowds during the peak seasons.
You’ll hear a lot about the coffee, particularly Luwak coffee that’s made in Bali. It’s considered a specialty coffee thats made from the poop of an animal. Affectionally called “poop coffee”. Before you start thinking this is disgusting…I tasted it and it wasn’t bad if you like coffee. I’m not a huge coffee drinker so it was a bit strong for my liking but there’s something about the digestive enzymes that when this animal eats the coffee bean it comes out whole in it’s poop and they use it to make the coffee. You have to at least try it! Go ahead, be adventurous.
One of the last things we did in Ubud was a hike. I’m an outdoorsy person so of course this was something on my list. My friends hated me for this one and yours probably will too if I’m being honest. There is an active volcano in Bali named Mount Batur. There is a sunrise hike (meaning you get to the top of the volcano to see the sunrise) that is very popular, also booked through Airbnb experiences. It was about $39/person. To do this hike you have to get up extremely early for the sake of time. You need to wear activewear because let me tell you…this is not a stroll or a cute little hike. This path gets really steep in some places to where I was climbing up on all four. Two of my friends tapped out and hopped on the back of some motorcycles (for a fee of course) to get to the top. So that’s also an option but that hike was so worth it seeing the sunrise. It was breathtaking.
Seminyak
So we started off with the culture and saved the partying for last. Ubud and Seminyak are too far for just hopping in a taxi so we hired a driver to take us there. Seminyak is the beach area and has all of the resorts. So while we stayed here we actually stayed in a resort named Mutiara Bali Resort & Villas. The resort was so nice but was definitely more expensive ($230/person for 3 days). It was like a compound and we each had our own villas. Every morning they came and brought breakfast to our rooms in our common area and an afternoon snack everyday as well. We had a pool in the center of the compound that was all ours. It was wonderful. Made me feel like a queen.
If you’ve heard anything about Bali, you’ve had to have heard about their spas! We wanted to take full advantage. The resort had a spa and it was so cheap I got everything. Picture this…a foot scrub and massage, full body massage, ear wax (that was interesting by itself) and facial all for $60. I believe the body massage was for 90 minutes. The best massage I’ve had in my life! I wanted to do it again and again and again. I can remember it like it was yesterday. I felt so relaxed getting off that table.
One of the first places that we went was the infamous Potato Head Beach Club. We ran into Russell Simmons and his daughter! Small world lol. I have to be honest with you….Seminyak beach was not impressive. There was a lot of trash everywhere and the water was brown. I was told that there are exquisite beaches in neighboring islands but this one was not it. I didn’t want to dip my toe in it that’s how bad it looked. Otherwise we had lots of great drinks and great food while we were there. Seminyak was definitely more of the city for parties and drinks!
Overall I’d say my favorite was Ubud. I just learned so much about their culture and felt so welcome. I have to go back! Let us know what you did in Bali or if you’re planning a trip to Bali be sure to connect with us! @WorldCitizensTravel!!
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