Travel Series (Part #1) Bali, Indonesia, Bunch of Beautiful Islands

Bali, one of the most sought out travel destinations in the world. The island is ideal for people looking to experience a tropical paradise with a little bit of everything. Bali has everything you'd want in a tropical destination. White sandy beaches, densely filled jungles, rich local culture, excellent food and perhaps the friendliest and most genuinely warm people I've ever met.

Some facts about Bali/Indonesia

• Indonesia is estimate to consist of more than 17,000 Islands. Where many of them are yet to be fully name or even counted.
• Bali is an island and province of Indonesia.
• The islands have between the larger island of Java to the west and the island Lombok to the east.
• Bali has a population of around 4.3 million.
• People where most of them are of Indonesia's Hindu minority. About 85% of Bali's population follows Hinduism.

Canang Sari

When you travel around Bali you will very often see many Canang Sari. Canang Sari are daily offerings made by the Balinese Hindus. These offerings acts as a form of self-sacrifice in taking the time and effort in thanking for the peace bestowed upon the world as such many small shops lay their offerings near the sidewalk, therefore as a heads-up try to pay attention to them and avoid accidentally stepping on the audience.

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Price

Price wise Bali is very inexpensive and should be affordable for any travel budget.

• Transportation is fairly cheap as well. Depending on your destination grabbing a taxi cab cost around a 100 thousand rupiahs to go from the airport to either Kuta or Nusa Dua which is around 8 dollars or 6 euros.
• Fruit can cost anywhere between ten thousand to 150 thousand rupiahs, which is around 11 US dollars or 9 euros. It really depends on your taste and willingness to spend on food. As Bali has a bit of everything from high-class restaurants to a small street kitchen just around the corner so you don't need to spend a lot of money on food unless you want to.
• As for shopping, the pricing is as you would expect in any country if we aim to shop for any known Fashion Brands.
• As for activities kayaking, scuba diving, private tours, the price varies.

Try to do your own research online prior to booking as this will help you avoid being taken advantage of. Prior research is always key especially when traveling to foreign destinations. Also remember to bring lots of sunscreen and I mean a lot.

Let's start your travel

When you travel the Bali you'll most likely land in 🚀 Denpasar International Airport. From Denpasar we book the private transport 🚕 all the way up to Ubud. Ubud is known for its lush green exquisite rice paddies, high foothills, and this regarded as the cultural center of bali.

I suggest you spending around 2-3 days in Ubud. Ubud as that would provide you with ample amount of time to explore what the food has to offer.

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• First, I recommend going down to a town center for some sights, here you'll be able to visit some of the many temples in the region. In addition i recommend going down to the local market of the Ubud. Here you will see different arts and crafts.

• Next, no Ubud trip is really complete until you visit the famous sacred Monkey Forest. As the forest consists of monkeys running around it's important to know that the monkeys are still wild animals and therefore can act unpredictably. As such, It's important to pay attention to the guidance for the different signs and employees working as a facility.

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• Want a change of scenery, If you have the time you should definitely take a walk in there in that Monkey Forest and on a trail you get enjoy lush green scenery such as Rice paddies, dense jungle and small tea houses all across the trail the trail is up to six miles in length or nine kilometers which makes for perfect little room if you're looking for a nice little morning run.

Food

For food there are a few places that I can recommend.

• White orchid for its delicious caramelized pork a must order in my opinion.
• Swept Away Restaurant puts gorgeous scenery and lovely dishes.
• Locavore for local food experience or melting walk along for that authentic Indonesian cuisine when in ubud or anywhere in Bali.

Scooter

I highly recommend renting a scooter. A scooter allows you to travel freely around the region and it's super affordable. The price of renting a scooter is usually around fifty thousand rupiahs per day which is around 4 US dollars or 4 euros. If you plan to rent for a week or even longer you can usually negotiate for much cheaper price.

Destinations

With our scooter we decided to visit some of the nearby waterfalls.

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• First is the Tegenungan waterfall. This is perhaps the most well known in the region and also the most crowded. Get here early to avoid the crowds. Argument climbing the fleet of stairs right next to the waterfall to get to the top. You'll be greeted with a scene of man-made rock monuments and a nice little screen for you to dip your toes in.

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• Next we went to perhaps the most beautiful and by far my personal favorite Tibumana waterfall. Tibumana waterfall is a bit on the offbeat track. it's therefore a little tricky to find a place as we found out. Try to ask the young locals for directions and try to look carefully for signs pointing towards the waterfall. If successful you will be rewarded. Tibumana, the most scenic waterfalls on the island.

It's important to point out that it costs small fee to gain access to any of the waterfalls in the region. The fee will be around ten to twenty thousand rupiahs. it's just important to be aware of these fees if you plan to visit anything in Bali whereas waterfalls or any natural attraction. So remember to bring cash.

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• After Ubud we booked a transfer 🚕 to Padangbai on the eastern side of the island. Here we booked a fast boat 🚤 to the Gili Islands and decided to stay in the largest of three Islands, Gili Trawangan. Gili Trawangan is the most develop of the three Islands and is also known for its party scene. If you're looking for a more secluded or more peaceful experience Gili air is the Island for you. We stayed in Gili T for three days which in my opinion is sufficient time to experience what the island has to offer.

  • As for activities rent the bike as well make far easier for you to explore the island. As it'll only take approximately 1 & 1/2 hour to biked all around the island from there.

  • You can book some snorkeling equipment to use on a nearby beach or book the snorkeling boat trip for those more secluded spots. There are also plenty of scuba diving options available, just walk down the main road and you can't miss them.

  • There's one thing you definitely need to check out it would have to be the night market. Every night around 7:00 p.m. local set up their food cart filled with freshly caught seafood and local cuisines. If you're up for experiencing some local food with a nice cold bintang the night mark is made for you.

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• After Gili T went back to the island of Bali where books transport to Seminyak. Seminyak is regarded as suburb of Kuta and very popular among expats, the plenty of luxury hotels, high-class restaurants and high-end shopping opportunities. You want to experience a more luxurious environment in Bali, then Seminyak is the perfect location.

However if you aren't on budget and you're mostly interested in the party scene then Legian or Kuta may be more in your way. Regardless whether you stay in Kuta, Legian or Seminyak, it only take around 10 to 20 minutes in a taxi to get to any of the other areas so don't limit yourself during a trip to only one specific area.

While Seminyak, we got experience a host of delicious food. I'm personally a big food lover and this felt like heaven to me. Although the food prices are a bit more expensive than in Ubud is still relatively more affordable compared to back home.

• If you're interested in trying some food spots out here are my recommendations Saigon Street, Sisterfields Cafe, Mamasan, Cuca Restaurant for top-notch gourmet experience. If you first eat then grab a seat at Potato Head beach club for some tasty cocktails and snacks by the beach.

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• As for activities if you aren't into the nightlife scene I highly recommend booking some private island tours. We used a company called "Bali special tour". They offer competitive price packages and allows you to customize the trip any way you see fit. We booked the private tour to go dolphin watching at Lovina beach. It was an awesome experience in one of my favorite moments of the trip.

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• In addition we also had the opportunity to visit Pura Ulun Danu Beratan temple and the Tanah Lot Temple. If you haven't got time or you really aren't into temples I suggest skipping those as they are usually really crowded and known for being tourist traps.

• No Bali trip is without beaches, So we decided to go visit some beaches south of Kuta, My favorite Beach of them all was Green Bowl Beach located down at first side down to a set of stairs occupied by gang like monkeys. You will witness the bluest of oceans, soft sand and falling Beach caves. So get your cameras ready you won't regret it.

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• Blue Point Beach is known to be a surfers hangout. This Beach is mostly covered by rocks and cliffs with small patches of sand. It's not the ideal sunbathing spot but you wouldn't be interested in some bathing if you come here anyways. The waves are incredibly strong making it a surface scream.

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• Lastly but not least, "Bingin Beach" what can I say about Bingin, beautiful cliff side views, beachside restaurants, front-row seat for sunset of your life, everything you need in a beach. When you come down to Bingin Beach walk through the rocky path of the beach toward the abandoned buildings located on the north side of the beach. Here are the beaches lot more secluded. We'll be able to find some nice and soft sand to lay on while waiting for the sunset to arrive. This marks the end of our trip in Bali. And if all the places I've been to this was by far my favorite.

The island of Bali has so much to offer for any traveler that you could stay here for weeks or even months when I look back on all the footage I simply cannot to stop falling in love with the island all over again. I highly recommend taking a trip to Bali if you have the opportunity to do so you'll be met by lush locations, mesmerizing nature, tons of activities, great food and some of the most warmest and welcoming people I've ever met.

=========It's hard not to fall in love with this place.=========

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