I’m Sarah, a 24-year-old photographer living in the jungle in Bali, Indonesia. Last winter I was home in America, between jobs, and the travel bug was biting me hard.
So when an opportunity to teach English and art to Balinese kids materialized, I jumped on the next flight out. Volunteering segued into an amazing job, and now I’ve been in Bali for the better part of a year! It’s amazing where life’s little twists and turns will take you.
Must go in Bali
The Bali beaches!
Ubud
Balinese Temples
Must do in Bali
Catch a ceremony procession in the street
I pass them about once a week when I’m driving home from work but the experience never fails to have a deep impact on me. The haunting sounds of the gamelan orchestra and the women in their brightly colored kebayas is the stuff that great travel memories are made of.
Must eat in Bali
Anything in a Padang
Babi Guling
Meat eaters have got to try Babi Guling, Balinese suckling pig. The pig is spit roasted for hours and basted in coconut oil and just about every local spice. Mouth-watering!
Cultural tips for Traveling in Bali
Talk to the Balinese locals. This might sound obvious, but talk to people! The Balinese are some of the most hospitable people on earth. A stranger greeting you on the street probably isn’t trying to scam you, so go ahead and have a friendly chat.
Even if you’re being sold a service you don’t want (massage, taxi, handicrafts, etc) a polite “no, thank you” or “terimakasih” is always appropriate.
Cheap travel tips for Bali
Despite the abundance of luxury resorts, Bali is best discovered on the cheap, and you can stay here quite comfortably for under $30 a day. Lodge in a homestay with a local family. Eat at Padangs and markets, many of which run late at night.
If you want something cheaper than a hotel, but more posh than a hostel, Airbnb’s a good bet. Here’s a beautiful, one-bedroom villa for $67 a night and here’s a three-bedroom three house for $97 a night. If you’ve never used Airbnb before, here’s a $40 credit towards your first booking!
Alcohol is expensive except for arak, a rice wine moonshine. Its production is illegal and unregulated, so drink it at your own peril.
Travel by Bemo, the brightly colored buses that run along fixed routes between towns.Take it easy, travel slow, explore off the beaten path, keep an open mind, go with the flow, and you’re sure to have the trip of a lifetime.
Have any of you been to Bali? Any tips to share?
P.S. 7 travel tools I won’t shut up about
oh how awesome- I'd love to be a photographer in Bali- even for just a few days. thank for sharing!
This post has come at the perfect time. I'm off to S E asia for 9 weeks on Wednesday and was considering getting a cheap Air Asia flight to Bali for a week. It seems so chilled and colourful.. I'm sold 🙂
Is it easy to navigate around and jump in taxis to find somewhere cheap to stay on a whim?
Being Indonesian myself, Bali has a special place in my heart. I remember my childhood holidays, visiting Ubud and Seminyak and Kuta with my family. It's so cultural and different, I love it there! I moved to England when I was five and I've visited since then but I've found that Bali has become more of a tourist attraction.
My favourite place to go in Indonesia now is Lombok and the Gilli islands. The three Gilli islands are just off Lombok and are still developing. I visited Gilli Trawangan a couple of years ago and I can still picture it vividly. The island was so small that you could cycle around the area in half an hour! It's so calm and relaxed; I fell madly in love with it at first sight! The beaches are clean and the sea is a bright beautiful turquoise filled with colourful fish. I also visited the other Gilli islands which were even more peaceful because they weren't that developed yet. My family and I visited these two islands when we went snorkeling on a boat trip. We even saw turtles!
I'm not that keen on Jakarta because it's so hectic and polluted but Indonesia is filled with hidden gems!
xo
http://noise-and-confusionn.blogspot.com/
The elephant cave temple is hugely underwhelming. Google images it and don't bother going – there isn't anything else interesting enough to it. And avoid Kuta in the peak season, it's horrid.
Canggu is lovely, and Echo Beach is too.
The view at Uluwatu temple is really surreal. And you can go there for a sunset performance.
Jimbaran Bay is a great place to relax and the seafood on the beach is some of the best I've ever eaten.
Ubud is a great recommendation, and the lovely paddy fields that surround it are perfect for exploration.
Padang Bai and the Gili islands that Yasmin mentioned were also really wonderful – great snorkelling.
Homestays are amazing. <3
Isn't it just amazing the life experiences you gain from traveling, especially when you actually live in a foreign country for an extended amount of time!!!
I relate to your experience, Sarah!! When you step away from the touristic things to do and meet the people, get into their culture….WOW!!!!
I have learned so much from this while going around Europe and South America…After reading your story, Bali is my list:)
How I wish my job could also bring me to other countries. I do hope that someday there's an opportunity for me to travel around the world. And if this happened, I'll never hesitate to visit “Bali, Indonesia”. I'd like to see the beauty of this place. By the way, Thanks for sharing!
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Hey ! Thank you for sharing your experience! It was a mind blowing post!! Pictures are so beautiful!