Indonesia has always been an amazing, exotic faraway place for me. After unpacking boxes of carved Balinese crafts at various import stores during the college years, I know that SE Asian art is amazing. But I never dreamed I would see them being made in person.
Everyone keeps asking me - why Bali? And then immediately after - where's Bali? Well, it's one pearl in a string of islands that make up Indonesia, just north of Australia and south of the equator. It stays about 86 degrees Fahrenheit all year round and is one of those affordable places if you can suffer through twenty hours of travel time from the west coast. Bali itself is covered with two volcanoes and has everything from elephants and monkeys to snorkeling and surfing. It costs about 40 cents for ten pieces of sate (satay) and a buck for a local beer.
Ubud is a remarkable town in the middle of the island of Bali. For more than a century, it has been the island's preeminent centre for fine arts, dance and music. While it once was a haven for scruffy backpackers, cosmic seekers, artists and bohemians, Ubud is now a hot spot for literati, glitterati, art collectors and connoisseurs. Covered in scenic rice paddies and monkeys, for two nights in Ubud, we'll be staying here at Honeymoon Guesthouse. Hopefully there will be time for a cooking class which the hotel offers.
Then we're off to Amed in the southeast corner of the island to stay with Rob, Scott and Wayan along the dry, desolate corn-growing coast at Apa Kabar Villas:
On the ocean, away from tourists, and hopefully to eat something like this:
Now, these aren't my photos. And I'm sure there will be a million other amazing things to share, stories both good and bad, great people, amazing animals, and crazy culture shock. But I did want to answer why Bali? So, there you go!