Bali might be a small island but every time I visit I’m wowed by the fact that there are so many beautiful and vastly different places to visit in Bali. And the best part is that every one of them is completely different. From rice terraces to tiny islands to turquoise beaches, Bali really does…
(UPDATE: As of May 2019, tourism is booming on Nusa Penida. I just want all of you travelers out there to know that the off-the-beaten-path destination described here has changed a lot since my visit. That being said, I still love Nusa Penida and definitely recommend visiting. Happy travels!) I’ve said this before but I’m…
I can’t say that Bali is my favorite destination in the world, but it’s slowly growing on me. I’ve been lucky enough to visit the island five times over the past 18 months and during each trip I have managed to find a new facet of Bali that makes me love this little tropical island more and more….
When I first found out I’d be moving to Indonesia all I could think about was how much traveling I’d be doing here. I had grand plans to visit as many of Indonesia’s otherworldly destinations as humanly possible. Fast forward nine months and I’ve done a pathetically small amount of traveling within Indonesia. Because I have…
The first time I went to Ubud, I spent less than an hour there before deciding that I needed to leave as soon as possible. I’m not sure if it was the Eat, Pray, Love mentality, the overpriced organic restaurants, or the plethora of yoga studios, but after spending only 24 hours in the city, I…
As I established in a previous post, Kuta Beach is not for everyone. But if you’re traveling to Bali, chances are you’ll end up spending at least a night or two in this wild and crazy party town. Some people might be put off by Kuta’s spring break-like atmosphere, but in my opinion it’s not the worst place to…
The beach town of Kuta in Bali is absolutely crazy. It has been deemed by other travel bloggers as “the worst place in Bali” and “one of the most infamous beaches in Southeast Asia.” And, in many ways, it is. It’s akin to the spring break mecca of Cancun, Mexico, the boozy streets of New…
When I tell people I live in Indonesia, they picture me living in a cute beachside bungalow in Bali, spending my carefree days working on my tan and sipping fruity cocktails. Guys, I hate to break it to you, but that’s most definitely not my life. Jakarta is a gray, sprawling, traffic-snarled metropolis. And though a…
There a lot of quirky things about living in Jakarta but the one thing that I cannot get used to is Indonesia’s trash problem. To be specific, the overuse of plastic bags is the number one thing that drives me crazy about living here. I’m from California and I am, admittedly, a bit of a hippie. But as…
When most budget travelers think of Bali, the first thing that pops into their mind is, “It’s too expensive!” As a long-term, frugal-minded traveler I came close to skipping Bali altogether during my two-month trip to Indonesia. Guidebooks and friends alike warned me that this world-famous island would be way too pricy for my $40-a-day…