…just a few things to do on your trip to Bali.
By Abby Berman Mazenod
Bali is beautiful- the people, the culture and of course, the island itself with it’s beautiful beaches and forests. Looking back at these pictures from a few weeks ago, all I want to do is race back and stay forever! It is a truly magical place.
Though, if I’m going to be honest, most of our 10 day trip was lounging at the beach, drinking, eating super delicious food, and pampering ourselves ($8 USD- for an hour long massage!!!), we did set aside a few days for adventure and exploring! And in Bali, there is definitely adventure to be had!
Our first stop away from the beaches and shopping was getting in some tea and coffee tasting! Being from California, I get to do a lot of wine tasting. My husband doesn’t drink very much wine (he’s a whiskey guy), so this excludes him from a lot of the fun of tasting, smelling and experiencing all of the flavors in a wine tasting. My husband definitely drinks coffee and tea though! We had so much fun sampling the flavors of Bali!
A cool part of this tasting was that what they call the “teaser” is actually free! 12 delicious unique flavors of yummm for free! You can purchase additional cups of tea and coffee for super cheap, and they offer what is called “Luwak Coffee“. The full description is in the photo above, but basically… the coffee berries are eaten by the luwak (a cute little nocturnal mammal that picks the richest coffee berries), then he digests them, then the scat is harvested, coffee berries are cleaned, cooked, ground, and then put into boiling water to drink as rich delicious coffee! Weird, huh? We had to try the Luwak coffee… it was actually really yummy!
Another place that was worth the trip was the Monkey Forest & Sanctuary in Ubud. This place is awesome! First of all, it’s gorgeous! The monkeys here are sacred and protected, so they are very comfortable with being around humans. This honestly could have been the most fun we had on our entire trip! When you first walk in, and throughout the park, there are banana stands that sell bunches of bananas to feed the monkeys. I think we went back 6 or 7 times to buy more. It was so much fun feeding them! Some of the big guys were a little aggressive (they will just climb up your leg and tear into your bag if they think you are hiding some goods) but for the most part, the monkeys are very friendly!
The Rice Terraces in Ubud, are another sight to inspire. Because I live in a very dry place, I have never seen how rice grows. It is fascinating! You can climb and explore these beautiful terraces, and even have lunch or a drink at one of the cafe’s built into them.
There are so many Temples in Bali-we just felt that we needed to visit one. Most of them are in use, so it was important to wear the right attire (they gave us sarongs to wear), and be respectful.
Kuta was so much fun! Though it has been rated as one of the worst places in Bali, we loved it! It is hectic, exciting and alive. It was a game just trying to not get run over by a moped or car. 🙂 There are excellent touristy shops, and lots of restaurants, bars, and nightclubs. When shopping there, haggling is a must!
There were so many things that we didn’t take the time to experience in Bali… waterfalls, hikes, more temples, more beaches, more monkeys… so we can’t wait to go back! If you plan on going soon, enjoy your adventure!
Best wishes!
xoxo-Abby