Running from the waves at Dream Beach in Lembongan (a small Island off the coast of Bali where we spent Christmas Day. Post coming soon:)

The lush rice paddies in Ubud..Never again will I think of rice as boring!

Watching the sun rise from the top of Mt. Batur, an active volcano. More on this later…

This was after traveling for two days to get to Bali…This papaya juice and the lush, rainforest was such a welcome sight!

I’ve been asked numerous times “How did you decide on Bali?” and I do not have an answer, I’m just glad we did. Bali is, in one word: paradise, and in many words: adventurous, beautiful, welcoming, exotic, amazing, relaxing, etc.

We started planning our adventure about nine months ago-and that had to be done because Bali is SO. FAR. AWAY. and the plane tickets can be SO. DARN. EXPENSIVE. I don’t really recall how the planning all happened, I just know that we decided to go to Bali, and the rest of the trip was planned around that. As always, we got the most bang for our buck with strategically planned layovers that gave us an opportunity to see another place for “free.” On the way to Bali, we were able to see a bit of Abu Dhabi, thanks to our longer layover and American passports that make traveling SO. EASY.

So, how was BALI? Well magical. By the time we got to our hotel, we had been traveling for two days, without a shower, and were so exhausted that as I sat down for a delicious breakfast at our hotel, I almost broke out into tears. So yes, it took us TWO days to get to our destination, but it was worth every painful hour. When we walked out from the airport, we were hit with warm, tropical air that obviously doesn’t exist in NYC in December, and all of our stress melted away. There is only one airport in Bali, located in Denpasar, which meant that we had a lengthy drive to Ubud, where we decided to stay for the duration of our stay. “Beach tourism” is reserved mostly for South Kuta, but since we were going to spend time on the beach in Thailand, we decided to experience something different. Ubud is not close to a beach, but it’s at the heart of the lush, green rice fields, beautiful local villages, great food, Monkey Forest, Mt. Batur and numerous other attractions. The drive from the airport to our hotel in Ubud took about two hours and while I questioned our decision during this two hour drive, those questions flew out the window once we got to our destination.

The monkeys were SO adorable. I could watch them for a loong time and not get bored.

This view..I mean..come on!

We stayed at http://junjunganbali.com/ and this was a great choice because it felt like a sanctuary. The staff at our hotel went above and beyond to ensure our comfort, provided free shuttle service to and from the center, and were overall so kind, just like the people of Bali are.

While it could take pages upon pages for me to describe our Bali experience, here are a few things that we learned:

1. The people are so nice! Whether they’ve mastered the art of customer service, which is so important in the tourism industry, or are just naturally nice people (I think it’s this), every interaction that we had with a local was very positive.

2. So many people speak English. We did not expect this at all, but found it to be true no matter where we went. This made being a tourist so easy!

3. Cab drivers know a lot and are willing to share their story if you ask! We never had a silent drive because we asked the drivers questions about the local culture, their experiences, their thoughts on their government, culture, tourism, etc. We learned SO much this way! Like for example, did you know that in Bali, the youngest son is the most important in the family? It’s because he’s the one who stays with the parents and takes care of them. As a result, there is a much higher population of girls because families keep trying for a son. A daughter goes off and lives with her husbands family, and if there are multiple sons, the older ones are free to do their own thing.

We also learned that family is extremely important. Each family stays together (for the most part) and live in what’s called a “family compound.” When you travel the roads of Bali, you’ll see temples lining the street-it’s because each family compound has their own temple. Balinese practice a form of Hinduism (Balinese Hinduism).

4. Tourism has brought good and bad to Bali. It’s obviously great for the economy (Bali is more stable than many other places in Indonesia), but has hurt locals in many ways. For example, a lot of the hotels are owned by foreigners who offer thousands of dollars to local farmers for their land in order to build on it. The farmers take it because, well it seems like a lot of money at first, however, it can’t sustain the family for generations to come like farmland can. It seems that many people are shortsighted when agreeing to these transactions and it seems that foreign investors capitalize on this.

5. Eat, Pray, Love is real- we saw many single woman on what we assumed were Julia Robert-like journeys. Every time we asked a local about it, they would laugh and say that it’s true. Bali is pretty safe-so Eat, Pray, Love away!

6. For the Balinese, being a yoga teacher isn’t something you just do-it’s a very religious and sacred thing. When westerners come and say “I am a yoga teacher,” or “teach me how to be a yoga teacher”- it borders on offensive. So it someone tells you-I was taught in Bali!- just shake your head and walk away.

The streets of Ubud…It’s hard to believe that roads this wide (or narrow) get FILLED with traffic…cards/trucks/mopeds…everyone is driving like a maniac in what seems like organized chaos.

I think the most important lesson we learned along our travels is that every culture is unique and deserves the right to flourish- I have to admit that while it was fun to see Christmas Trees all over (since we were there for the holidays), a part of me felt sad that the local culture was being overshadowed by the power of Western tourism. It was such a joy to interact with the locals and learn about their lifestyle. They live a simple and content life- many have never left Bali and don’t want to because they consider it paradise. I agree.

We also met a lot of other tourists along our travels (especially in Bali) who are just like us- adventurous, young professionals. We all have one thing in common- the willingness to go off the beaten path. It was so nice to connect with strangers from all over the world over our desire to find adventure. We even made friends-one lovely couple promised us an invite to a crawfish boil in New Orleans (I will not forger a promise involving food)!

I will write another post about things to DO and SEE in Bali in the coming days. I hope you’ll follow me along on this great journey of wanderlust!