Bali

Canggu

Canggu is the beach town just north of Seminyak on the west coast of Bali. Great place to surf, take a yoga class, yummy eats and bars with live music.

Canggu isn’t really walkable which was a bit of a bummer.  The best way to get around is on a motorbike, however if you don’t know how to ride one, this is not the place to learn (I crashed into a ditch and promptly gave the bike back). Since driving a motorbike wasn’t a good option for me, I used GoJet which is like Uber but for motorbikes. The drivers drive totally crazy but hang on and try to enjoy the ride.

My favorite places to eat were Savage Kitchen, La Laguna and Pomelo. Savage kitchen has a fun outdoor space with a more traditional menu. La Laguna is right on the beach making it a great place to watch the sunset. They serve tapas and is one of the few places you can get a decent bottle of wine. Pomelo was my favorite breakfast spot. It has a lovely back garden area and have delicious avocado toast with poached eggs and feta.

For yoga, Desi Seni Yoga packs everyone into a beautiful open air studio. Despite being snugly squeezed in, the class and instructor were great and easily suitable for various levels.

Seminyak

Seminyak is the cool, trendy place to hang out with nice restaurants and 5 star resorts. Barbacao was my favorite restaurant. Ordered pig roast, grilled octopus, honey glazed carrots and potatoes – best meal I had in Bali!

Champagne Bar is fun for drinks. It’s red velvet meets beach bar which creates a funny vibe but all the tourists seem to like it.

Mount Batur

Mount Batur is a great day hike in central Bali. The driver picked me up at 2am for a 4am start time so we could reach the top for sunrise. It was pouring rain at the start of the hike but luckily tapered off after the first hour. The base of the volcano has a slight grade that becomes extremely steep as you near the top.

About half way up the clouds parted and there were great views of Batur Lake and the volcanos beyond. As the sun rose, the fog rolled in and unfortunately blocked the sunrise. The fog lingered at the top and the blustery wind made it cold. Glad I packed a sweatshirt! 

At the top, our guide made us breakfast by cooking eggs in the side of the volcano. If you dig a hole in the volcano and bury the eggs for 20 minutes, they become hard boiled. Tasty little breakfast. 

On the way down, we took a different route passed by some monkeys. I didn’t finish my breakfast and had a bunch of fruit in my backpack. Big mistake! Within seconds one of the monkeys was on my back helping himself to all of my fruit making this the second time I’ve been robbed by a monkey. Such little thieves!

Post hike, we enjoyed the Batur Hot Springs are created by the surrounding volcanoes. Felt good to relax and soak the legs.

Secret Canyon of Sukawati

Secret Canyon of Sukawati is an undiscovered treasure. You pay $1 for a guide to take you through the canyon. At the start, you sit with your feet in the river and there are these fish that are about 5 inches long that will nibble on the dead skin on your feet. Such a funny ticklish feeling! The guide was really helpful since there is lots of climbing over boulders and through the river. The first of the three canyons is the most impressive. The rock has this ethereal blue green color to it. The nice thing about the canyon is there are hardly any tourists. I had it all to myself aside from an Indonesian couple who kept insisting on taking pictures with me.

Puseh Batuan Temple

Puseh Batuan Temple in Sukawati is definitely worth a visit. There are lots of amazing statues that are all unique. They’re thought to protect the Hindu temple from bad spirits. One thing I liked about Bali is each morning the Hindus leave little offerings in little baskets made from banana leaves that are filled with flowers and other items.

Ubud

Ubud is in central Bali and known for its temples, yoga and rice terraces. There are lots of cute restaurants and shops. It’s also much more walkable that Seminyak and Canggu. I stayed at Agung Raka Resort & Villas which has really nice rooms and pools.

The Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary is home to 800 monkeys. I found it sad that they have concession stands set up where you can buy bananas to feed there. It makes the monkeys really aggressive and they jump of people searching for food. I watched one guy get bitten in the stomach after a monkey climbed on him.

Great options for nice places to eat. I went to Waroeng Bernadette, Taco Casa and Who’s Who. Waroeng Bernadette and Who’s Who have tasty Indonesian food. I had the beef rendang  or the chicken curry. Taco Casa actually had decent Mexican as far as Asia goes, which is a nice change when you’re sick of noodles and rice. 

For a little R&R, I enjoyed a $20 massage and body scrub at Jaen Spa. The massage is done first and then a green tea scrub followed by yogurt cream and a flower petal bath. Such a treat!

And when is Ubud, you have to visit The Yoga Barn. Amazing studio with a variety of different types of classes.