Travelfood

As with so many travel destinations, my experience of this country limits to only a small region. Indonesia is one of the biggest countries in the world and the largest Muslim country, but we visited only the small island of Bali, where Hinduism is the main religion. From local TV-programs and guides we know that Bali is very different compared with the rest of Indonesia. Bali is also the island, where most tourists travel when they visit Indonesia for the first time. It is obvious that Bali is wealthier than the rest of Indonesia.

When you arrive in Bali, you have the difficult task to find a taxi to your hotel. There are fixed prices at the airport taxi station for different towns and beaches, but for example to the large area of Sanur Beach, where our hotel was, the taxi fee to the hotel was twice as much as to the “beach”. Around the airport there are hopeless traffic jams and although the distances are not that long, it takes long to travel between places by car. Otherwise I would say that the traveler seldom feels cheated in Bali. Prices are negotiated with a respectful smile and when the price is settled, everyone is happy. The locals are relaxed and that catches the tourist as well. 

Bali is a beautiful, green island and on the countryside among rice terraces, volcano views and countless family temples it is easy to find peace. This requires that you really go on a trip from the busy beach hotels at Kuta, Jimbaran or Sanur Beach to the inlands, for example to Ubud. The roads are packed with vehicles and it is dusty, the sea is salty and reasonable dirty, but the pearls of Bali are to be discovered from the nature and rural areas.

The Indonesian kitchen is known for satay skewers (meat marinated in peanut sauce and grilled) and it certainly tastes better and different in Bali than in the Asian restaurants in Europe. Also nasi goreng and nasi lemak are well-known dishes (nasi is rice served with vegetables, meat and fried egg) as well as bami goreng, where noodles substitute for rice. The speciality of Bali is babi guling, a complete barbequed pig, and when tasting the party left-overs the day after, the meat was tender and good.

Asia, exotism, food, Indonesia, travel, travel experiences