Bali is a small island located within Indonesia. The island has for years been the number one touristic destination for Australian tourists and surfers. The image permeated constantly by tourist agencies has always been one of paradise. In less than two decades, the growth of the tourism industry has managed to transform what once was a beautiful and pristine paradise into an economic machine, attracting millions of tourists every year. What sets the island aside from the rest of Indonesia is the island's unique version of Hinduism. The typical touristic voyages through the Island of the Gods would take you to the Sodom and Gomorra known as Kuta, the surfer getaway of Bukit and the spiritual center of the island Ubud. Kuta, the port of call The Kuta area, for all its debauchery and chaos, is unmissable. In part that is because Kuta offers a wide variety of services tailored to the many different types of tourists that arrive and also because that is where most people go immediately after getting off the plane. The Kuta area boasts many amazing restaurants and cafes. One such cafe is Cafe Mocha, an excellent place to have breakfast, as well as some of the best pastries and sweets found on the island. The variety is enormous, and so a brief outline of the best places to eat and the type of food they serve follows: Methis and Warisan are both excellent French restaurants. Methis is arguably slightly better, but Warisan has a unique view of rice fields, making it my personal favourite. For the Thai lovers, Sarong is your best bet. Love Japanese? Hiroshy is by far the most famous, Japanese restaurant on the island. The restaurant has been around for over 20 years and has since expanded to a few select locations around the island. Indonesian food is a bit more of a ‘hit and miss' for tourists. There is a small warung (westen equivalent of any small family owned shop or restaurant) called Pak Malen which serves only Babi Guling (pork), one of Bali's signature dishes. It is often packed with locals and the police (great indicators of where to get good, cheap food by the way). Another famous warung amongst the locals is called Saleko. Saleko serves Sumatran food which many tourists may find too spicy. The food has been frequented by the local ex-pat community non-stop for the past 15 years and is run by the sweetest Muslim Sumatran woman you will ever meet. As mentioned before, Indonesian food can be a hit and miss for various reasons; many tourists are not used to the local spices, and as such often find their food being too spicy for their liking. These places also have their food in displays in a cabinet, with no signage or adequate storage (to European standards). Picking what to eat can be a scary task, as one visitor to Bali told bikyamasr.com “I didn't know what anything was, for all I knew I could contract ‘Bali Belly.' Thankfully my Indonesian guide helped us find something we could eat that wasn't too spicy.” Made's Warung would then be the best alternative. Made's Warung is a Thai/European/Indonesian restaurant which has been around for decades, and hosts many Balinese dance performances and has an enormous menu guaranteed to cater to everyone's desires. Kuta nightlife is simple; you have the option of spending exuberant amounts of money on alcohol in the cheaper, more tourist populous Kuta area, or you can shoot down to the beach side hotels and venues such as Potato Head, W, or Maria Madalena. These places are known for their amazing set ups and extortionate prices (3-6 times more expensive than the alternatives) which attracts the social elites. And of course, don't drive. Taxi's are ridiculously cheap. In Kuta, it takes on average 1.3 seconds from when you step out of a club or bar before transportation is offered. When it comes to shopping, Double Six road is a good starting point for bargainers at heart. The street leads up to the iconic Legian beach. It is worth noting that the environmental impact caused by the inadequate disposal of rubbish has left the beach in less than pristine case. As a result, you may often find yourself avoiding the often overcrowded beach, but a brisk ten minute walk along the coast in either direction and conditions improve. As a general rule of thumb for any surf spot, be sure to know the swell and the rips, as many tourists yearly get caught in rips, some die. When on the beach be sure to try the Bakso from the small food stands that mark the beach, it is cheap, and very tasty. Avoid the ocean when it starts foaming brown, that's not sand. Beginning with the South – Bukit Balangan is a famous beach in Bali, known for the good surf and located in the Bukit province, south of the Kuta center. Balangan and the neighbouring beach of Bingin are not recommended for the novice surfers, as the coral beds are responsible for many injuries and deaths yearly. The beaches in this area are great for those who want to spend a nice lazy day in the sun, as the usual throng of tourists by and large stay away. It is worth noting, that the largest hotel complex in Indonesia is currently being planned to be built in Balangan. As a consequence of this, the local warungs are under threat of being demolished and replaced with ‘5-star European' restaurants and ‘traditional' (hardly) restaurants that no doubt will charge exuberant prices. Padang Padang is another beach in the area which was made famous by the recent filming of Eat Pray Love. The beach is pristine, as the villagers ensure they maintain this gem in order to keep the tourists returning. It is worth noting that what makes these beaches special is that unlike the main Kuta and Legian beaches which many short stay tourists spend their afternoons in, these beaches are clean, smaller, and more pleasant overall. Tanah Lot is an unmissable temple which is built upon a rock off the coast. To get to the temple tourists must navigate a path which is marked by the countless amounts of shops trying to pawn trinkets to the truckload of tourists that visit it daily. The area is highly commercialised, and as a local, I suggest avoiding the shops (their souvenirs are found everywhere around the island. other than the hiked prices, lugging around souvenirs as you explore the temple and climb stairs is simply tiring). I suggest sunset, as the view is simply amazing. The rest of the peninsula is riddled with amazing surf spots and seafood restaurants, every one of them are really good. It is important to note, that driving is not recommended in the area. Over 1,000 people die yearly in traffic accidents, mostly caused by foreigners. The roads are narrow and windy. Trucks are often seen speeding around bends while surfers desperately cling onto their surfboard, attempting to drive a motorbike without wearing a helmet. BM
