Best & Worst, Indonesia



Beautiful terraced rice patties, Ubud





Beachside Hawker selling pineapple- she carries a basket of pineapples and fruit on her head!



They straddle the fences with growing trees between them



isolated beach on the Gilis




OMG! How cute is this little guy?? Turtle sanctuary




Denton's castle in the sand




Kuta Beach at Sunset- TONS of locals on the beach




Kuta Beach




Marisa's sand drawings



BEST

• Cheap! Restaurant meal $3-5, whole fish $4, clean accommodation with breakfast $11-16, cheap (though a little dodgy) transportation. We were able to really save our money in Indonesia, without cutting anything out!
• English! Because Bali has been an Australian vacation destination since the 70s, many of the younger locals are fluent in English. This was a nice change to the other Asian countries we had visited. We were actually able to communicate with the locals.
• Kuta beach; waves, sand, great people watching, lots of locals.
• Ubud; “the Berkeley of Bali” (according to Denton), lots of great walking paths, interesting crafts, cultural activities.
• The Gili Islands; “No Cars, No Dogs, No Worries.” The Gilis are on “lazy time” according to a local, and the rest of Lombok and Bali are on “medium time.” We found a great market on one of the islands and ate their nightly. For $1.50, I could get a plate of all kinds of food, usually including chicken and rice. A special dessert was a pancake for $2.50. The pancake would be very large and have a variety of toppings that you chose, like chocolate and banana. Yummmm…
• Snorkeling trip! Swimming with turtles was awesome and one of the best snorkeling experiences we’ve had so far.

WORST

• Marisa got sand in her camera and broke it L. Fortunately, Denton still had his and she ordered a new one!
• Hawkers. Hawkers are people who try to sell you stuff. The hawkers on Lombok had a certain desperation about them, so they may seem pleasant one moment, and when you turn them down they may lose their temper or shout at you. The quick change of environment is unsettling and uncharacteristic of most Asians we’ve met.
• Senngigi. The town of Senngigi had the MOST hawkers and thus making it unpleasant. It was impossible to walk down the street without being bothered by several people inviting you to buy something from their shop, or to go into their restaurant to eat. I know this seems harmless, but when you get it EVERYWHERE for EVERYTHING- it feels like you’re going insane.
• Flies. I know this is a strange complaint but the flies in Indonesia were just as pesky and persistent as the hawkers. They would land on you, and when you shook them off, they’d land on you again in the exact same spot.
• Gili Air Accommodation. We stayed in one place and are certain they had not changed the sheets from the previous occupants. We didn’t realize it until we had checked out and we smelled SO BAD, like we had been sleeping directly on a sweaty mattress… which I’m sure we had.