Expanding on Amar’s experience in Kuta, Bali I wanted to showcase what else Bali and the nearby Gili Islands have to offer as part of a trip to Indonesia.

Our first stop after arriving at Bali’s Ngurah Rai Airport was Ubud. Ubud is Bali’s artistic and cultural center and is only a 90-minute taxi ride from the Australian packed party scene in Kuta. One great way to see the surrounding countryside outside Ubud is a day-long bike tour. The tour starts with breakfast overlooking an active volcano, Mt. Batur, then heads out on a 25K downhill ride that snakes its way through picturesque rice paddies and local villages. The destination is a delicious traditional Balinese lunch. Be sure to try the smoked duck, it takes all night to make but it is worth it!

Another great way to experience Balinese culture is to take a cooking class. We took a half-day class that started with a visit to the Ubud local market. Besides learning about the local spices and vegetables, the chef also told us about collecting delicious (his opinion) rice paddy eels on his days off. I was thankful that eel was not on the menu later in the class after getting a close up look at the ones in the market.

After getting your dose of Balinese culture and food be sure to hit the famous beaches. If you are avoiding Kuta, there are plenty of other great options. We first traveled three hours by bus from Ubud to the port town of Padang Bai. If you are interested in scuba diving this is a great place to spend a day or two. The diving right off the beaches is excellent, and you also have access from Padang Bai to the WWII USS Liberty wreck. The wreck is unique in that it is in very shallow water allowing nearly an hour of bottom time to explore and swim through the large pass throughs.

From Padang Bai you can easily get to the Gili Islands via the fast ferry. DO NOT make the mistake we did by taking the slow ferry. Spend the extra $35 per person and take the direct fast ferry, which gets you to the Gilis in two hours vs. the nearly 12 hours it takes to go door-to-door on the hot, frustrating and extremely slow ferry. For the Gilis, if you are looking for a quiet and secluded island, head to Gili Air, the easternmost of the Gili Islands.

We stayed on the eastern shore of Gili Air and the snorkeling 15 meters from the beach was some of the best we had seen since our time at the Red Sea in Dahab, Egypt. The beach was nearly deserted all day, making for great relaxing days spent reading and soaking up the sun. We ended each night with dinner at Biba Beach Café, which is run by an Italian ex-pat who serves up fresh pasta and very crisp thin crust pizza. Taking in a blazing red sunset over delicious pasta may not be the most authentic Indonesian experience but it is amazing nonetheless. All of this is a world away from the non-stop party of Kuta, so be sure to get a taste of both Balis before leaving Indonesia.

Before I leave just wanted to give you a little present. Asia really is incredible and here is just a glimpse of some of the beauty here. Enjoy!

‘Hey boss, you want to buy bow.’ he called cheerfully.
‘What exactly am I going to do with one of those?’ I replied indignantly.
‘Hunting.’ he beamed.
Humouring him, I jokingly said ‘I can’t go on the hunt for women with one of those.’
‘You use this mate’ he replied while pulling out a Taser and demonstrating how it worked.
I may have been joking but I really don’t think that he was!

I bought a flight to Bali on a whim. I was perusing the Air Asia website and found myself a rather cheap £30 return flight from Singapore. Bargain.

I just fancied a nice chilled out week, on a beach, low cost and no hassle. Kuta is one of the main backpacker spots in Indonesia and the logical choice of destination, or so I thought. Before I go on to describe Kuta and its ‘clientele’ I do wish to say that I did enjoy my time there, you just have to be in the mood for it. The Americans have Cancun, the British have Ibiza and the Australians have Kuta!

There are many ways to describe some of the Australians (mostly male) who flock to Kuta for the surf. “Dumbass surfie” would be one way but another would be “Bogan”.

For those of you not familiar with the term, wikipedia states that “the term is a regional equivalent to the English slang terms chav or pikey, Scottish ned, Irish scanger or spide, Dutch tokkie, and the North American white trash, redneck, hick, or hillbilly.”

I would surmise that the male to female ratio is about 9:1 and most of the males are nothing but Neanderthals. These men could be found banging rocks together trying to make fire and clubbing women over the head and dragging them back to a cave. I did wonder if any of them would discover the wheel.

If you want to go to Bali stay in Kuta for no longer than a few nights to hit the party scene and then get out. Seminyak has some incredible restaurants which cost next to nothing. Get yourself over to the Gili Islands for incredible beauty.

There is more to Bali then Kuta.

Finally, if you are going to try surfing for the first time, wear a rash guard. This small but important piece of information was not relayed resulting in me shredding the skin from my chest and abs. Ouch.

Life is just one long lesson.