Landing in Bali

Flying in to Bali from Cambodia on a plane full of western tourists feels more like a trip to Hawaii or Mexico than a visit to Indonesia. A volcanic island paradise situated between Java and Lombok, it's home to over 4 million people and the highest percentage of Hindus (85 percent) in Indonesia. Bali is covered with temples and soaked in spirituality, music, and art; some of the reasons its popularity as a tourist destination catapulted in the late 1990’s. Since then, planes like these, packed with visitors from all over the world, have become a common occurrence.

But first impressions can be dangerous. After swiftly passing through airport immigration and customs, paying out the recently increased $35 visa fee, we’re approached by dozens of taxi drivers offering trips to nearby Legian for $20, when it’s barely 3 kilometers away and should cost $8. We let them know that “we’re okay” and find another, fair, offer. The bad news for them is that we’ve implemented a new travel rule: don’t go with the guy who tries to rip you off.

Avoiding the sharks and making it into Legian, we’re greeted by a massive party scene, full of one way streets packed with bars, clubs, restaurants, and shop owners slinging hats, sunglasses, tee shirts, and viagra. At night, the offerings become more varied as marijuana, cocaine, and sex are added to the menu. Middle-aged men utter "You want something, boss" under their breath, while young, scantily-clad women say "Hey daddy" from nearby motorbikes. Easily the worst addition brought on by tourism in such a beautiful place.

But the reasons people flock to this small island are clear. Massive waves crash on wide beaches, while skinny stone paths weave between thick walls amidst the tropical overgrowth that fills the space in between. We’ve found a quaint little hotel with a pool, just off the main road and it’s only $25 per night. From there we explore the web of one way streets that connects Legian with neighboring Kuta (the real party capital) and Seminyak (a slightly swankier version of Legian). Managing to avoid the mass of “western” restaurants offering pizza and nachos, we stumble upon Warung Yogya, which serves up our first taste of Indonesian food. The soupy coconut vegetable curry is on point and the gado gado is fresh and flavorful. Eating local has its benefits - we share a starter, two entrees and a large Bintang beer for around $7. After two nights near the beach we’re heading to the hills, to the rice fields, temples, yogis and floaty hippies of Ubud.

the details:

• Getting to Bali: We flew AirAsia from Siem Reap, with a stopover in Kuala Lumpur - it's about 2 hours to Kuala Lumpur, then another 3 to Bali, but our tickets were only $180 each (note that AirAsia has some pretty strict carry-on baggage restrictions, but we were able to bring our backpacks on without hassle)
• Arriving in Bali, make sure to get a taxi at the counter when leaving the airport. They have fixed prices that are likely cheaper than you'd get finding one on your own
• There's lots of traffic in the stretch between the airport and Seminyak, so early/late arrivals are probably a good thing (when you can, walk)
• Make sure to negotiate when shopping any of the street stalls as the initial price is almost always 3-4 times more than what you should be paying
• To find the best food, look for "Warung" - small, family-owned restaurants that serve the best and cheapest food you'll find in the Kuta/Legian/Seminyak area
• The local beer is Bintang, a light, refreshing pilsner - it's pretty good, but relatively expensive by SE Asia standards at about 20,000 IDR ($1.50) per bottle and up

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