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Category Archives: Bali

Learning to Cook Traditional Balinese Food in Ubud

02 Saturday Feb 2013

Posted by in Asia, Bali, Food & Drinks

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For our last day in Ubud, we decided to take a cooking class. We signed up for Payuk Bali Cooking Class, which is probably the best cooking class I’ve ever taken.

First, they drove us to a rice field and explained to us when and how rice is harvested. My cousin asked if she could walk in the rice fields for the photo op. Our guide promptly told us that she could but that there may be water snakes in the fields. Of course, she walked in the rice fields and immediately came upon a water snake. Below is the action shot of her running from it. I love hanging out with my little cousin; she’s always good for a laugh.

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The Beautiful Temples in Bali

31 Thursday Jan 2013

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I was originally pretty blasé about visiting Bali, but Mr. Selfish was quite persistent. He really wanted to visit Bali. Eventually, I started googling images of Bali. This was when I discovered all of the beautiful temples in Bali and was persuaded into including Bali in our itinerary.

Bali is known as the “island of the gods” due to the numerous temples all over the island. While we didn’t make it to the Mother Temple (I figured we could save it for the next trip), we did go to Tanah Lot Temple, which is the gorgeous temple set on the water. Tanah Lot actually means “Land in the Sea” and is one of the seven sea temples in Bali.

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The Delights of Balinese Food

30 Wednesday Jan 2013

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Mr. Selfish and I didn’t know much about Balinese food prior to this trip. The only other time we had had Indonesian food was in Amsterdam. We had enjoyed a variety of delicious and very spicy small plates, which is known as Padang and is from the area of Sumatra. This type of cuisine is entirely different from Balinese cuisine, so we were excited to learn about actual Balinese food.

One of our best meals in Bali was at Ibu Oka, where they serve roasted pork (“babi guling”). This dish is distinctly Balinese. The Balinese prepare the pork by stuffing and infusing it with a spicy concoction typically involving turmeric, coriander seeds, lemongrass, black pepper and garlic and then the pig is spit-roasted. Yes, it is just as amazing as it sounds.

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Monkey Forest? I’m There!

29 Tuesday Jan 2013

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When I learned that there was a monkey forest in Ubud, I knew that we had to visit it while we were in Bali. Its official name is the Sacred Monkey Forest of Padangtega. Approximately 605 long-tailed macaques live in the monkey forest. It was amazing to see so many monkeys wandering around.

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Living It Up in Bali

28 Monday Jan 2013

Posted by in Accommodations, Asia, Bali

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Mr. Selfish and I spent five glorious nights in Bali, Indonesia. We immediately decided that our trip to Bali was too short and that we needed to return later. Not only did Bali seem very untouched by Western culture but the people were the friendliest and nicest we’ve encountered. Plus, the food was amazing, and the prices couldn’t be beat.

We spent three nights in Sanur at the Hyatt Bali. The Hyatt has multiple pools and access to the beach. It was lovely – especially during sunset.

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Continuing Our Selfish Year

29 Saturday Dec 2012

Posted by in Asia, Australia, Bali, China, Japan, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam

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Mr. Selfish and I have been in the States since Dec. 16th. We have truly enjoyed our time back “home”. Even though we are technically homeless (since we rented out our house), we consider the States to be home.

It has been wonderful to see so many loved ones and enjoy the comforts of home. I especially loved meeting my adorable three month old nephew for the first time and experiencing Christmas through the eyes of my 3 year-old and 6 year-old nephews. Mr. Selfish and I also appreciated all of the delicious food that everyone has been cooking for us. A home cooked meal with family beats eating out at a restaurant every time.

But tomorrow, it’s all coming to an end. We are continuing our selfish year. We have eight more months and about thirty more cities to go. Here’s the map of our itinerary:

Round 2

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