Learning to Cook Traditional Balinese Food in Ubud

02 Saturday Feb 2013

Posted by mrsselfish in Asia, Bali, Food & Drinks

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Asia, Bali, Cooking Class, Indonesia, Ubud

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

Posted by mrsselfish in Asia, Bali

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Bali, Indonesia, Temples

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

Posted by mrsselfish in Asia, Bali, Food & Drinks

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Bali, Food & Drinks, Indonesia

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.

Bali Food 17

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Monkey Forest? I’m There!

29 Tuesday Jan 2013

Posted by mrsselfish in Asia, Bali

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Asia, Bali, Indonesia, Monkey Forest, Sacred Monkey Forest of Padangtegal

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 mrsselfish in Accommodations, Asia, Bali

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Asia, Bali, Bebek Tepi Sawah, Hyatt Bali, Sanur, Ubud

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.