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Balinese Cuisine

For the best seafood on the island, any Balinese native will point you toward Jimbaran Bay. We hopped in a cab one night and headed to this gorgeous sandy beach which is lined with seafood restaurants where you literally hand pick your dinner (this is far beyond my vegetarian mind can grasp). Sasha loved it and definitely over indulged (see photographic evidence below) at Kampoeng Restaurant.

The following day, we were picked up at 6am from the hotel and went to a local market, where we met up with our cooking class and instructor from Bumbu Bali. Heinz von Holzen is the Swiss man who runs the show – and we (especially Sasha) loved him. We were gone for 9 hours and loved every single second. We shopped in the local markets for fruit, vegetables, meat and fish, all the while learning about the local Balinese culinary customs. We headed to Heinz’s bed and breakfast, where we spent the latter half of the class learning how to prepare 20 traditional Balinese meals. We were both in awe of Heinz’s passion towards food and left inspired to recreate the dishes we made in class (and devoured after). It was one of our five favorite things we did on the trip. I recommend anyone traveling to Bali to take this class!

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Sunset at Jimbaran Bay

DSC_0641Loving the soft white sand on my toes

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Sasha working it

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Sasha at Kampoeng Seafood where we ate dinner

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Deciding which poor lobster to eat

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Weighing his dinner for the night

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Please see Sasha’s snapper, shrimp and lobster (eyes bigger than the belly)DSC_0667

The most gorgeous sunset

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Heinz showing us the local spices

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Gorgeous colors in the market

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A local Balinese woman preparing rice religious offerings

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Bali bananas are all this tiny

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Traditional Balinese flower offerings that you will see everywhere on the island

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We used plenty of these gorgeous peppers in our cooking class

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Another local Balinese woman prepares another type of Hindu offering

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Getting ready to get his hands dirty

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Preparing the vegetarian peanut sauce salad

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The vegetarian end result (heaven on earth)

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Certified Balinese chefs (i.e. we have a certificate!)

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Sasha demonstrating the hardships of the sulphur porters of Indonesia (read more here)

Initial Bali Snapshots

I’m in love with Bali. It’s truly one of the most magical places I’ve ever visited, and the people here could not be any nicer. I’m a little behind on posting, so I’ve compiled our first few days in one post and will share additional pictures from our cooking class, trip to Padang Padang beach (where they filmed Eat, Pray, Love), dinner at Jimbaran Bay, and elephant ride soon.

Food

Eight Degrees South – great Mediterranean food
Suku – tasty Asian cuisine with nightly Balinese dance performances
Azure – our poolside go-to for lunch
East – a casual dining spot at the Conrad
Sakala – a phenomenal food experience – a trust “must” in Bali
Lakeview Cafe – delicious Asian buffet with breathtaking views
2Day Cafe – as close to a warung (local restaurant) as we’ve tried – great veggies
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Experiences

Relaxing at the gorgeous Conrad Bali lagoon pool and beach
Eating miso soup and drinking freshly squeezed mango juice for breakfast
Practicing outdoor yoga and exploring Nusa Dua by foot
Watching the awe-inspiring Devdan Show (think Cirque du Soleil + So You Think You Can Dance?)
Trying fresh Luwak coffee (read this to find out how it’s made)
Exploring the Balinese coffee plantation, Santi
Witnessing a perfect rainbow between Mt. Agung and Mt. Batur (sleeping volcano)
Trying lots of fresh fruit (except the stinky durian fruit – see Sasha eating it below)
Enjoying the cultural Barong and Kris Dance performance
Our favorite so far – praying in Bali’s holiest water at Tirta Empul
 

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Morning view from our room

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Where you’ll find us (every second day – 50% culture, 50% tan!)

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Temple style watch guard points

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I’m never leaving

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Miso and mango for breakfast

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Onsite temple

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Practicing my yoga moves (outside of the 7:30 Sunrise Yoga class)

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My poolside Summer Salad and Sasha’s hamburger – is there anything better?

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At the Kris and Barong Performance

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Evil and Pure Spirits are fighting (can’t you tell?)

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Amazing costumes in play at the performance

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Two of the main performers

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Waiting to pray in the holy springs at Tirta Empul

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Lots of people and things to be praying for

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Sasha looks darn good in a sarong (I’m totally biased)

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Trying teas and coffees at Santi Plantation

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The freshly picked coffee beans and spices at Santi

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In front of Mt. Batur

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A gorgeous rainbow outside of Lakeview

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Sasha being brave and trying durian

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Me being less brave and trying mangosteen

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Durians look as unappealing as they smell (and taste!)

Processed with VSCOcam with c1 presetMy only picture at Devdan before getting scolded for taking pictures!

Elephant Rides in Bali

Work is beyond busy, but there’s one thing getting me through each day – Bali in 22 days! Sasha has begged me not to over-book us, so I’ve limited my planning to a famous Balinese cooking class, volcano tour, temple tour, yoga class, Ubud day trip, and my favorite – an elephant ride! The first time I saw elephants in the wide (i.e. not at a zoo) was in South Africa three years ago, and I fell in love. They are so darn cute.

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photo by vicki grafton via entouriste

Southern Bali

As you may know from here, we’re going on our honeymoon to Bali in December. I’ve already bought a travel book that I’m going through page-by-page, learning about the history, food and traditions of Indonesia. I was inspired to book the trip after seeing these pictures of Ubud on Entouriste. Recently, another set of Bali pictures were posted – my favorites are below. I seriously cannot wait! How gorgeous is Vicki’s photography?

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Photos by Vicki Grafton