Travel #1 - Bali, Indonesia.

I awoke at 4am to a warm 28 degrees this morning in Adelaide. Like the weather, the commute to the Adelaide Airport was pleasant. It was interesting to see that a hotel had popped up since my visit last year.

The Adelaide terminal is easy to navigate and has plenty of food and shopping options. I popped in for a Latte at Cooper's Ale House. There was a lovely German couple sitting behind me, playing death metal aloud from their phones, drinking imperial pints of beer at 5am in the morning - safe to say I envied their energy.

Airport food sucks

I went out the dimly lit domestic terminal that felt more like a shopping centre, straight into the international. Big mistake. Being four hours early, I wasn't allowed to check my baggage in yet nor enter the terminal. Instead, I was stuck at an overpriced, modest internet cafe for the next two hours. The international terminal was rather sad and lacked clear signage. It is dead during the day with only a staff member at the internet cafe. Once I checked my baggage, I was finally allowed into the actual terminal.

There are a few shopping options including a touristy 'Australia' store, duty free alcohol and goods, a book/travel store, and a Hudsons coffee. Initially reluctant to eat anything because of the crazy prices, the nice branding and venue environment at The Crafty Cassowary convinced me otherwise.

I ordered a $26 beef burger, and was slogged $14 for a house Pinot noir. I wish this were an exaggerated, but the burger came out dripping in grease, served with lukewarm chips. That house Pinot Noir was Fat Bastard Pinot noir from France - a decent, easy going Pinot from france that retails for around $15 a bottle. I'm glad I paid $14 for a glass of $15 wine!

After my sub-standard meal, I looked around the terminal for a bit and got some reading done. If you're looking for a lucrative startup, try your luck at selling Vegemite to poor tourists who don't know any better.

After a long day, Bali.

To start my trip, I'll be spending two days in typical Aussie destination, Bali. Located 2730 km from Australia, Bali is an Indonesian island well-known for as an affordable holiday destination, especially for Aussies. Around 1.3 million Australians visit Bali each year to soak up the pleasant tropical weather.

I last visited Bali in 2016. It is good to see that Bali's infrastructure and economy has grown since. Due to this economic growth, Bali isn't the ultra-affordable destination it always has been. Indeed, groceries and the cost of living remain lower than Australia, but for tourists you'll pay around $6 for a cocktail, and $15 for a meal at a popular tourist spot. This is still cheap when compared to Australia's prices, however the major Touristy spots have become more and more expensive. If you venture off the beaten path a bit, you'll find a few more bargains.

Local Warungs offer Nasi Goreng for $2, and a cold mango smoothie for $1.50. One of my favourite places for a local eat is the Dewi Sri Food centre, a quiet local spot with a peaceful ambience to it. Atop these cheap food prices you'll need to tip people for their service, unless they have a 'service fee' on the menu. A standard tip 5-10% and goes a long way, based on the average Indonesian wage of $388 a month. Taxis are ultra affordable, and the drivers get a 30% cut of $2.70 for a 15 minute trip. I like to keep this in mind and never pay less than $5 for a taxi, considering the expense of them compared to Australia. Sure, I'm on a budget - not here to be stingy and rip people off.

So far, I've been to Watermbomb for the day, done lots of relaxing at the beachfront, a little bit of shopping, and plenty of sight seeing. I'm reluctant to make detailed daily posts because Bali is such a typical destination.

Above all, my favourite thing to do is wonder the street and take photos. There is always so much going on, and the Balinese people radiate this contagious positive energy.

Kopi

One disappointment was when we visited the coffee plantation. Upon arrival, we were greeted by a lovely woman who showed us around briefly. 'This is a coffee plant, this is a chocolate plant,' she pointed to two tiny saplings. 'Here is the Luwak, you can it try for $5,' she rushed us along to a table where we were given samples of each coffee and assorted teas. Although the coffee was lovely, it felt like a money grab just to make us buy something. I would have preferred a more authentic experience where we get to see an actual working coffee farm, not a small demonstration to make us buy coffee.

The Civet Cat is an animal native to Asia and Africa. They are found in tropical forests and eat coffee berries, pooping out the bean. In recent times, the Civet Cat's coffee has become world-renowned for its taste. Once the Civet Cat poops coffee, it is washed and roasted like normal. Sadly, a lot of these animals are being put in tiny cages and force-fed coffee all day to meet the demand for Kopi Luwak.

It is important to me not to support this unethical treatment of Civet Cats, and so I won't buy or try Luwak Coffee. If you want to try it, there are some 'free-range' brands available; however, I'm unsure how reputable these are.

Pirates Bay

On the way home from the coffee plantation, we stopped at The Pirates Bay Bali. Filled with bamboo huts and re-vamped boats, this is a cool restaurant for families to visit and explore. The restaurant offers drinks, food, and a beach-front view and plenty of fun. The food is quiet expensive, and so we cooled down with some Iced Chocolates instead.

While I'm enjoying Bali so far, I don't think I'll return for a while. One can only see a place so many times, and it is so very touristy. There's always a way to venture off the beaten path, but that path shouldn't be so hard to find. I'm in Bali until the 15th, from there I'll move onto Kuala Lumpur for 3 days and start my daily posts.

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