Southeast AsiaFirst visit 2016Indonesia
Bali alone could sustain a lifetime of travel — but Indonesia is so much more than Bali.
Hit Indonesia in 2016 and Bali was the main draw, but the country is vast and endlessly varied. The temples at sunrise, the rice terraces in Ubud, the surf at Uluwatu — it all delivers. One of those places where a week feels like nothing and a month still feels short.
Bali in 2016 was everything Instagram promises and a little more chaos. I watched the sun rise behind the temples, walked the rice terraces outside Ubud, and spent sunsets at the cliffs in Uluwatu watching surfers who were much better than me. The split stone gates you see on every postcard are real and they're everywhere, guarding beaches, temples and family compounds.
I also did some very non-temple things. A shooting range with friends, red cocktails under an "Over the Moon" neon sign, a Bitcoin center in the middle of a beach town, and way too much good pizza and pasta. The quieter beaches had black volcanic sand, outrigger boats and grilled fish for a few dollars. Bali is only one island out of thousands in Indonesia, and I've barely started on the rest.
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