Bias Primer for Bali & surrounding areas

Google Map of Bali​ :: ​https://goo.gl/Ulg8VY

This map highlights some of the main attractions and such in Bali. Some of the greatest hits,
according to me, include: Sari Organic (Restaurant in the middle of rice paddies, close to Ubud),
Body + Soul Massages (near Bali Buddah restaurant, THE best massages if you like deep
tissue, but you need to be okay with a slightly dodgy ambiance), Clear Cafe (in Ubud, delicious
food, excellent ambiance), Kafe (in Ubud, the people watching here is exceptional), and The
Yoga Barn (for yoga).

Ubud
Ubud Restaurants
Sari Organik :: ​http://www.sari-organik.com/
Awful website, but it was my favourite thing to do Sunday mornings. It's about a 60ish minute
walk from downtown Ubud through this beautiful path to a restaurant that serves a bunch of
hippie food and overlooks rice paddies. The walk up is beautiful through fields and it is a calm
contrast to downtown Ubud (which can be, bluntly put, jarring at times...although you're there in
'low' season/non tourist mayhem, which might help).

Bali Buddha :: ​http://www.balibuddha.biz/menu.html

This is another place for yummy food that won't make you sick, and a lot of English speaking
humans around.

Clear Cafe :: ​http://www.clear-cafe-ubud.com/

Delicious food, internet access, etc. I spent a bunch of time working remotely here. Inviting
atmosphere.

Four Seasons Sayan ::

http://www.fourseasons.com/sayan/landing_3/?source=gaw11bliS10&kw=%22four+seasons+sa
yan/%22&creative=16347920930&KW_ID=sMbCilR3G_dc|pcrid|16347920930&gclid=CIWJyeP
gwbkCFY9AMgodZi4A2Q

This is in Sayan, not Ubud, but delicious and worth having a meal there. It’s down the road from
the Hardy’s spot (so perhaps when you are writing about their Javanese tea huts).

Ubud Massages, Yoga, etc.

Body + Soul Massage :: (see Elora’s Google map)
There's a massage place around the corner from Bali Buddha, which I went to religiously. It's a
bit sketchy, in the ambiance is 'special' manner. Regardless, they are the best massages I have
ever received. The kind where you leave feeling as though you've worked out. Intense, and
ridiculously cheap. Everyone should go there at least once.

Five Elements :: ​http://fivelements.org/

There is also a place called "Five Elements" outside of Ubud, and close to the Green School.
Their building design looks similar to PT Bamboo (Elora and John’s company), but it wasn’t built
by the Hardy’s. I don’t know the backstory on this one, but I did have a massage and eat food
here. It’s quite calm, and beautiful. I believe they ran the last TEDxUbud at this venue. It’s worth
a visit.

The Yoga Barn :: ​http://www.theyogabarn.com/schedule

If you're into Yoga, this is the place to go do that in Ubud. It is a hippie mecca, which you will
see. A lot of crazy characters, who are fun to talk to. Many ex-pats and such.

East of Bali, Nusa Ceningan

After leaving Sayan (where I lived).... I went to Nusa Ceningan, which is one of 3 tiny islands off
the east coast of Bali. There are no cars, or rabid dogs (like in Bali) and it's predominantly a
seaweed farming community.
I lived there for about a month, and it is a magical, remote, place.

If that appeals to you, let me know, and I'll connect you to Putu, who runs a the only hotel on
that island (Ceningan). It's close enough to Nusa/island Lembogan, which is commercialized in
part. A lot of surfers go to these islands because there is an insane break right in front of Putu's
pad/hotel that people fly from all over the world to surf.
Even the most advanced surfers need to take a Balinese "guide" with them because it's quite
dangerous to surf due to the currents. Fascinating to watch though; I spent many mornings in
awe.

To get to Nusa Ceningan, you can leave from a number of ports on the east coast. I would
recommend leaving from Sanur. There are two speed boat companies that travel from there,
and it takes about 15 minutes-Rocky Fast boat (​http://rockyfastcruise.com/​) or Scoot
(​http://www.scootcruise.com/​). Putu and his team will pick you up at the dock and bring you
back to the villas, you need to be okay with motorbike travel, as there are no cars.

Northern Bali
The Northern part of Bali is where the national park is located. You can stay at Waka Shorea,
which is embedded within the national park:​ http://wakashorea.com/

Great fun. There is wildlife wandering all around. They also have some of the best diving and
snorkelling. This is also where you can ask the staff to help you organize a quick trip to Java trip
from there, and hike the Ijen Crater (in Java). It takes about 2-3 hours to get there, but you leave
early in the morning, and it is remarkable (​http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ijen).

Lombok
You can fly to Lombok, which is cheap, simple and straightforward. I would head directly to
Southern Lombok. It is insanely beautiful and completely undeveloped. There is really only one
hotel to stay at, which is the Novotel
(​http://www.novotel.com/gb/hotel-0571-novotel-lombok/index.shtml​). The rest are a little dodgy.

They're suppose to be opening an international airport in Lombok soon, which will completely
change that island. The southern part of it is laced with interspersed white sand beaches, and
cliffs. It's wild, beautiful, and private.

Other things
● General transportation around Asia: Air Asia (​http://www.airasia.com/my/en/home.page​)
● Hot tips:
- Don’t pet the local dogs, ignore them. A lot of them have rabies. Many expats have dogs, they
are typically fine to hang out with and encounter saliva (how rabies is transferred).
- Medical attention/help. I purchased travel insurance through World Nomads
(​http://www.worldnomads.com/travel-insurance/​). Broadly speaking, I think safety in Bali is a
relative risk thing. It is, in many ways, one of the safest places to live. You can walk down a dark
alleyway in Ubud at 4am, pass a man with a machete, he will likely smile gently and that’s it.
This is not the case for all of Indonesia, at all, but Bali is quite warm, open, and lovely (in the
truest sense of the word).
● What did I forget? (ie. Things I mentioned, but have forgotten to include above.)
● Feel free to email or skype me with whatever questions pop-up.