One of the great things about the Nyepi celebrations in Bali is the Ogoh Ogoh statues that are built in every village. A parade of these creatures takes place on the eve of Nyepi day, which is tonight! We took a drive around town yesterday, where last-minute preparations of the statues were busily being done. …
The Elephant Cave – It’s all a façade
Up until now we had avoided visiting the nearby Elephant Cave due to too many negative reports (small and boring, too many touts), but as it is one of the tourist destinations of Ubud we thought we better go there anyway. We were pleasantly surprised, we are either easy to please or our expectations were …
Paradise Found
There are some references to Nusa Lembongan being "Paradise Island", and after our long weekend trip there we would not quite call it paradise but agree that it is a beautiful place well worth visiting for a relaxing or adventurous break. View of Bali from Jungut Batu Beach Nusa Lembongan is a small island just off …
Is Bali Zoo For You?
We are on a mission to explore Bali as much as we can this year, but we are mostly limited to the weekends when Olive is off school. Last weekend's day trip was to the Bali Zoo. We have been to the similar but more popular Safari and Marine Park, and the Bali zoo sounded …
Great Sushi Comes On A Motorbike
One of the great things we have discovered here in Bali is that you can get great restaurant food delivered, and one of the best that we have come across so far is "Sushi on wheels". This is a guy that makes fresh sushi to order, then delivers it to your villa. [UPDATE: sushi on …
A Bali Wedding of Sorts
Living in Bali presents many opportunities that you would not get if you were just here for a short stay, like after just a few weeks at the school, Olive (and the rest of the family) was invited to attend the wedding celebration of her teacher Ibu Indah and Steven. The ceremony was held at …
There is a Butterfly Park
The Bali Butterfly Park is not one of Bali's well known tourist attractions, but if you have kids that would be interested in that sort of thing, like we do, it's a worthwhile trip to do. It was our first long drive away from Ubud, and with Clare driving and Rob navigating, we made it without …
Hitting the Bumpy Road
We had always planned to get a car at some stage, though we had been waiting to get more familiar with the roads and driving conditions. We decided the time had come after last weekend paying $50 for a driver to take us on a day trip to the coast, in which he dropped us off …
The Bali Diet
As expected, our diet while living as ex-pats in Bali has changed significantly from back home in Australia. digging into a plate of tasty vegetarian food From a dietitian's perspective, the change in diet is both good and bad. The positive aspect is that we are exposed to such a huge array of different and amazing …
House Creatures in Bali
One of the major adjustments we have to living in Bali is dealing with the bugs and other creatures. Back in Mount Hawthorn (Perth) we thought we had an ant problem. That is nothing compared to our kitchen here. The Balinese style housing with open kitchen and living areas is appropriate for the climate, but …