It wasn’t just the book “Eat, Pray, Love” that brought on the urge to travel to Bali. As I’ve mentioned I knew at a young age that I had a love for travel, and one of my monthly magazine subscriptions along with “Seventeen” was “Conde Naste Travel and Leisure”. I remember receiving my monthly copy and on the cover was this gorgeous beach with a color of water I had never seen. I quickly opened to the article and decided right then and there that Bali would be on my travel wish list.
Bali is located in the Pacific and is just one island in the 17,000 island nation that is Indonesia. Full of culture, history, spirituality and beautiful beaches this island is a self proclaimed paradise, and from the pictures I’ve seen I would not argue.
This mainly Hindu nation is home to approximately 4 million people, and is the island that nearly 80% of the travelers to Indonesia visit. There is an influx of visitors during the summer months as well as around the end of the year. With weather that is fairly consistent year round, there really isn’t a bad time to visit the island.
The island offers something for everyone. It can be a romantic, quiet getaway, a cultural experience, a shopaholic’s dream come true, or a little bit of all of that mixed into one. Kuta, located in the southern portion of the island, is one of the more well known cities. It is considered the “surf capital” and is bustling with activity. Some may consider it a center, while others may wish to avoid this area due to the scam artists, and congestion. Personally I would choose a short stay in Bali with a boat ride to the Gili Islands for the remainder of my trip in Indonesia.
The Gili Islands, translating to Small Islands, were also featured in “Eat, Pray, Love.” After reading about their jaunt over to these small islands that I started doing research and decided a place where there is no motorized transportation, and accommodations around $24 USD a night, this was the place for me.
The islands are common amongst the backpacking crowd, and have gained popularity in the past decade. There are now more luxuries available to travelers, especially on the largest of the three islands, Gili Trawangan. Power and air conditioning, once a commodity, are pretty standard now.
The three islands, Gili Trawangan, Gili Air, and Gili Meno, are all accessible via boat from either Bali or Lombok. You can also take a boat from island to island once over in the Gili’s. Gili Trawangan is known as the party island with plenty of nightlife, while the other two are more relaxing and laidback. I would find myself on the west side of Gili Meno enjoying the best beaches on the three islands, or off the coast diving!
The Pacific islands are on the top of my international destinations, and I’m sure there will be more entries to come on the likes of Bora Bora, Tahiti, and Fiji.
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