Bali, a true Surfer’s Paradise. When I was a kid starting to surf in Australia, on the Sunshine Coast (no, not the Gold Coast) in Queensland, Bali was a mythical destination. Surfers would return from Indonesia with tales of epic surf, friendly locals and cheap...
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These Balinese saté and ayam betutu recipes make classic barbecued Balinese skewers and a traditional dish of chicken or duck (bebek betutu) that is marinated, wrapped in a banana leaf, and steamed. Both require the basa gede Balinese sauce recipe in the last post. In my...
Basa gede or Balinese sauce is a classic Balinese spice paste in the tradition of Asian pastes such as Thai curry paste and Cambodian kroeung, commonly used for saté and duck and chicken betutu. While available commercially, it’s best fresh from the mortar and pestle. Here’s an...
If you’re staying in a holiday rental in a village like Tumbak Bayuh in Bali, as we have been, you could find yourself a little frustrated by shopping in Bali, and might be happy to hand over the task to your villa cook if you...
The gamelan and its music had always intrigued me as a musician. I’ve always found the Indonesian ensemble of metallophones, xylophones, gongs, and various other instruments wonderful to listen to, but I had little idea as to how the hell they made that enchanting noise. Was there...
For travellers who need some handholding, the only thing they’d probably miss from a holiday rental is a concierge. Being travel writers, we’re not the types to depend on one other than to score us a hard-to-get restaurant table, although we can certainly appreciate a...
Bali is to Australians what Mallorca is to the British and Cancun is to Americans, a cheap beach holiday destination. But one person’s popular vacation spot is another’s exotic off-the-beaten-track escape. Our Bali is altogether different again and, somewhat surprisingly we’re besotted with it. We...
