Giving back to each of the places we visited this year was one of our goals of our grand tour, along with living like locals, doing and learning things, and travelling more sustainably. The aim was to enrich ourselves and travel more meaningfully as much as it was to show travellers the kinds of experiences … Read more
Cooking in Bali with Desak, our villa chef, ended up being one of the highlights of our two-week stay at our Balinese villa, allowing us to tick off a few grand tour goals – learning from locals, learning to cook the local cuisine, and giving back. I taught Desak Western dishes in exchange for her … Read more
Threads of Life is a gorgeous fair trade gallery-cum-shop in Ubud that sells exquisite handmade textiles from Bali and the rest of the Indonesia that are ethically produced. Forget the tourist markets. This is my pick for a one-stop shop for your Bali take-homes. Most visitors to Bali buy their souvenirs – masks, carvings, sarongs, and … Read more
Ubud Monkey Forest must top the list of things to do for most visitors to Bali’s cultural heart of Ubud. It certainly made the top of our list – and it made our day. Ubud Monkey Forest – Monkey Business at Bali’s Macaque Sanctuary As animal lovers, we can’t resist getting up close to such adorable and amazingly … Read more
The artistic, cultural and spiritual heart of Bali for centuries, Ubud is serenely located up in the hills in lush jungle, surrounded by rice-paddies. Lined with galleries, cafés and craft shops, its narrow streets are a delight to wander. There’s no denying that Ubud has become increasingly commercial and its economy is more tourist-focused than ever. … Read more