Start with a local beer & other travel tips for Bali, Thailand & lands in between.
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What kind of airplane seat is this, you ask? Keep reading.
The trip begins with a one night layover in Hong Kong: have some street food, head to the waterfront. Then get on your plane to Phuket, Thailand.
Hong Kong
Phuket Town, Thailand. Be sure to go to Bangla Road. You gotta see it to believe it. You will also have the best food of your life here. Ride a tuk tuk. Hang out on the beach.
singha beer.
The best food in the entire world.
I could have eaten my body weight in this fried rice. No shit.
Bangla Road. Gotta see it.
Then take a ferry to the island of Koh Phi Phi. Stay in this hotel. Snorkel right off of the beach.
Do Captain Bob’s booze cruise. You’ll love it. Just be sure not to get kidnapped by the Thai army when Bob bribes them with red wine for access to the ancient cave drawings.
The movie The Beach was filmed at Maya Bay, which was closed for a long time because people couldn’t behave themselves, then opened, then closed again... If you are able to go, PLEASE behave yourself.
Have a cocktail or two. Pet one of the beach kittens. We named ours Scarlet.
Scarlet. she was our friend while we stayed. on the island.
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Stay here for at least one night as a stopover between Thailand and Bali, Indonesia. The Mandarin Oriental is so cheap you won’t believe it.
When you have the option of eating street food or not eating street food, eat the street food. Go To Jalan Alor & take it all in. Also, when you travel in Asia, be sure to bring some tissues & hand-wipes in your bag, in case the toilet situation isn’t quite what you are expecting.
Now, off to Ubud, Bali!
Rice Paddies!
Tiny me, having high tea on the river in Ubud. Highly recommended.
Ubud’s Sacred Monkey Forest…
Sacred monkey forest in ubud, bali.
…one of the highlights of my life so far. (That and the British tourists who were shocked that the monkeys climbed into their pockets for food, when there is a literal sign that tells you, “Monkeys will climb into your pockets for food.”)
Ubud is the most magical place I have ever visited. The feeling in the air, the smells, the sights (monkeys everywhere, even on the street signs), the lovely people, the food, the temples... Photos don’t do it justice. I want to get back and spend even more time there.
Stay at a hotel along the river like we did. Maybe you’ll see a farmer bathing in it completely naked. Like we did. No, I didn’t take a photo. What kind of girl do you think I am?
Now, take a car to Denpasar, Bali. Stay at a place on or near the beach, like this.
Thought your food in Thailand was the best? Wait until you go to the Jimbaran Bay beach & CHOOSE your own fish:
One afternoon, take an Uber from your hotel to the Kuta area, so you don’t have to drive the terrible Bali traffic. Do a bit of shopping & eating. (When shopping for souvenirs, a little bracelet or scarf are usually very cheap and take up no room in your bag!)
Then stop in to a bar along the beach to watch the sun go down.
Stop in to peruse the local versions of American food. Get yourself some Chee-toes flavored like chicken (don’t eat them - ew. Just buy ‘em.).
So, when checking into your flight internationally, like this one from Bali to Tokyo on Cathay Pacific, be sure to ask if there are any open seats in business or first class. You might just get the upgrade, like we did. And when you board, they literally guide you to your “cabin.”
first class up in the sky. And i match the flowers. flowers!
Head to Tokyo. Do at least one night here if you can. We did ours on the last part of the trip as a layover. Not enough time. We plan to go back. And…
Do I need to say it? Eat the conveyor belt sushi.
That’s an overview of a 2-week Asia experience. Please know this, too: You can do this on a budget. Backpack, stay in hostels, just GO. I had a former student who did a trip like this (10 days) for about $2000.00. The food and hotels are so cheap, there really are no excuses!
