Where to Next? - Bali

Hey y'all,

For the "Where to Next?" posts, I'll be featuring places that I am going to next OR where I'd like to go next (no worries, there's a list!). So...WHERE am I going next?

Beautiful Bali!!!

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There are temples Everywhere!

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The beach at Nusa Dua. We probably won't make it over there, but after seeing this picture who knows?

I can't even use the word "excited" to describe how I feel right now, as this will be my first time traveling to Asia. Woo hoo! Also as some of you may know, I'm still technically a newlywed (under a year counts, right?), so this trip is also my HONEYMOON...10+ months later. Husband J and I just went on a small get-away to his home state of Rhode Island since we weren't able to go on the international honeymoon that I would have liked. So how did we (okay more like me) make the choice to go to Bali?

1. It's a new place. I am the more adventurous of the two of us, and Husband J usually goes along with what I suggest. Smart man! ;) I definitely wanted to go to Asia, since I'd never been before. I knew for a fact that I wanted to go to a location that would be new and interesting for me. Try Anything Once, right?! Also the Caribbean actually isn't that interesting of a relaxing travel destination for me since I am actually from the Caribbean and much of my family is still there. If I am going to go to that part of the world, I'd rather just go to my home island and have the added benefit of seeing my family too. I think some time I will talk about my "issues," both personal and otherwise, with Caribbean tourism, but that's for another time.

2. Dollar, dollar bill, y'all. I knew that going to Asia would allow us to stretch our funds a whole lot more than Europe, and even in some respects, the Caribbean. While we are paying more to travel to Bali than we would other locations, once we get there we can find food cheaply (a meal for two for less than $10! I think so!) and extremely affordable shopping (although I'm not a big shopper but maybe the prices will spur me on!). I also think the lower prices allowed us to get the chance to stay in hotels that we wouldn't normally be able to afford (or willingly spend the money. That means you, Husband J. Hee hee! ). I will say that we could have stayed at cheaper places than we are, but this our honeymoon and I was thinking "romance" (and not holding back!!) when I booked our hotels. You can find gorgeous hotels in Bali for $100USD per night or less, if you look.

3. Culture, culture, culture. Bali has so much to see and discover: art and specialty handicfrafts, actives volcanoes, its own form of Hinduism and gorgeous temples; and native Indonesian dance are just some of the things I hope Husband J and I get to experience on our trip. I have a hard time with the idea of traveling very, very far away and not interacting and learning about the local culture around us (or not leaving the hotel for that matter), so it was important to me that we be in a place that emphasizes the culture of its people.

4. Spas! A $10USD one hour massage. Need I say more? :)

Now no trip is without it's drawbacks. I can't wait to go, but I wish were going for longer than the 11 days we'll be gone. Husband J didn't want to travel for too long due to work constraints. Also this is probably the longest plane trip that I will have taken so far in life. One 18 hour flight with a layover in Hong Kong, and then about another 5 hours to Bali from there. I've done the 18 hour flight before, but I didn't have to do it again until four months later! Any recs for long-haul plane travel? I'd love to hear them.

Here are some preview pics of some of the places where we'll be staying.

Komaneka Bisma - Ubud, Bali

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The Samaya Bali - Seminyak, Bali

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We leave next week, so you haven't gotten rid of me yet! Ha! :)

Does anyone have any tips on surviving long-haul flights OR better yet getting over jet lag? If you've traveled to Bali, do you have any tips for us?