Our last stop on the Asian Tour was the island of Bali. After Borneo's incredible wildlife and relaxing Lombok, the time has come to get an opinion on one of the world's biggest touristic bubbles. We can't say we loved it, but you cannot deny Bali its charm.

Big part of the reason Bali got so popular in the recent years is its unique culture - while all the Indonesian islands are dominated by Islam, over 80% of Bali's population is Hindu. It shows in thousands of bigger, smaller and private temples scattered thought its towns and the variety of festivities. It's said in Bali there's only one day a year without any, and it's Nyepi - "Day of Silence". During this day everyone on the island, tourists included, is expected to do nothing at all: people are not allowed in the streets or beaches, any noise should be avoided and the Bali's main airport remains closed.

Other than that, Bali is bustling with life and celebrations. Driving through its towns is an experience on its own - people wearing colourful sarongs are flooding the streets, decorated in every other town with flowers and vivid papier-mâché.

Bali, while really beautiful, green, full of hipster coffee shops and yoga centres, is also packed with tourists and tourist traps. Make sure you do a good research before going to know what to avoid and try to look determined - the scammers will approach you less and will be able to con you less if you know what you need and what price you are willing to pay for it. Check out our list at the end to find our recommendations. While planning the trip, we wanted to be in the centre of the island, to be able to conveniently reach all the spots of interest, but avoid crowds of tourists. Kuta used to be the most touristic Balinese city, but it seems Ubud didn't get spared either. Its city centre is like Spanish Lloret de Mar or Bulgarian Golden Sands, the scale being smaller only due to the buildings size. It's packed with bars, pubs and restaurants with very European prices and no locals dining in at all.

The good thing is that the town is virtually built into the jungle, which makes the masses of tourists concentrate in the centre but the peripheries are less affected and can feel really peaceful at times.
Ubud's top attraction is the Monkey Forest - a temple complex inhabited by several groups of crab-eating macaques. The monkeys are active during day time and interact a lot with the visitors. As usual with these creatures, beware not to offer any food and make sure to never pretend to or hide anything as it can trigger an aggressive reaction and lead to biting. Right next to the Monkey Forest there's a small coffee place where you can try Bali's famous luwak coffee (go directly to the Food section below for more food tips).

If you fancy some jungle-like experience, but don't want to leave Ubud, take a walk through Campuhan Ridge Walk, a path in the middle of thick Balinese bushes that takes about an hour. Try to pick less busy hours as it can get crowded. The sun sets very fast so make sure also not to get stuck there after dark - you might have a hard time finding your way back plus the voracious mosquitoes will eat you alive.

For many, another highlight of Bali would be the yoga experience. There are dozens of yoga schools in Ubud with multiple classes and timelines to choose from. Most of them offer both packs, in case you stay longer and want to attend more, or a one-time entry just to taste the experience. Most of them are very modern and usually run by English speakers so except for the jungle view from the window, you will feel just like in a European yoga class. I gave Ubud Yoga Centre a try and can really recommend for its modern design, relaxed atmosphere and incredible views.

We hired a car just for the two of us with a charming Balinese driver from ubuddriver.com who helped us plan a tour to the Northern and Easter part of the island based on our preferences: nature and temples. We started off with the Bali's most famous views of Tegalalang Rice Fields. It's a 40min walk through the rice fields, where surprisingly some locals still work their plots. Watch out as some of them try to participate in the tourist rush by putting up fake directions only to lure the visitors to their part of the terrace, where a bamboo Titanic sculpture or other views of the sort await. In the neighbourhood there are many restaurants and shops. Another hit with the tourist is the Balinese swing where you can fly over the terraces and take some instagrammable pictures on the way. A huge queue of Americans didn't encourage us enough to try.

We headed towards the North to come accross several villages preparing for the full moon celebrations. The views of the Bali's volcanoes - Gunung Batur and Gunung Agung - on the way definitely make the drive worthwhile. Gunung Agung is currently in eruption phase since November 2017 which shows in the surroundings covered in thick black layer of recently discharged lava. If you have more time and are trekking enthusiasts, there are many tour operators offering trekking routes of several days to reach this active volcano. You can also relax in the Batur Natural Hot Spring warmed by its activity, if soaking in a 40 degrees water when it's over 30 outside is your thing.

Celebrations took place all over our route, also in the nearby Pura Ulun Danu Batur, packed with locals and tourists. The next one on the other hand, Pura Kehen was way calmer. There were barely any tourists around and the locals were rehearsing for the evening ceremony which provided our visit with a very spiritual background.

The tour's grand finale was a short walk towards a hidden Tukad Cepung waterfall. With only a few fellow visitors, reaching the waterfall is a pleasant, non-demanding trip and it rewards beautifully with a natural shower at the end of it.

We only sacrificed half a day for the more touristic, Southern part of the island. We're not beach type of people but to do right by Bali, we visited one of the smaller, charming beaches - Padang Padang. You pay a small fee to enter and descend to a tiny beach surrounded by cliffs and rocks. Around the sunset the locals come by to gather mussles from them.

Due to plenty of traffic (yes, unfortunately it's quite frequent), we arrived too late to attend the Kecak - the famous dance with chanting, originating not from ancient rituals but early 20th century - performed next to the Ulu Watu temple. It turned out to be lucky as the Kecak area was packed with tourists and in the meantime we could have a look around the temple complex in a dense but not overwhelming crowd. The complex is full of mean macaques, stealing compulsively anything they find interesting - jewelry, hats, glasses, you name it. The monkeys are aggressive and don't negotiate; once they have anything of yours, it's gone. Make sure not to wear any dangling earrings or big hats and keep all loose things in your bags. Other than the macaque paranoia and worrying amount of tourists - the place is beautiful and the sunset is breathtaking.

On our way back, we dined in Kuta area in quite a nice seafood restaurant. Again, the food was good but the surroundings make you wonder how does a place get to a point where the whole beach is covered with tables, as far as your eyes can see. If you're looking for a romantic dinner, you can have it there along with thousands of other couples and mariachis playing cheesy music by each table.

When it comes to driving, Bali is terrible. Not only is it the quality but mostly quantity. This small island is infested with traffic jams, especially near the most touristic spots. To name a few: a less than 40km drive from the airport to Ubud took us almost 3 hours, a 10km drive from Ulu Watu temple to Kuta took an hour and when getting out of the centre of Ubud a traffic jam kept us within its two main streets for half an hour. Walking through the town itself is not easy either as the sidewalks are scarce and the roads net has to comply with the surrounding rivers and jungle, which means a place half a kilometer away can actually require a 2km walk. Just like in Lombok, scooters are quite popular but again, if you are not a pro and don't want to stress out about the cars passing you just 2cm away - just don't.

Just like in Lombok, GRAB is a disaster. On the other hand, there's another taxi app you should give a try - Blue Bird. Be prepared for a long wait or not getting the ride at all but once you do, it's reliable, cheap and they use meters!. You can also pick it up at the airport - they are not allowed to wait in front of the arrivals but there are plenty dropping their clients at departures. Go there and you'll surely be able to catch one.

All the hotels are usually small and villa-style and there's so much to choose from. From the luxury villas with private swimming pool to the shady little rooms, prices adjusting accordingly. We stayed at ILA Villa Ubud with an average pricetag and nicely looking rooms. We got one right in front of the swimming pool which was a nice touch.

Regardless the hotel being really nice, if we were to choose the place for our stay again, we would definitely pick something out of Ubud and Kuta. The rest of the island is much quieter, keeping the Hindu vibe but without the hassle of a touristic town and the island's relatively small so transportation-wise there's no difference.

Given the amount of tourists per square meter, the gastronomy of Bali is booming. In Ubud, all the restaurants in the centre are tourists oriented and you will rarely spot a local there. If you fancy an elaborate cocktail and some European-inspired cuisine you can try out DUMBO and for some local Indian food a nearby Indian Delites - make sure to sit in the terrace if it's before sunset to enjoy the view over the Campuhan Ridge Walk and the volcano in the background.
For a more local experience you should visit one of the many warungs - a Balinese style restaurants where local delicacies are served usually on a paper sheet or a banana leaf. The classic dish would involve some rice with different types of fried veggies or meat or a stew made of these. Always accompanied by the local beer Bintang or for a stronger experience - rice wine arak.
Another must-have when visiting this part of Asia is the (in)famous durian. It's a huge fruit with edible interior, looking a bit like a brain. Love it or hate it only, durian's most characteristic feature is its smell. If you leave it in any closed space for a few hours, it will take you days to get rid of it. That's why in many hotels and public places it's prohibited to bring it along. It smells like a sweet-stinky French cheese and it's texture is oily and leaves a bitter aftertaste, also difficult to get rid of. That being said, everyone must try :)

The star dish of the Balinese cuisine is Babi Guling - suckling pig roasted whole for several hours, served with its crispy caramelised skin, rice and a spicy salad. The most iconic place to taste it - Ibu Oka - appeared in late Bourdain's "No reservations" a couple decades ago. Sadly, the place from the show does not exist anymore - it expanded to a chain and doesn't have the original vibe to it at all. The dish is twice as expensive as in other places but to be fair - it tasted really great.
There are many places in Ubud where you can try kopi luwak - the most expensive coffee in the world. The production process is rather interesting as it involves the coffee fruit being eaten, digested and defecated by this lazy animal and only then brewed. In the US the coffee costs at least 30 USD a cup but in Bali you can try it for as little as about 3 EUR. We tried the one next to the Sacred Monkey Forest where you can also meet two half-friendly luwaks living there. That being said, you should pay attention to the provider; the original kopi luwak is made with help of wild animals but in Bali that's rarely the case. There are many coffee retreats where luwaks are kept in small cages and look really miserable. Try to avoid those, such as the one called Ceking Sari Luwak Coffee really close to Tegalalang Rice fields where most tours stop.