hanging out at wonderful Sanur Beach – Bali

Missing Bali – Island of Gods

It was April, 2015 that I left my beloved SE Asia ‘for good’ in order to explore the rest of the world. Up until then I’d been looping around SE Asia almost exclusively since May, 1998. That means the region occupied a whopping 18 years of my life.

Well, actually 18 years minus about 4 years total I spent on ‘side trips’ to other regions – New Zealand, Fiji & Australia; India, Sri Lanka & Nepal; England & Spain; Brazil; a stint in Shanghai, China and several trips to visit family in the USA. But I’d always returned to explore more of SE Asia and re-visit my absolute favorite places.

The reason I finally departed SE Asia at that particular moment in time was my dad’s 80^th birthday on April 19, 2015. I returned to the US to give him a surprise birthday party.

I figured that since I would be Stateside again, it would be the perfect opportunity for me to finally begin exploring the Americas. And that’s what I’ve been doing since Nov, 2015. For nearly three years now I’ve thoroughly explored wonderful Mexico and the seven interesting countries of Central America.

Balinese HIndu Temple Ceremony at Amed Beach

Considering how much I love SE Asia, how very long I stayed there and what a huge chunk of my life and memories are wrapped up in the region, while I’m over here in the Americas I cant’ help but occasionally pause to think about my favorite places and experiences there.

To be honest, I’m quite surprised that I don’t miss SE Asia more than I do. When I left, I thought I’d be burning with desire to return, perhaps nearly sick with ‘homesickness’. But I haven’t actually felt that way.

I suppose it’s because I’m continually exploring new places in this part of the world, mostly great places. Central America and Mexico are full of diverse & beautiful natural places, interesting cultures and arts, historic cities & ancient temples, and new foods to try. All the things I love about world travel life.

Maruata beach – Michoacan – Mexico

Just like SE Asia, this region of the world has gorgeous beaches and islands, beautiful mountains and volcanoes, forests and jungles, rivers and crater lakes, parks and gardens.

I meet interesting people, both locals and other travelers. I visit museums. Mexico, in particular, has great variety of delicious cuisines as well as dozens of gorgeous towns and cities.

In short, this area has just about everything that I love about SE Asia, albeit with different cultures / cuisines / arts. So, in a way, there’s really nothing to miss.

Interestingly, the occasional times when I feel a longing for some particular place or experience in SE Asia, it usually seems to be in regard to food. Cuisine is the biggest edge that SE Asian countries have over Central America.

som-tam – thailand’s fresh papaya salad

Each country in SE Asia has its own very distinctive cuisine, which is for the most part, completely different from its neighbors. The dishes of Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia and Vietnam are all extremely delicious yet entirely different from one another. In addition, the area is full of authentic Indian and Chinese cuisines brought from Indian & Chinese immigrants to SE Asia.

In great contrast, all the countries of Central America have nearly the same cuisine. This cuisine is alright, but it’s certainly not nearly as wonderful as the many cuisines of SE Asia. As I was traveling through Central America for an entire year, I certainly became tired of the same ole cuisine, cuisines that I don’t really like much.

(Of course there are few specialty dishes here and there, such as pupusas of EL Salvador or gallo pinto of Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Nicaragua. And Mexico is an entirely different story, a country full of diverse and tasty foods).

Recently, I started compiling a list of my 20 favorite dishes from around the world. None of them are from Latin America. lol But I was surprised to see that 4 of them – 20% – are from Bali, Indonesia!

Bubur Ayam – rice soup with chicken, coconut, vegetables and spices. Great for breakfast!

I tend to think of Bali more in terms of its vibrant Hindu culture and elaborate arts, its volcanoes, beaches and terraced rice fields. But clearly its cuisines have become stuck deeply in my memory too.

In particular, I’m especially fond of gado-gado, nasi ayam curry, sate ayam, bubur and babi guling. Bali is also where I discovered avocado shakes, a truly amazing drink. Some time back, I wrote an article detailing these favorite Balinese foods of mine, which you can read here.

Once I start thinking of these delicious Balinese dishes, it wasn’t long before my memory drifted to other aspects of Bali that I love, and then to my favorite places and experiences on Island of Gods.

After all, I have a lot of memories and experiences packed into a total of three years of my life that I devoted to exploring, living and working on Bali island. And it’s still one of my favorite places in the whole world, after 20 years of full-time travel.

Water Palace – Ubud – Bali

From the first moment I set foot on the island in late 2000, I was smitten. I loved Bali so much that I immediately starting trying to think of ways to stay, live and earn a living there. Bali is the only place on Earth thus far that has struck me in such a manner, save perhaps Tonsai, Thailand (rock climbing mecca) and Yucatan, Mexico.

I wrote about why Bali is so wonderful, unique and special in The Joys of Visiting Bali.

Over the years since 2000 I returned to Bali many times, usually staying 6 months, the maximum time allowed on an extendable tourist visa. Every time I’ve returned, I felt immensely happy from the moment I arrived until the moment I reluctantly left, usually six months later.

Bicycling in Bali

Over the years, I bicycled around the entire island twice, scooter-ed around the whole island twice, commuted by scooter in particular areas uncountable times.

I climbed volcanoes Mt. Agung and Mt. Batur solo. Danced til dawn uncountable times over-looking Seminyak Beach during the heyday of Club Double Six.

I taught scuba diving at Bali’s stunning coral reefs for three seasons. Early on, I also earned money cutting hair, modeling and performing at special events and luxury hotels via a small performance company.

I’ve written two books on Bali – Cycling Bali and Hiking in Bali – and over 70 articles about the charming island.

teaching diving in Bali

As you can see, Bali was a very important part of my life for many years. Interestingly, Bali was also the last place I visited before leaving SE Asia ‘forever’ back in April, 2015.

I’m not sure if I’ll ever get back to Bali again or not, for the sole reason that there’s just so much of the world still to explore. I seem to be ok with that thought.

However, I certainly hope to at the very least return for a Bali holiday, which will probably turn into another 6-month stay, knowing how much I love the volcanic island, its vibrant Hindu culture, its delicious cuisines and stunning scenery.

For anyone who has not visited Bali, I highly recommend visiting at least once in your life to experience their unique version of Hindu culture, their highly-skilled arts and performances, the scenic volcanoes and rice fields, the beautiful beaches and coral reefs.

(Just be sure to avoid the horrible Kuta-Seminyak-Cou sprawl in southern Bali. If you go there, you will get an entirely different impression of Bali and I guarantee that you will miss everything that makes Bali wonderful, special and unique. Instead, you will walk away hating Bali and wondering what I was raving about. You’ve been warned.)

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You might find the following articles on Bali useful

Costs of Budget Travel in Bali 2015

Photos of Bali’s Dramatic Funeral Processions

10 Tips and Cautions for Visiting Bali

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