I was wrapping up my time in New Zealand and was lsupposed to go to Bali for a canyoning course, but my ankle was not in great shape. But it just so happened that my friend Catalina from Los Angeles was traveling long term and would be in Bali, so we decided to meet up for a couple weeks. Bali is very touristy, but it has so much to offer: beautiful beaches and jungle, great food, temples galore, and pretty darn cheap. I remember the monkeys, a beautiful cultural dance, a cooking class where we made some delicious traditional foods, good diving, white sand beaches of Gili Meno, late evening motorcycle rides, roadside food stands, warm breezes, large cockroaches, and staying at a beach where one could watch the sunrise at one end and the sunset (from a higher vantage point) on the other! I guess touristy places are popular for a reason.
