When I think about my ideal destinations for contemplation and meditation, I think about mountains, swimming and views of nature.  I used to think that beach was everything.  That is no longer the case.  When I met Megan in Flores and described to her my ideal meditative paradise, she immediately demanded that I go to Nusa Lembongan and just chill there…

My entire Indonesian itinerary was inspired by my new friend Richard who I met in Singapore.  I told him about my plans to travel around Asia.  They did not originally include Indonesia.  He only had to show me the pictures of the Komodo National Park to convince me to alter my plans.  Richard sold it!

I knew from Fiji and Samoa that there's a certain feeling I get when I "need" to be in the mountains.  My expectations were also set for mountain time because I know that Bali has big, famous volcanoes.  My research took me to Munduk, another 2.5 hours north of Ubud.  I told you Bali was big!  The first part of my time in Munduk was the beautiful journey there in a taxi where stopped by the famous temple Ulun Danu Beratan and it's beautiful (and sometimes wacky) gardens…

A solid hour drive north of Seminyak is the "Eat, Pray, Love" city of Ubud.  I figured I'd go there after Seminyak based on the recommendation of Fred and Farina (from Samoa).  Yes, it is a full-fledged city.  It is on the outskirts where you can discover the peace in the rice terraces that Julia Roberts found on film…

I would start my Balinese experience in Seminyak where the nightlife was right up my alley.  Seminyak is also known for its restaurant scene and I found a great breakfast place right away followed by a great Malaysian Chinese place.  Give me a good plate of char siew rice and a fruit smoothie and I'm in heaven.