Bali Beyond the Tourist Trail

Everyone told me Bali was "ruined by tourists." They were wrong — they just went to the wrong Bali. We skipped Seminyak entirely and headed straight to Sidemen in the east.

The drive from the airport took about two hours through increasingly lush countryside. Rice terraces appeared around every bend, farmers working knee-deep in water, and the volcanic peak of Mount Agung looming in the background.

Four nights in Sidemen, then three in Munduk up in the mountains. Sidemen for the rice terraces and village life, Munduk for the waterfalls and cooler air. We rented a scooter and just explored — no itinerary, no schedule, just following interesting roads.

The last day we drove back via Ubud — had lunch, walked the monkey forest, and confirmed our decision to skip it as a base. Beautiful but crowded. Sidemen had given us the same magic with none of the chaos.