Few Fun Facts about this wonderful Island:

• Balinese name their children in the order they are born: 1st born Wayan, Putu, or Gede, 2nd born Made or Kadek, 3rd Nyomen or Komang, 4th Ketut.
• Bali has the most expensive coffee in the world, originating from an Asian palm civet native to Bali, that eats coffee cherries and defecates them only partially digested. People collect the bean, wash, and simply roast. Crazy right?! Even more bizarre, one pound of coffee can run up to $600 and a single cup costs nearly $80 to drink.
• We were warned about Mosquitoes (or Mossies, as they say) being bad in Bali. Although they do carry many more diseases, have you visited Wisconsin in the middle of summer?! The mosquitoes in Bali were not bad compared to our normal Wisconsin summers, especially soccer nights.  In one hour of soccer in WI last summer we got more mosquito bites than the two weeks in Bali! That being said, we do recognize that WI mosquitos are worse than others, so if you aren’t used to mosquitos, it might feel like they are everywhere.
• The official currency in Bali is the Indonesian Rupiah (IDR). 1 USD equals roughly 14,000 IDR. The Rupiah currency is insane. We would be paying hundreds of thousands for things all the time. Luke thought too long about this idea and decided to make Jodi throw 1,000,000 Rupiah in the air, making it rain money everywhere in our hotel. Relax, it was only about 70 usd. Also, be careful when exchanging money to ensure you are getting a fair conversion. We brought USD and exchanged at banks with posted rates out front (and no fees to exchange the money!) and used an ATM once on Gili T.  We would exchange $100 at a time for IDR.
• Do not drink the water in Bali, we used bottle water to brush teeth and drink the entire trip. Also do not worry about the ice in your drink (in most areas). Ice is made in government regulated factories. (Don’t drink the shower water either…in case you are one of those people)
• Canang Sari: a religious offering seen everywhere in Bali, from homes and statues, to the foot of temples and streets. Often first noticed by smelling the incense, you will catch the beauty of the baskets, flowers, foods, and money. They are arranged specifically for the Hindu gods and are integral to the Balinese culture of Hinduism. They maintain balance and peace on earth. Women are typically in charge of creating, placing, and performing the daily ritual. Each canang sari lasts only one day.
• Galungan: a holiday in Hindu culture when ancestral spirits visit the earth. The holiday runs for 11 days and each day has important events that take place among a family. The most common sign of celebrations are penjors, long decorated bamboo poles with offerings at the ends. These are places along streets and homes of the people. It was incredible to experience this holiday in Balinese culture.
• Often you can get good deals within stores and markets in the early morning or becoming the first sale. The first sale of the morning is often said to bring good luck. Several times we got discounted items due to being the first sale of the day!
• Few side notes on the scooter and roads in general throughout Bali. 1. Honking is friendly and simply a courtesy to let someone know you’re there. In America, honking is usually followed by a middle finger and cussing. Safe to say, I was honking like a friendly pro on my second day throughout Ubud. 2. You drive on the left side of the road. So that’s weird. 3. Sometimes you have to drive south a half hour to go north an hour, due to how the roads are built. 4. Traffic can be horrendous in peak times of travel for two lane roads.
• We had a great experience to be over in Indonesia during two large events. In Gili, Ramadan was taking place, which involves the ninth month of the Muslim year when fasting occurs from sunrise to sunset. Meanwhile in Bali, Galungan was happening, a religious holiday marking a time when ancestral spirits visit the earth.