It’s requisite for all visitors to wear a sarong when entering one of Bali’s over 3,000 Hindu temples.
When people return from far away, exotic islands, they’re often at a loss of what they’re allowed—by customs and their pocket book—to bring back as tokens of the adventure. After all, there’s only so much sand and macadamia nuts a person can handle. Finding the right trinket, let alone demonstrating just how exotic a vacation really was, can mean a headache where nothing but blue skies should be. In fact, the smaller the island, the more perplexed one can become. So, on a recent trip to Bali, Indonesia I decided to lay traditional gift-giving aside, and found a world of unique charm within Bali’s own traditions.
Bright Patterns
It’s requisite for all visitors to wear a sarong when entering one of Bali’s over 3,000 Hindu temples. Save yourself the rental headache by going to a nearby stall and picking purchasing your own. It’s the best way to guarantee a good fit, complementary color and a unique souvenir for under $10.
Decorations
The city of Ubud is an artists Mecca and a decorators dream. You’ll find renowned paintings (including a school dedicated to women artists), ornate carvings, furniture and center pieces for your home or office.
Trinkets
Bali is known for its gold and silver jewelry. Whether you’re in the market to spend a few thousand dollars, or just a few thousand rupiah (it’s approximately 9,000 rupiah to a dollar), both street vendors and high-end markets will have a plethora of unique earrings, bracelets, pendants, chains and rings.
Tasty Treats
Sample and tote home soft-shell crab Pringles, dried star fruit, chili mangoes and more. Just don’t eat them all on the plane!
Melinda Skea got a taste for adventure as her family moved from America’s West to its hospitable south and eventually settled in its fast-paced New England corner. She studied International Relations and Spanish at Brigham Young University and subsequently embarked on a round-the-world trip which included Asia, Oceania and Europe. She has since found a home base in Washington D.C. where she works as an editor for a non-profit publication, but still finds time to put a few stamps in her passport each year.
Melinda is also the founder of D.C.-based Fashion Freecycle, which strives to limit the growing problem of clothing pollution by making “One [wo]man’s trash another [wo]man’s treasure”. These quarterly events encourage women to donate items and swap them for ones they find useful. Also an avid film lover, in 2008 Melinda began a monthly Foreign Film Night, which strives to create an atmosphere of openness, respect and learning as participants dine on the country-of-choice local cuisine and enjoy cinema outside of the usual Blockbuster.
