Wanderlust – Page 11 – Snapshots & My Thoughts by Ailee Petrovic

International December 19, 2013

Elephant Safari

One of our favorite activities from our honeymoon in Bali was the day trip to visit the elephants in a village north of Ubud. We booked our trip with Bali Adventure Tours, and we highly recommend any tourist book via this operator, as they treat the elephants very well. I’ve never played with elephants before, as they’re very dangerous when you encounter them in African safaris. These massive animals were far from threatening – they just wanted to be your friend (and I was willing to concede). We fed the elephants, then took a 40 minute ride through a park. Afterwards, we ate at the delicious buffet before seeing the show. The show leader emphasized that the elephants weren’t being paraded like in a circus, rather they were showing off their intelligence. And I believe it – they are so smart. We befriended another American couple, Julianne and Cody, on the trip. They were staying at the same hotel as us, and of course, we had multiple friends in common. This world is so small!

International December 16, 2013

Balinese Cuisine

For the best seafood on the island, any Balinese native will point you toward Jimbaran Bay. We hopped in a cab one night and headed to this gorgeous sandy beach which is lined with seafood restaurants where you literally hand pick your dinner (this is far beyond my vegetarian mind can grasp). Sasha loved it and definitely over indulged (see photographic evidence below) at Kampoeng Restaurant.

The following day, we were picked up at 6am from the hotel and went to a local market, where we met up with our cooking class and instructor from Bumbu Bali. Heinz von Holzen is the Swiss man who runs the show – and we (especially Sasha) loved him. We were gone for 9 hours and loved every single second. We shopped in the local markets for fruit, vegetables, meat and fish, all the while learning about the local Balinese culinary customs. We headed to Heinz’s bed and breakfast, where we spent the latter half of the class learning how to prepare 20 traditional Balinese meals. We were both in awe of Heinz’s passion towards food and left inspired to recreate the dishes we made in class (and devoured after). It was one of our five favorite things we did on the trip. I recommend anyone traveling to Bali to take this class!

Sunset at Jimbaran Bay

Loving the soft white sand on my toes

Sasha working it

Sasha at Kampoeng Seafood where we ate dinner

Deciding which poor lobster to eat

Weighing his dinner for the night

Please see Sasha’s snapper, shrimp and lobster (eyes bigger than the belly)

The most gorgeous sunset

Heinz showing us the local spices

Gorgeous colors in the market

A local Balinese woman preparing rice religious offerings

Bali bananas are all this tiny

Traditional Balinese flower offerings that you will see everywhere on the island

We used plenty of these gorgeous peppers in our cooking class

Another local Balinese woman prepares another type of Hindu offering

Getting ready to get his hands dirty

Preparing the vegetarian peanut sauce salad

The vegetarian end result (heaven on earth)

Certified Balinese chefs (i.e. we have a certificate!)

Sasha demonstrating the hardships of the sulphur porters of Indonesia (read more here)

International December 12, 2013

Initial Bali Snapshots

I’m in love with Bali. It’s truly one of the most magical places I’ve ever visited, and the people here could not be any nicer. I’m a little behind on posting, so I’ve compiled our first few days in one post and will share additional pictures from our cooking class, trip to Padang Padang beach (where they filmed Eat, Pray, Love), dinner at Jimbaran Bay, and elephant ride soon.

Food

Eight Degrees South – great Mediterranean food

Suku – tasty Asian cuisine with nightly Balinese dance performances

Azure – our poolside go-to for lunch

East – a casual dining spot at the Conrad

Sakala – a phenomenal food experience – a trust “must” in Bali

Lakeview Cafe – delicious Asian buffet with breathtaking views

2Day Cafe – as close to a warung (local restaurant) as we’ve tried – great veggies

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Experiences

Relaxing at the gorgeous Conrad Bali lagoon pool and beach

Eating miso soup and drinking freshly squeezed mango juice for breakfast

Practicing outdoor yoga and exploring Nusa Dua by foot

Watching the awe-inspiring Devdan Show (think Cirque du Soleil + So You Think You Can Dance?)

Trying fresh Luwak coffee (read this to find out how it’s made)

Exploring the Balinese coffee plantation, Santi

Witnessing a perfect rainbow between Mt. Agung and Mt. Batur (sleeping volcano)

Trying lots of fresh fruit (except the stinky durian fruit – see Sasha eating it below)

Enjoying the cultural Barong and Kris Dance performance

Our favorite so far – praying in Bali’s holiest water at Tirta Empul

Morning view from our room

Where you’ll find us (every second day – 50% culture, 50% tan!)

Temple style watch guard points

I’m never leaving

Miso and mango for breakfast

Onsite temple

Practicing my yoga moves (outside of the 7:30 Sunrise Yoga class)

My poolside Summer Salad and Sasha’s hamburger – is there anything better?

At the Kris and Barong Performance

Evil and Pure Spirits are fighting (can’t you tell?)

Amazing costumes in play at the performance

Two of the main performers

Waiting to pray in the holy springs at Tirta Empul

Lots of people and things to be praying for

Sasha looks darn good in a sarong (I’m totally biased)

Trying teas and coffees at Santi Plantation

The freshly picked coffee beans and spices at Santi

In front of Mt. Batur

A gorgeous rainbow outside of Lakeview

Sasha being brave and trying durian

Me being less brave and trying mangosteen

Durians look as unappealing as they smell (and taste!)

My only picture at Devdan before getting scolded for taking pictures!

International December 3, 2013

And we’re off to Bali!

We’re finally heading to Bali! I’ll post pictures occasionally while we’re gone. xo

image via

Stationery November 18, 2013

Calligraphy Workshop

I love calligraphy. Not the old school copperplate kind, but contemporary lettering. This sounds absurd, but I could look at cursive lettering all day long. I have looked into taking classes in Houston, but everyone I find seems to teach the super slanted, loopy calligraphy, and I’m not interested in learning that. When Amy and Riley at Papellerie showed me our logo and invitations with Michele of Meant To Be Calligraphy‘s handwriting, I swooned. “That is the type of calligraphy I want to learn,” I thought to myself. While my handwriting is far from perfect, I do have a very steady hand and am constantly doodling cursive words in meetings and at church (while paying attention, of course!). Michele lives in DC and holds workshops at a local venue, and I’m going to one in February. I’m extraordinarily excited to take my first class (with my mom!) and also to have another trip to one of my favorite cities in the US. Have you been to DC before? If not, you should. Perhaps just to eat the veggie burger and popcorn at Founding Farmers.