INDONESIA

Even if you have limited experience with Indonesian food, there’s a chance you’ve at least heard of sate and nasi goreng. If you’ve been to …

With its unique and delightful array of flavors, it isn’t surprising that people who travel to Bali rave about the island’s local food. 

One dish – sate. This beloved Indonesian national dish of skewered and seasoned meat is perhaps the only dish people new to the cuisine need …

Bali is characterized by its striking coastal areas and verdant interior. Hindu temples abound throughout the island, as do expressions of its highly developed arts in the fields of painting, sculpture, woodcarving, metalwork, and dance.

Ubud is a town in the central foothills of Bali island in Indonesia. Located inland about an hour and a half north of the airport, it’s known as a quieter and more cultural destination compared to the fun but often raucous atmosphere of Seminyak and Kuta in southern Bali.

Whenever we visit a new city, we try to experience as much of the local cuisine as we can. We rarely go to restaurants that serve non-local food so if that means having to ignore a Japanese restaurant in Bangkok in spite of its great reviews, then so be it. But Bali is different.

Bandung is the capital of West Java Province in Indonesia. Lying on a river basin surrounded by volcanic mountains, the area is known for its cool mountain climate and hectares of tea plantations.

Based on what I’ve read, Bandung doesn’t have as strong a culinary identity. Most of their food is Sundanese in origin and they aren’t known for any particular dishes. With that said, they have become famous for giving dishes that originated in other parts of the country a unique Bandung twist.

As big as Jakarta is, it isn’t a major destination for international travelers. Like similarly large megacities in Southeast Asia, it functions more as a stopover to other destinations in the region like Bandung, Yogyakarta, Bali, and Lombok.

If Jakarta is Java’s political and financial capital, then Yogyakarta is its cultural soul. It’s home to Indonesia’s most important archaeological sites – Borobudur and Prambanan – and is the only province in the country still ruled by a sultan.