Bali’s popularity among travelers has grown more and more over the past few years. The Indonesian Island is home to breathtaking nature, volcanos, big waves for surfers, amazing beaches and cliffs as well as historic temples. Apart from the beautiful surroundings, there is one thing that’s even more beautiful as well as authentic: experiencing the real Balinese life during a homestay.
It was by far the best thing I did in Bali, as it gave me a better look in the way locals live on this island. I have so much respect for the people now and really admire their way of living.
Meet my new Balinese family!
Herry, Dwi, their 4 children (Vidia, Jivan, Venia and Zyan), Herry’s parents (Bapak & Ibu) and a dog. This Balinese family lives in Gadungan, a small rural village within Bali’s largest regency Tabanan. When I was driving to Gadungan, I was astonished by the beautiful scenery. Rice fields surrounded by palm trees with mountains in the background. Not something you would usually see every day.
Dwi will be your host, more than fair to say that she speaks very good English. While Herry, who also speaks English, will be your chef and cook amazing Balinese food for you. I really loved the Balinese breakfast pancakes & sweet pumpkin, yummy!
Aerial view of their garden & Gadungan village
A day in the life of a local
What you can expect from your homestay? Herry and Dwi have a beautiful garden: rice fields, rice fields and even more rice fields. I flew my drone here and the rice fields seemed to be endless. To learn more about the extraordinary effort locals deliver to produce rice, you’ll get to help them.
The 4 women I was helping were laughing all the time and even told me that they would love their son in law to be like me. Ha! I first helped them to get the grains off the plant by smashing it against the wood , after that I cut the grown rice plants that were ready for harvest.
It’s a great feeling to know that you are giving something back to the community by helping them, even though it might be minor compared to what they do to harvest the rice on a daily basis.
The yellow strokes are ready to be harvested!
Local food
Herry and Dwi also have a garden a few minutes away from their home. From this garden you’ll get a freshly cut coconut from the tree. In their own backyard, they have some fruit plants to produce dragon fruit, papaya, butterfly flower and many more local ingredients.
Dragon fruit, my favourite!
Guava!
5-star restaurant!
During your time with Herry and Dwi, you’ll get to experience the Balinese cuisine a local way with ingredients fresh from their own garden. If you’re feeling like it, prepare to eat nasi with your hands. Spice things up as you like and enjoy some traditional food such as Mie Goreng or Gado Gado. Herry works as a chef at a hotel since 2008, so he really knows how to cook. Feel free to join him in the kitchen to get a little cooking class.
An amazing yellow curry for dinner, cooked by Herry and me!
Fresh fruit (as part of a 3-way breakfast with sweets/fruit/scrambled egg with potato)
They somehow knew that I love Mie Goreng, some great lunch!
Balinese way of life!
I was lucky to see a Balinese dance as part of a birthday party from one of their neighbors. I was the only tourist in a big group with locals, watching them smile and dance with the locally dressed dancer. I also gave it a try, fair to say that my hips aren’t that flexible for such dance moves.
On the other day, I was lucky to be able to attend a local ceremony (that's only held once per 6 months) and brought their son to school. Happy faces all over the school place, just wow! All in all a truly authentic experience to get a better view of the Balinese culture. After the ceremony, I got a special 3-coloured bracelet for making the offering. The 3 colours represent the 3 Hindu Gods.
It’s not about the destination, it’s the journey
On your private sightseeing tour, Herry will take you to a hot spring and a waterfall. The waterfall itself is not as big as many others on the island, but the road leading to it was simply astonishing. The road leading to the waterfall was not that suitable for unexperienced drivers, as it was bumpy and small. However, the views you’ll encounter along the way are unique.
I’ve never seen that many rice terraces, surrounded by dozens of palm trees. The rice terraces seemed to be endlessly at some point, just wow. For me the best ones I saw during my stay on the island. So yes, that means they’re better than the Instagram ricefields of Tegalalang. All the locals along the route were smiling and happily waving, which put a big smile on my face.
Booking your homestay in Bali
This lovely Balinese family is more than happy to welcome you to provide you with an authentic experience. They have two rooms with a fan (and an amazing view of their garden), a bathroom and will arrange 3 meals a day for you including a snack and dessert plus coffee or tea.
Your stay at Herry's Old House Rural Homestay costs 2.500.000 Indonesian Rupiah per person for two nights (+/- € 155,00). The experience I had and the memories I took with me: simply priceless. The price not only includes your stay, (more than enough) local food and the sightseeing, you’ll also support the Gadungan community. And there's one thing I've learned: your money will go far in this amazing community.
Reach out to Adi, Herry’s brother, via WhatsApp to arrange your stay. If you tell them that Kevin, the Dutch guy with the Drone, recommended it to you, you’ll probably have an instant ice breaker as soon as you meet them.
To Herry, Dwi and the Gadungan community: Terima Kasih.
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