When Jacob Laukaitis headed to Bali, he took his video camera along. The footage is beautiful, and some of it quite unexpected. We caught up with him recently, and asked about his time in Bali.

How would you describe Bali to someone who’s never been there?

It’s a beautiful island in the Southern part of Indonesia. It’s by far the most popular island in Indonesia even though there are 17,000 of them and this says something about Bali. It’s amazingly beautiful, full of different landscapes and things to do. They have mountains, they have lakes, they have the ocean, forests and whatever else. I can easily imagine myself living there.

What’s your favorite thing about Bali?

I would probably say the fact that one will never run out of things to do and places to see. There are tons of outdoor activities, water-sports, places to trek, many different types of cuisines, good night-life (not a big thing for me, but many people love it) and obviously hundreds of beautiful landmarks.

What are three things people might not know about Bali?

  1. It’s just one of 17,000 islands in Indonesia;
  2. They are Hindus when the rest of Indonesia are Muslims and they have their own language;
  3. It’s probably one of the most expensive places in Indonesia, but it’s still cheap compared to the Western countries.

What was the most difficult thing about your trip to Bali?

Probably the biggest challenge that I encountered was climbing the Mount Agung, which is 3150 meters above sea level. That time I picked wrong footwear which didn’t hold very well, but after 6 hours of hiking I finally reached the top of the mountain – completely exhausted, but overwhelmed with a sense of accomplishment (and, of course, the view).

Did you meet any fascinating people?

I’ve met dozens of wonderful, friendly and interesting people along the way. The first episode to come to my mind is that of a repair shop owner, to whom I went for some help with my bike. He worked for nearly an hour, used quite a bit of the liquid spray and only charged me $5. When I gave him $10 instead, he was amazed and couldn’t believe it. What a different world!

Tell us more about the Ghost Palace Hotel. And were you really up on the roof there?

It looks simply stunning on the inside. However, it might seem a little creepy with all the plants springing up here and there, rusty toilets and bathtubs, unused toothpaste, slippers scattered around and tons of dust. And no, going on the roof of an abandoned building didn’t seem like the best idea at the time.

What’s the story of the airplane in the hole?

Nobody knows for sure how that airplane got there. There are multiple versions, such as: somebody wanted to squat in there, somebody wanted to open up a restaurant or a bar, but nothing’s clear. Now it’s guarded 24/7 so apparently the land and the plane belongs to someone. Maybe they’ll turn it into a tourist attraction.

Author Bio: Jacob Laukaitis has traveled to more than 30 countries around the world. Since he is a digital nomad – meaning as long as he has a computer and a Wi-Fi, I’m able to do my job and thus I never lose my income. He currently spends his time building  www.ChameleonJohn.com, an online coupons company I co-founded a bit more than a year ago.

 

Janna Graber
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