Dreaming of Bali - A guide to Indonesian food

Pizza lovers, did you know Indonesians adore Pizza Hut? True, your typical Indonesian pie probably has more crispy fish pieces, shrimp and corn on it than you're used to back home. And you probably won't find avocado milkshakes as an option at the soda fountain back in Grand Rapids. But the Indonesians in Bali are lovers of pizza much like you and I, dear reader, and unashamedly so.

At this point, more experienced travelers are probably scratching their heads. Who travels to Indonesia and writes about American fast food?? But the truth be known, this odd love for all things pizza illustrates a surprising fact: Indonesians are cultural chameleons when it comes to eating. This immense island nation is a place criss-crossed by trade winds of diverse culinary origin, bringing together influences and ingredients from places as far-flung as China, The Netherlands, India and even Mexico.

Whether you're just visiting Bali or making a larger exploration of the Indonesian archipelago, expect to be surprised by Indonesia's spicy, exotic, and altogether unexpected blend of delicious eats. A taste of the tropics, and a taste of home at the same time. Ready to dig in? Keep reading below to begin your exploration of Indonesian (and Balinese) cuisine.

Latin America on a budget: How to plan a budget-friendly adventure

Latin America is one of the world's most budget-friendly regions for visitors. There are very cheap places to stay across the region--most notably across Central America--where a few dollars will get you a bed for the night and dinner.

But in a budget-friendly region like Latin America there are also huge divides in terms of quality. How do you do your research to make sure that you come up with decent accommodations and an itinerary that delivers the best value for your money?

There's a big difference between a guesthouse that's cheap, clean, and cheerful and one that's filthy and barely fit for a hedgehog. There's a big difference between good cheap restaurants and bad cheap grub, too. How do you make the right planning decisions to make sure that you end up pinching pennies in a manner that's both high-value and high-quality?

Hotel Madness: No Free Wi-Fi wins!

 

After weeks of competition, thousands of votes and tons of ranting and raving on Twitter, all of you have made it abundantly clear that you hate paying for internet access at hotels. No free Wi-Fi dominated every round of the Hotel Madness tournament on its way to winning the championship. No hotel pet peeve so thoroughly and completely annoyed our readers like having to pay for Wi-Fi. Bad water pressure should be proud to have made it to the finals, but it was no match for Hotel Madness' own 800-pound gorilla. In a sea of added fees, poor service, thin toilet paper and, yes, bad water pressure, all people truly seem to want is to connect to the web - and the world - for free.

More than 8,000 votes were cast over the course of the Hotel Madness tournament. Thank you all so much for participating and for sharing your opinions. There were upsets, blowouts, nail-biters and some fantastic conversations. In the end, our #1 seed proved why it was the pre-tournament favorite. Paying for Wi-Fi was the most tweeted peeve when I first asked my followers to share what bothered them most at hotels. In fact, even though I asked everyone to name things that bothered them other than paying for internet access, people still shared their disdain for that expense.