Indonesia - Java and Bali with Discovery Tours

Being in Indonesia is like being in a movie with the lush greenery, the romantic rain and the temples from the 8th and 9th century and you see a kindness that welcomes you into all of that and it's really refreshing and it's really inviting. The trip has been fantastic. They show us so much that we could have never done this on our own. From the temples to the batik making, the gamelan music, the barang dance, and now to be here by the beaches, it really makes it a full experience. This Gate 1 Discovery Tour of Indonesia begins on the island of Java in the energetic capital city of Jakarta. Next, we fly to Solo where we learn the art of batik making with local artists before traveling to Yogyakarta to visit Prambanan and Borobudur temples built in the 8th and 9th centuries. We then fly to the island of Bali for a stay in Ubud, home to the monkey forest, lush terraced rice fields and ancient villages. Our tour concludes in the relaxing seaside resort town of Sanur. This Discovery Small Group Tour of Java and Bali lets you fully immerse yourself in the culture, cuisine, and breathtaking landscapes of Indonesia. The Indonesian temples are totally unique. They're well preserved. The temples start to put you in a time machine to the 8th and 9th centuries that start to exhibit the stories of like the great mythologies and you start getting lost in that and you start going, I wonder what life would be like back then and how it relates to life now. To look at the work that they do is totally amazing. I wanted to take a picture of every angle and I wanted a picture of every statue. The best way for me to describe it was so much eye candy for me. I loved it. Borobudur was the highlight, one of the wonders of the world, I think. To go back to the 8th and 9th century and imagine how people built this back then, coming here with Gate One to have a guide give you a personal tour, walk hand in hand with you, has really been an incredible learning experience and something I feel very grateful for. The Indonesian people are some of the kindest people that I've ever met. You know, there's smiles all around, there's blessings all around, but also a welcoming that is something that I really relish in travel. I've been to so many countries and these are one of the most generous, friendly, happy, smiling people that want to take you in. I've had more pictures taken of me than I've taken of them. Being in a Discovery Tour, they put you in situations where you get to see and interact with the local people. Through Discovery Tours, we've been able to work with artisans from local villages, have dinners in people's homes, get a chance to see unbelievable cultural experiences. I loved playing the gamelan in ancient tradition, a music that has been played here again for centuries. It was really incredible to play alongside some of the people from the village. Gosh, it sounds like there's nothing on this trip I didn't like. I love the cooking class. Get an appreciation when you go into another country and cook. You can read a cookbook at home, but if you're in that class, you're learning right along with them and they're really helping you to learn. They had a chef there that should be on TV if he's not already, and we cooked our own lunch. It was absolutely delicious, it really was. I mean, it was another unique experience, I'll tell you that. Well, the school visit that we went to was really one of the highlights of the trip because the kids were so enthusiastic. They were so ready for us, they were so excited. And then they danced for us, they sang for us, and then they had us dance with them. And that's, of course, always fun to interact with children. I love children. It was fun to go into the rooms and to talk with the kids. They had a little bit of English and they wanted to say hello, they wanted to shake hands. It was a really highlight of the trip. Sanur Bali is a beautiful beachside resort with the most idyllic situations in terms of the rooms, in terms of the pools that you walk by, the breakfasts that are lavish. It's beautiful, it's right by the beach, there's amazing restaurants, cuisine, and beaches, and boating, and it's really a relaxing time here. This is our 20th Gate 1 tour and we have seven more booked already. I'd say we were probably close to 40 Gate 1 trips. This is my 20th Gate 1 tour. We know we get Gate 1. We get good travel, we get good hotels. The Discovery tours are incredibly well curated. You can go to a whole new culture and relax because you know you're going to be taken care of with the best of foods, the best of accommodations. But more than that, it gives you a rich look into the different cultures and places that you're visiting. I like the Discovery tours because they are a smaller group of people. You are able to easily meet and enjoy everyone in that trip. I would recommend visiting Indonesia with Gate 1. It's really a trip of a lifetime and I won't soon forget it. I want to encourage my friends to try it themselves. Come to Indonesia. Discovery tours is absolutely the way to go for Indonesia.