Interview with Devin from Oregon USA

Devin Skolnick is a 29 year old repeat visitor to Bali. He enjoys nature, art, good food and genuine people, over the party scene. I asked him how this latest trip to Bali is going.

Baliblog:
Devin how long are you travelling for?
Devin:
I’m travelling for 2 months total.

Baliblog:
What places have you been to already on this trip.
Devin:
Hong Kong, Vietnam, Singapore, Thailand, Bali.

Baliblog:
Why did you pick those particular places?
Devin:
I’ve been to Thailand and Bali in the past, loved them both. I wanted to see friends, go to Vietnam to have 1 new place, and I needed tropics becasue its cold as hell back home.

Baliblog:
You’ve been to Bali before, 5 years ago. On this trip have you seen anything that has changed?
Devin:
Ah, I’m not sure. Too much pressure.

Baliblog:
Did you stay in the same places this time as the last trip?
Devin:
New places and some old places as well.

Baliblog:
What are your favourite parts of Bali?
Devin:
Ah, my friend Nick (laughing), the people are great, the food is tastey and cheap, scenery is great, all the arts and crafts ar great.

Baliblog:
What about particular areas / places?
Devin:
Probably Ubud. Ubud’s great, I like having that for my home base, and I can take side trips from there.

Baliblog:
How easy has it been getting around?
Devin:
Pretty easy, I pretty much call up friends who have motorbikes and jump on the back.

Baliblog:
But to get out to Pemuteran and Amed, how did you manage that?
Devin:
We had a driver, we hired him and he picked us up.

Baliblog:
Can I ask, how much was the car and driver?
Devin:
The car and driver was…I forget, $50 maybe.

Baliblog:
Was he with you the whole time, or just the 1 trip out there?
Devin:
Just the 1 trip out there.

Baliblog:
What about finding decent accommodation. Did it take you very long when you got to Pemuteran and Amed?
Devin:
Nope, first place we went to was nice.

Baliblog:
What has been the highlight of the trip so far?
Devin:
Probably the food in Bali.

Baliblog:
Can you recommend 1 or 2 restaurants that people should check out?
Devin:
Probably Tutmak in Ubud is about my favourite.

Baliblog:
Have you found the locals fairly easy to communicate with?
Devin:
Yes, almost everybody speaks good English, which is nice as it takes no effort on my part.

Baliblog:
Tell us about the souvenirs you’ve bought.
Devin:
Mostly wood-carved items, some textiles, clothing, a small amount of jewelry, that’s about it.

Baliblog:
Where did you get your souvenirs?
Devin:
Mostly in Ubud.

Baliblog:
Did you feel you got reasonably good deals?
Devin:
Yes, I feel like I’m a fairly polished bargainer.

Baliblog:
So you managed to get them down on price a bit?
Devin:
Yes, definitly.

Baliblog:
Was there any particular type of artwork you were looking for that you couldn’t find in Bali?
Devin:
Good question. No, Bali seems to have pretty much anything that you’d be looking for.

Baliblog:
Do you feel safe coming here?
Devin:
Yes, very safe. People all seem accommodating, super friendly, I never feel threatened in any way.

Baliblog:
Do you have any tips for newcomers to Bali?
Devin:
Yeah, don’t really bring anything, you can buy it all here. Travel light, that would be about the best tip I can give.