Travelfish correspondent Samantha Brown

Samantha Brown is a reformed news reporter. She now edits most of the stuff you read on Travelfish.org, except for when you find a typo, and then that's something she wasn't allowed to look at. She's lived in Bangkok, Phnom Penh, Jakarta and Bali, where she now still spends a lot of her time looking after two little Travelfish.org researchers in training.
Website: http://www.travelfish.org

Posts by Samantha Brown:

• One of Bali’s best coffees: Caswell’s

  First published: 12 Apr 2011
  

  It won’t win any awards for its decor, atmosphere, or location, but if you’re heading past Simpang Siur from the airport and onto Sunset Road and need a caffeine boost, Caswell’s is the place to make a quick stop. There’s another outlet inside Gourmet Garage in Jimbaran, but I haven’t made it there yet, and … read the full post

• Where is Bali’s best babi guling? Part 1

  First published: 07 Apr 2011
  

  Babi guling, or suckling pig, is one of Bali’s most famed dishes. The pig is stuffed and infused with a spicy concoction typically involving turmeric, coriander seeds, lemongrass, black pepper and garlic, and traditionally spit-roasted. It’s also available at a range of warungs where locals flock for a quick lunch or dinner. Ibu Oka’s in … read the full post

• Jenggala paint a pot

  First published: 04 Apr 2011
  

  I often complain about the lack of things to do in Bali with toddlers. Jenggala paint a pot in Jimbaran won’t really help you with a two-year-old (that’s what Jari Menari is for…) but I’ve taken a three-year-old there with great success. Added bonus: the excellent coffee and cake at the cafe, and the ceramics … read the full post

• Getting alcohol in Bali: Guest post by Anonymous Alcoholic

  First published: 24 Mar 2011
  

  “So it’s legal then?” I ask, as the grinning Indonesian fellow smiled across the table from me. He was going to injure himself if his smile stretched further. “Oh yes, Pak!” he assured me. I glanced down at the bottles of Swedish vodka, Scottish whiskey and American bourbon in front of me. The bottles were … read the full post

• Eating at Sanur night market

  First published: 17 Mar 2011
  

  Sanur’s night market recently underwent a refurbishment of sorts, and the outcome is a much more spacious and even organised affair. But the same old warungs in the food section continue to plate their specialties from around the Indonesian archipelago. This is a good market to eat at as a tourist. Firstly, it’s “authentic” (freshly … read the full post

• Finding a good croissant in Bali: Cafe Moka

  First published: 16 Mar 2011
  

  It’s a difficult pursuit, finding a flaky, fresh croissant in Bali. It makes sense: croissants are not exactly indigenous cuisine and the foreign influence in Indonesia, where there’s any at all, is Dutch, not French. Yet some of us, usually with futile results, persist in trying… And I succeeded at Cafe Moka. The island is … read the full post

• Children’s massage in Bali

  First published: 14 Mar 2011
  

  Jari Menari, with two branches in Seminyak and Nusa Dua, is one of our top picks for massage in Bali. The all-male therapists are truly well trained, so you actually feel like you’re getting a massage for your particular knots and aches and pains and anatomy, not just a one-size-fits-all rubdown; the style of their … read the full post

• Nyepi in Bali

  First published: 03 Mar 2011
  

  Hands up if you stuffed up your new year’s resolutions? Did you try again at lunar new year and still kind of not stay true? Never fear! This Saturday, the day following the dark moon of the spring equinox, is the first day of the Balinese New Year — so you can give it another … read the full post

• A cheap massage in Sanur

  First published: 27 Feb 2011
  

  Hardy’s supermarket in Sanur is one of the few places in Bali I despise. I am driven crazy by how often the prices on their shelves are not actually for the products in front of them, their unapologetic staff, their habit of giving lollies instead of proper change and… Well, I digress. One place is … read the full post

• Buying kids clothes in Seminyak, Bali

  First published: 24 Feb 2011
  

  In my experience as a six-foot-tall woman, shopping in the enticing-looking boutiques along Jalan Laksmana in Seminyak can be rather disappointing, with not too much available in my size. Shopping for kids, however, is another question entirely. Quite a few lovely shops selling children’s clothes have sprung up in this area over the past few … read the full post