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:

• Where is Bali’s best babi guling? Part 2

  First published: 28 Oct 2011
  

  We did a part 1 to our waist-busting series on Bali’s babi guling some time ago, and though I only have two restaurants to add at the moment thought it worth jotting them down, though only the first was memorable. First up: Babi Guling Negari. You’ll find this spotlessly clean joint specialising in our favourite … read the full post

• Winner of the four-day pass to Ubud Writers and Readers Festival

  First published: 29 Sep 2011
  

  Congratulations to Gabriela for winning our competition giving away a full four-day pass to the Ubud Writers and Readers Festival. The competition was simple. Tell us in 25 words what “Bali” means to you. This was Gabriela’s entry: “Pacifying bad spirits, fearing ricefield rats. Feeling adrenaline in left-hand traffic. Happy ducks. Why is so much … read the full post

• Balinese tooth-filing ceremony (with video)

  First published: 25 Sep 2011
  

  This morning I went to one of the most important ceremonies in a Balinese person’s life: the mapandes or matatah, a tooth-filing ceremony performed partly for beautification — fanged teeth are unattractive and coarse to the Balinese eye — but also to symbolically balance-out an individual’s personality. (Skip straight to the bottom if you’d just … read the full post

• Yoga in Bali: Sanur

  First published: 21 Sep 2011
  

  Despite at least what I perhaps expected, yoga isn’t everywhere in Bali. I thought I wouldn’t be able to chuck an incense stick without hitting a studio, but they’re actually quite few and far between across the island. Today I’ll cover two spots in Sanur: the delightfully herby crunchy Manik Organik, and newer, New York-ier … read the full post

• Coffee on the bypass in Sanur

  First published: 19 Sep 2011
  

  Bali’s Ngurah Rai bypass — stretching from Nusa Dua past the airport, skirting Kuta, Sanur and then, well, we’re not quite sure where it officially ends — can feel like a bit of a wasteland at times (you know, when it’s not slicing through mangroves). If you are using it to get from say the … read the full post

• A few things to do with kids in Bali

  First published: 16 Sep 2011
  

  You’ve had enough of sand and you just want half a day off the beach doing something a bit different with the kids that doesn’t involve chasing them around too closely, like you would need to say at the zoo or Waterbom. Here are a few places you can do just that. Lollipops Playland, Waterplay … read the full post

• Manicures and pedicures in Seminyak

  First published: 07 Sep 2011
  

  Fluff alert! Yes, this is just about getting your nails or your toes done while you’re on holiday in Seminyak. For something more highbrow, please see here, or here, or here. Still with me? Okay, if you’re preparing to bare your feet for the first time in a while — at say a nearby Seminyak … read the full post

• Gaya Gelato

  First published: 05 Sep 2011
  

  A friend recently mentioned offhand Gaya’s Gelato and my ears pricked up as I often take the Sayan ridge route to get to Ubud from Sanur. This takes you past the large Gaya Fusion, an art space with an attached restaurant and villas, but I hadn’t noticed any ice creamery … What was I missing?! … read the full post

• How to do Bali on the cheap

  First published: 26 Aug 2011
  

  Bali can be expensive. But the good news is it doesn’t have to be. Here are some tips on how to enjoy the island without busting your wallet. If you’re a backpacker, you can still do Bali on a budget. When you land If you’re staying further afield and have booked in advance, ask after … read the full post

• Spas in Ubud, or things to do outside the Writers and Readers Festival

  First published: 20 Aug 2011
  

  Let’s be honest: attending a writers festival is hard work, and the Ubud Writers and Readers Festival is no different. If you’re not pouring over your schedule trying to juggle your panels with your lunches, you’re busy actually attending a session, sitting in a possibly plastic chair for hours on end, listening, pondering, asking questions, … read the full post