Travelfish correspondent Stuart McDonald

Stuart previously lived in Thailand and Cambodia for around eight years between them, where he worked as an under-paid, under-skilled language teacher, an embassy staffer, a newspaper web-site developer and various other stuff. Before all those non-travel jobs he authored two travel guides, one to Vietnam and one to Thailand. He still spends a lot of time travelling and can sleep anywhere, anytime - even on the road to Bokor. His favourite read is The Art of Travel by Alain de Botton. He spends most of his time in Bali, Indonesia.
Website: http://www.travelfish.org

Posts by Stuart McDonald:

• Sanur Beach: 7 days 7 beaches

  First published: 28 Dec 2010
  

  Many first-time visitors to Bali find themselves a little underwhelmed by the beaches. It’s a response easy to imagine considering all the beautiful beaches featured on Bali brochures and the reality of crowded Kuta. Luckily, Bali is a big island with pretty beaches enough for everyone, and over the next seven days we’ll show you … read the full post

• Pemuteran Beach: 7 days 7 beaches

  First published: 27 Dec 2010
  

  There are few points on Bali further from the airport than Pemuteran. Set towards the far northwestern point of the island and very close to the Bali Barat National Park, Pemuteran is a gently curving dark sand beach that is best known for its diving and snorkelling, and also for use as a base to … read the full post

• White Sand Beach: 7 days 7 beaches

  First published: 26 Dec 2010
  

  Pantai Putih (White sand beach) is set about a 20-minute drive north of Candi Dasa on Bali’s eastern coast. It’s one of those hidden away beaches that gets a mention in most guidebooks but few people ever actually bother getting to because it involves a bit of travelling to reach. That’s good news for you, … read the full post

• Balangan: 7 beaches 7 days

  First published: 25 Dec 2010
  

  Balangan is basically the next beach of any size between what used to be known as Dreamland (now fittingly referred to as “New Kuta”) and the Ayana Resort (and Jimbaran after it). The beach is down a steep staircase (easy to climb when not carrying two small, wet children) and an assortment of warungs and … read the full post

• Amed: 7 days 7 beaches

  First published: 24 Dec 2010
  

  Why settle for one beach when you can have a bunch of them? In practical use, Amed is used to refer to a series of bays in east Bali (well, it’s really to the north of the island, but it’s lumped in with the east — no idea why). Each of these black sand (and … read the full post

• Balian Beach: 7 days 7 beaches

  First published: 23 Dec 2010
  

  Balian Beach was the place we first really fell in love with Bali. The black sand beach is set at the mouth of the same-named river. It’s a big river and the combination of large surf, strong currents and the volume of water pouring out of the river — especially in wet season — doesn’t … read the full post

• Padang Padang Beach: 7 days 7 beaches

  First published: 22 Dec 2010
  

  This little beach on the Bukit peninsula is a favourite with families due to its calm waters by the sand, and with surfers for the break on the offshore reef. It’s reached via a narrow staircase that passes under an overhang (watch your head!) and the compact beach has plenty of unbrellas for rent and … read the full post

• Bali bars: Pantai Indah Seafood

  First published: 19 Dec 2010
  

  Bali is famous for its glitzy bars with menus awash in martinis and umbrella-festooned drinks, but one of our favourite local spots is Pantai Indah Seafood (we just call it “the shack”). It’s little more than a few planks of wood and long roughly-hewn tables right on the sands of Sanur Beach. The menu is … read the full post

• The Turtle Conservation and Education Centre

  First published: 17 Dec 2010
  

  Turtles in Bali are a sensitive issue. Traditionally some Balinese like to eat them and turtle meat has often been used in religious ceremonies. Unfortunately, turtle numbers have plummeted around Bali, in part due to hunting but also because their hatcheries are disappearing due to over-development, as  Bali continues to cram more and more (willing) … read the full post

• Ubud: A tale of two markets

  First published: 15 Dec 2010
  

  You’ve seen Eat Pray Love right? No? Lucky you. In the middle of the Bali portion of the film, Julia Roberts takes a stroll through the central market in Ubud and careful watchers will notice that the market doesn’t appear to be “traditional” (muddy and full of flopping fish, shivering ducks and long dead cows) … read the full post