Spring Break Aussie Style

Last Updated on Wednesday, 24 February 2010 05:07 Written by Andrew Lai Friday, 11 December 2009 02:36

By JoJo Aresty

Back home spring break is a big deal. College students plan for months to come up with the best spring break itinerary. Friends will do anything, from going on a cruise to tropical islands, visiting Cancun, Mexico or going to some all-inclusive resort in the Bahamas, to heading down to Panama City, Florida for an unforgettable week of beaches. I haven’t done any of this back at school in the States; I was waiting until my senior year for my big spring break trip, but it ended up coming early for me.

When I arrived in Australia I only knew that I had a week off in the middle of the semester, which, of course, is ‘spring break’ in Australia; but I didn’t know what types of activities were possible to do half way around the world. The problem was solved quickly as different travel companies bombarded the study abroad students with information about 10-day trips to New Zealand, Fiji or up and down the east coast of Australia. I was overwhelmed with options! It looked like my ‘spring break’ would arrive earlier than expected! All the trips sounded absolutely amazing, but they were all so expensive! I soon realized that any trip was going to be pricey, considering it was not just university holidays that week but school holidays as well. Flights were really expensive.

I have to admit, I felt pretty overwhelmed. One of my friends and I started talking about where we wanted to go, what we wanted to see and how much money we could afford to spend. She had heard that Bali, Indonesia was a place that many Australians visit for their holiday. I looked into what was there and discovered that Bali was full of beautiful tropical beaches, fascinating temples, amazing scenery and a wild nightlife. It sounded like the perfect vacation for me! We decided that Bali was where we wanted to go and started searching for flights and hotels. We managed to get a reasonable flight and, a few weeks later, off we go to Bali!

Fast-forward two months to Friday September 4 when I arrived in Bali. As I walked out of the airport in to 85-degree weather at midnight, I was in heaven. A taxi from the airport to our hotel only cost US $5 versus the $45 it costs from the Sydney airport to Coogee, (where I live in Sydney) and there was such a variety of people out and about.

While I was there I spent time relaxing on the beach, rode an elephant, went to a monkey forest, snorkelled in the Indian Ocean, visited a few temples, witnessed two cultural dances, and saw an active volcano!

Bali is a fabulous place. It is beautiful, cultural, inexpensive and fun. Balinese people are friendly and helpful and I met people from all around the world! I could get a full meal including an appetizer, entrée, dessert and drink for under $10 and I managed to buy three pairs of shoes for $25. It was refreshing being somewhere where things did not cost too much and I really enjoyed learning about Balinese culture!

Bali is a tropical getaway where you can spend your time relaxing on the beach, going to a spa, immersing yourself in the culture, doing a little shopping. There is something for the whole family. I had an amazing vacation and I will most definitely be heading back to Bali at sometime soon I hope, and I would recommend it as a place to visit for all students studying in Australia. It’s like nothing you’ve seen before.

JoJo Aresty
University of New South Wales & Emory University 

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