So I did it - bought my ticket to Bali - for about the last week of October (reasons why I won't share but...). Tentatively staying at Alila Ubud - but am having social conscious conflicting thoughts - maybe I should support a local compared to a hotel chain? Alila Ubud looks really great - and I am on vacation, right? I've been traveling to Europe, Mexico an Central America over the past 7 years - this is my first Asia trip - I'm more use to urban settings - everything just out the door and around the corner ( I suppose I should be using punctuation, sorry). Love architecture, weaving, fabrics, carvings, food (though most reviews I've read are about Dirty Duck and Lotus Cafe - what other places, please). I'm reading the standard guide books and googling but everything strikes me as somewhat standard and pedantic. Should I just surrender to the imagined mystery or research every inch of the island? What did you do on your first trip? How much planning/research and how much kismet? In my 8th year of travel I find myself doing less planning and just drifting along. This will be more of a vacation than a trip - I want to say more down time than go-go-go but considering it's my first visit. Any sage advice?