When a friend asked me to go to Bali, I was about to say, "No," when I read "wellness" in the tour title—with yoga and meditation mentioned. It was my kind of trip.

But, where is Bali? Bali is one of more than 17,000 islands comprising Indonesia. There is no direct flight to Bali from anywhere in the U.S. With a 24-plus hour travel time and a 16-hour time difference, it is a very long trip.

Bali has a tropical climate—hot and humid. My tour started at a health and wellness retreat near Ubud, situated in a midst of green, tropical plants, fruits and vegetables with views of mountains, a river, and hills.

We stayed in luxurious "huts," but without air conditioning! The food was amazing with lots of vegetable and vegan choices and fruits galore like: mango, papaya, dragon fruit, pineapple, watermelon and mangosteen, most of which grew on the grounds. What's a mangosteen? ...keep reading.

My group on this G-adventures tour included 15 people plus our guide. We were from the US, Canada, England, Ireland, Cyprus and Australia and ranged in age from the 20s to the 70s. Everyone got along quite well and became buddies. I have a lot of new facebook friends.

We later stayed in Pemuteran and Sanur, both on beaches and both lovely. Most mornings included yoga and a great buffet breakfast. Our tour kept us busy—learning to make a daily Balinese offering, taking part in a Hindu healing ceremony, visiting a monkey sanctuary, taking part in a water purification ceremony, where I got wonderfully drenched with cold water in 20 different fountains, and an anti-gravitational yoga where I got to hang upside down supported by material hanging from the ceiling.

We had plenty of free time to relax and shop. I tried a Balinese massage—a cross between acupressure and Swedish. Massages were readily available at a fraction of the U.S. cost and my fellow travelers sought them out.

I enjoyed my shopping experiences. I've never been good at bargaining, but I finally found one method. I looked at something and said nothing mostly because I really did not know what to say! They gave me a price. I touched the item and again kept silent. They cut the price in half. I started to turn away, saying I would think about it. They cut the price again! I actually did want to think. However, by now, the price was too good not to buy.

I LOVE my new harem pants. They are good for yoga, dancing, and lounging around. I even wore them out to breakfast one morning after yoga in Sacramento. The waitress commented on how much she liked my pants—she was wearing a similar pair that she purchased in Thailand!

Now, home, I so miss my new favorite fruit, the mangosteen. I ate it daily. It grows in southeast Asia. It needs heat and humidity. Since mangosteens ripen only on the tree, and have a short life, importation is challenging.

I can only describe the taste as heavenly. I have read that they are sometimes available at 99 Ranch in the summer, but am not sure if there will be significant degradation due to the required radiation and time issues. I'll just have to return to southeast Asia. Maybe Thailand this time—the mangosteen grows there.

~ Adele Zagofsky