I thought staying healthy in Indonesia would mean mastering yoga at sunrise. It turned out the real battles were fought closer to the bathroom door.

Everyone talked about Bali Belly like it was a rite of passage, a stomach coup waiting to overthrow your holiday. In our case it was less coup, more minor skirmish, over in a day, forgotten by the time the next plate of nasi goreng arrived. The bigger lessons came from bottled water toothbrush rituals, mosquito siege strategies, and the bold decision to keep ordering iced lattes like caffeine-fueled daredevils.

Is Ice Safe in Bali?

Everyone warned about ice in Indonesia. We ignored them and ordered iced coffee every morning. The hotels and cafés we used had filtered ice, and by day four, we figured if it was going to kill us, it already would have. When in doubt, we also grabbed cold bottled drinks, safe, sealed, and refreshing.

Bottled Water and the Water Jug

Brushing teeth with bottled water felt absurd at first.

Cary paused mid-swish one night and asked, “Do you think we will ever stop feeling silly doing this?”
“Not until you want to be that guy sprinting to the Ubud Palace bathroom,” I replied, pouring water over my toothbrush like it was holy.

Turns out Indonesians were in on it too. Every house had a big water jug parked in the corner, the everyday answer to cooking and to drinking water in Indonesia.

When Your Stomach Still Rebels

Even with bottled water rituals and a monk-like dedication to hand sanitizer, our stomachs occasionally staged protests. Cary’s rebellion came courtesy of a fried chicken that had been tanning in the Bali humidity long enough to qualify for citizenship. One sprint to the bathroom, two pills, and he was back to nasi goreng like nothing had happened. Hardly the horror story of Bali Belly, more like a gentle memo from his intestines: “Do not eat sunburned poultry.”

Pharmacies in Indonesia offered an entire aisle of dignity-saving options:

Loperamide (sold as Colidium, Diadium, or Lodia) – The fast fix, basically the bouncer for your digestive tract.
Diapet – A local herbal capsule. Indonesians swore by it, which was good enough for us.
Neo Kaolana – A chalky kaolin suspension that tasted like liquid drywall but worked.

Nothing said “holiday shopping spree” like leaving the store with Oreos in one hand and rehydration salts in the other. We also grabbed oral rehydration salts at the local “apotek” (pharmacy in Indonesian language). They cost less than a latte and were the fastest fix for dehydration.

Locals swore by fresh young coconut water too. Think of it as nature’s electrolyte drink, Gatorade without the neon coloring. It hydrated well and tasted amazing. We always bought it fresh and watched the vendor slice the green shell open in front of us. That way we knew it was clean and not some questionable liquid poured into a husk out back. For serious dehydration, though, we knew coconuts were not enough, that was the moment to see a doctor.

All of these remedies were cheap and easy to buy at pharmacies, minimarts, or supermarkets across Indonesia.

Mosquitos Bites in Bali: the Real Villains

Forget Bali Belly. My stomach mostly behaved. The real terrorists were mosquitos, and they declared my ankles an all-you-can-eat buffet. By day three my legs looked like a children’s connect-the-dots workbook.

Cary? Zero bites. Not even a nibble.
“Guess I’m not their type,” he smirked.
“Lucky you,” I said. “Meanwhile, my legs were basically a mosquito theme park, and business was booming.”

Our nightly routine became less holiday relaxation and more military operation. At sunset we sprayed the room like fumigators, slammed the bedroom door shut, and let the aircon blast until the last winged assassin dropped. After that, the bedroom stayed sealed like a mosquito-free bunker.

I also learned the hard way that wearing perfume in Indonesia is basically putting up a neon sign that flashes “Dinner Served Here.” Apparently, I was the buffet and the entertainment.

Remedies existed, and locals had them down to an art:

Soffell Spray – Came in floral or citrus, smelled like body spray from 1998, but mosquitos hated it. Locals loved it.
Minyak Kayu Putih – Eucalyptus oil that soothed bites, fixed nausea, and probably could have rebooted Windows 95 if you asked nicely.
Autan Spray – Slightly less sticky than Soffell. Coke vs. Pepsi, but for not being eaten alive.

All three cost pocket change and were stacked in every Alfamart, Indomaret, and Guardian like candy. Skip the lavender oil unless you want to be eaten alive while smelling like a day spa. And remember, mosquitos clocked in at dawn and dusk. They were unionized.

Vaccines and Peace of Mind

We ticked the vaccine box before leaving, because nothing says romance like rolling up your sleeve together at the clinic. Both of us had tetanus and hepatitis A shots. Hepatitis A was not just a one-and-done, it was a sequel, sometimes a trilogy if you went for the Hep A + Hep B combo pack. Like a Marvel franchise, only less entertaining and more needle.

Tetanus boosters came every ten years, or sooner if you were the type to wrestle rusty nails. The bonus? Our insurance paid for it, which made it the cheapest souvenir of the whole trip. If you’d like more information about travel health notices for Indonesia, you can check the CDC’s Indonesia destination page.

The Rhythm We Settled Into

By week two, we had it down, Aqua jug in the corner, bottled water by the sink, hot food only, mint pills tucked in the day pack, mosquito repellent by the door. Once those habits became routine, we stopped worrying and started tasting everything. Satay smoke curled into the night, crunchy gorengan, endless mie goreng. Once those routines settled, staying healthy in Bali became second nature.

Pro Tips for Staying Healthy When Visiting Indonesia

Shut down the baby factory. Mosquitos breed in still water—plant pots, gutters, old tires, that sad little tray you forgot on the balcony. Dump it.
Ask the locals. Your host probably has tricks, from citronella candles to grandmother-approved potions. Worth asking before you commit to sleeping in a cloud of bugs.
Bring your favorite remedies. If you have a brand that makes you feel safe and chemical-chic, pack it. If not, do not stress, cheap and effective repellents are everywhere.
Street food hack. Stick to stalls where you can actually watch food hit the grill. The busier the stand, the better your odds it would not send you sprinting to the bathroom.
Bahasa Indonesia helper:

No ice: tanpa es
Bottled water: air minum botol
Drinks in package: air minum kemasan
Pharmacy: apotek

Disclaimer: I am not a medical professional. The information shared here is based on my own travel experience and research. It is for general informational purposes only and should not be taken as medical advice. Everyone’s health situation is different, so if you are sick, unsure, or have underlying conditions, please seek guidance from a qualified healthcare provider.

Bali Belly, Bottled Water, and Bug Spray: The Funny Side of Staying Healthy in Indonesia