After spending 10 days on one of the coolest islands in the world, I vowed to return to Bali every year for the rest of my life. Traveling to Bali won't blow your pocketbook, but I promise, it will blow your mind!
For the first time in my life I purchased a plane ticket months before heading somewhere. I usually travel last minute-ish, but when I found a $600 R/T ticket to Bali from Chicago, I bought it 6 months in advance. That was a loooong 6 months to wait to go to one of the places I'd longed to go for many years, and during that time my beloved mom passed away so I didn't know if I would have the capacity to go. But alas the 6 months passed, I felt ready for a new adventure, and I hopped the plane with an open mind and heart.
“Wherever you go, go with all your heart.” -Confucious
I could write for days about my Bali experiences, about the people, beach clubs, food, temples, hospitality, and accommodations, but I'll spare you days of reading and hit some highlights.
Getting there: first off, make sure you have at minimum 6 months on your passport like they tell you to. I flew to ORD from MSP and when checking in, I was turned away because I was 2 days shy of having a full 6 months left on my passport. At first I was bummed, but then made it a fun weekend in Chicago and rebooked my ticket for 2 weeks out.
Seminyak - Canggu Stretch: I landed, grabbed a taxi, found my hotel, hired my scooter and headed straight to Potato Head Beach Club. What a fab place to catch the first sunset: pool party on the beach, DJ, and it was here I was introduced to the Bintang Radler. Seminyak beaches are wide, open beautiful beaches, with day clubs lined in a row, but nicely spread out, so you can go from breakfast, to ocean, to pool, to lunch, to ocean, to happy hour, to pool, to sunset, to dinner, to cocktails by the pool again on the beach. This stretch oozes hedonism, and I enjoyed every minute. I scooted up and down, spent full days on the beach, and just walking around in awe of new surroundings. Some of my favorite spots were Potato Head, Finns VIP, Ku De Ta, and Alila. The warungs were all amaze (pick your own fave!), and if you go, make sure to hit Hotel Mexicola and Naughty Nuri's while you're there!
Ubud: My 1 hour taxi ride to Ubud cost me $25. For real. While waiting for my taxi (while
I had wifi still) I booked my Air BnB and was off! The Air Bnb was cheap, and gorgeous!! Again, I made sure they had a scooter waiting for me when I arrived, as I did at each of my stays the entire trip. Oh, and scooters cost only $3-5 per day! Ubud is great for walking, shopping, checking out the scenery, and heading to the monkey forest. I headed off in the morning for the water temple, the Pura Tirta Empul, got lost (no wifi = no maps), and drove on a tiny road through the rice paddies, small villages, and took in so much beauty I could barely breathe. The temple offered me a guide, and there was hardly anyone there that day which I hear is not often - it can get pretty packed. I mediated, asked for blessing, asked for forgiveness and for love to enter my love. It was a jam packed day. Folk Gardens were a real treat, and the resorts in the jungle, such as the Kayon Resort Ubud will welcome you, and wow you. A must stop in Bali!
Uluwatu: I swear the sun sets for days here. I stayed in a cliffside suite on Bingin Beach - and I would stay there again in a heartbeat. It was like Santorini meets Bali. I left the doors open all night to hear the waves, watched the surfers at sunset and sunrise, hopped a ride on a scooter with a cute Bali boy taxi driver (about 15 yrs old) and enjoyed a delicious dinner with live music at the Cashew Tree. Another night, I enjoyed a fresh seafood dinner right in the sand, listening to the waves, watching the stars and moon, and feeling the fresh sea breeze on my skin.
My second stay in Uluwatu was spent in a castle, where the pool was divine, my shower could literally fit 20 people, the bedroom was fit for a queen, and breakfast was brought to me in the morning. See photo proof below. Insider tip: Uluwatu is a perfect place to stay when heading to the airport the next day - final sunset views and it's a short ride to the airport.
Nusa Lembongan: Quick overnight but jam packed stop here. This little stretch of beach allows you to leave your hotel, walk barefoot down the sand to pick your poison. I stayed at Pemedal Beach Resort, dined at Ginger and Jamu, met some locals and soaked up some cocktails poolside at Ohana's Beach Lounge. Not a bad 15 hours I'd say!
Gili Air: The 3 Gili Islands go like this: Gili T = party island. Gili Meno = desolate island. Gili Air = a mix of both! No motorized vehicles on Gili Air so you walk, take a horse drawn cart, or ride a bike (which I don't recommend because it's all sand!). This island is small, with sand and turquoise waters, sleepy with a little nightlife thrown in. I didn't wear shoes the entire 2 days I was there. Everything is in walking distance, and although I had a massage every day while in Bali, here was where I had my favorite. On the 2nd story balcony, open air, I spent $9 for the best massage and facial in my life. to top it off, they brought me a fresh made watermelon juice after I jumped in the sea. Pure. Bliss.
One story: at dinner one night, my table was literally a couple feet from a little sea wall and when I looked across the table all I could see was the ocean, and the stars. While gazing out to sea, a bright star shot like a fireball from the middle of the sky all the way to the water. I jumped up, shrieked for joy and knew right then and there that it was my MOM!!! She was there, she was saying hello, to let me know she was there with me on my trip. I was so overjoyed I asked the couple sitting at the table next to me if they saw it but nope! They were bummed because they were both on their cell phones. Lesson learned:)
You can't go wrong on this magical island - walk the beach, sit on a swing in the water, eat, drink, walk, watch a fire show, snorkel, and play your way around the entire island. I certainly did.
To sum up my trip and new found love for Bali, it is this. Bali offers limitless amounts of beauty. In the Hindu people and their ceremonies, the architecture and the beaches, the food and the rice paddies and jungles. There is so much to take in and the more open you are, the better you'll be off to surrender to what it has to offer. I healed here. My heart opened wide up here. I soaked up all the beauty and love this gorgeous little island offers that I could, in the short amount of time I was there, and I cannot wait to return to experience so much more. Next up? Waterfalls, hikes and the northern beaches!
Light, Packable, Must Haves for Bali:
Brazilian Bikini Bottoms - every booty deserves a suntan:)
Bikini - yellow or teal, they feel and look amazing!
コメント