Bali is an interesting
place. That may seem like a very general statement considering the world wide
fame of the tiny island, but interesting is the most fitting adjective I can
currently come up with. One major quality that leads me to this adjective is
something I noticed almost immediately: My kind of tourists go to Bali. By that
I mean Bali, (outside the party/surfer scene) attracts people who seem to do
their best to be conscious and open-minded, who are spiritual yet not
necessarily religious, who like yoga and have serious opinions about their
food, who eschew McDonalds or anything that ends in -nugget, who have tattoos,
who run on the beach at 6am, who take naps and who are curious about life
beyond what they know. I am by no means saying that these tourists are better
or cooler or nicer than tourists other places, but what I am saying is that I
found myself in many enjoyable conversations this past week about the above
topics, which I enjoyed.
While there, the hostess at my villa told me that Bali (and
especially central Ubud) has been long known for its spiritual and healing
properties. I don’t know about all that. Those properties my be hiding behind
the mountains of overpriced tourist trap souvenir stands filled with key chains
and coasters, or perhaps under the stacks of surf boards with RENT ME signs;
however, it did seem to me that aside from the nice weather, that is indeed
what many visitors sought in Bali. Peace. Completion. Patience. Perseverance.
Call it what you want, but whatever it is, Bali’s got it and people seek it by
the dozens.
I stayed the week at a villa run by an Aussie woman called Bliss
Sanctuary for Women. The name alone plays into exactly what I’m talking
about. Bliss advertises itself as a cozy next to single female travelers. No
kids. No men. Just one homey villa with 6 rooms filled with amazing food,
fabulous atmosphere, incredible staff and women, as I said, mostly looking for
a little sanctuary from the rest of their life. As part of our stay we were
invited to join as many yoga classes as we could handle at the nearby Desa Seni
studio, which led me to 12 yoga classes in the last 8 days. Maybe I was a
little too over excited about it…The classes were usually packed with teachers
from all over the world and as we all sat Ohmmm-ing
together, I thought, “This is interesting.” 
I thought this because I realized many of these people were
like me. Visitors. Passers through to check it out and see what’s up and it
occurred to me that the population in Bali is constantly in flux due to its
small local numbers and huge tourist industry. These yoga teachers see entirely
new faces every few weeks. Each person comes seeking peace and comfort and fun
(and hopefully finds it!) and leaves feeling refreshed, but the residents
remain. Sadly, because of this, Bali’s rice fields are being bought up by
developers at a truly alarming rate and there is much concern over the
sustainability of the society in the coming 50 years…but who has time to
notice? Most of us stay only for a week or two and between the surf/yoga/cooking
lessons, who has time for details of economy and environment. Local people do. The
entire population cannot work in tourism and sooner or later it is clear that
Bali will run out of open space due to rampant development.
I am not condemning this nor am I advocating the solution
that people stop visiting Bali because obviously the local economy depends on it.
I am simply stating that this is a situation, and a delicate one at that. I could go on and on about my musings in this area as it is of great interest to me, but I doubt that this blog is the appropriate platform for such discussion. So I will just say, if
you’re intending to visit Bali in the future enjoy every moment of it (because
there is limitless things to enjoy!) but remember, we are a guests in
a precious place. Let's be good to it. :)
Ok I will come off my little soapbox now and tell you about
what I was up to! I’m sure you’re all dying to know right?! ;) As I said the place I stayed was lovely. It is
surely not the cheapest place in town, but you definitely get what you pay for.
Ester and Char, you girls are angels in sarongs and are both superb at your
job! Ketut you were my hero on wheels, which I appreciated so very much. Thank you for everything the past week and I hope to see you all again in the
future!
To be perfectly honest, the majority of my time in Bali was
spent, well…doing whatever I wanted, which coincidentally included lots of
relaxing, massages, coloring, reading, floating around the pool and visiting
with the other guests. Don’t get me wrong, I got out and about the island
plenty, but the villa itself was such a paradise I found it difficult to think
of anywhere else I’d rather be!
On the list of firsts, I tried Kundalini yoga for the first
time. I know many people swear by it, but I must admit I am just not so crazy
about it. Perhaps I am just not ready to wear white and feel completely ridiculous in a crowd of people yet…? I'll give it a go when I am more "enlightened".
I also visited one of the more famous Hindu temples Tanah
Lot, which is right on the ocean. The view was incredible although it is somewhat
a small area and with so many visitors I wasn’t able to get superb photos to do
it justice.
But you’ll just have to take my word for it. It’s lovely ;) Later
that evening some of the girls and I went to La Laguna beach club which is an
adorable little beach bar/café for cocktails at sunset.
I also took a bike ride around the area, which was a bit
frightening as the roads are so narrow that the cars feel practically on top of
you! Helmets? What are those?! After sweating to death in heat I stopped to try
liquid nitrogen ice cream. I approve.
I did a bit of shopping in Seminyak although the crowds and
heat drove me back to the pool fairly quickly, but I did manage to get my bargaining skills on before that! I also managed to squeeze in
plenty of sunrise beach runs throughout the week, which although I never
took my phone for photos, may have been one of my favorite things about the
trip.
A few days before I left, I met up with this guy for the
day! This is Marten, the boyfriend of a good friend of mine back in Groningen.
We didn’t know each other too well, but he happened to be on Bali at the same
time, so we met in Ubud for a hike through the rice paddies. 
It was so
incredibly hot and humid that we were melting in our shoes, but it was well
worth the views. Afterwards we rewarded ourselves with some pool time before
parting. Thanks for the company Marten! It was nice getting to know you a bit
better and I hope to see you again at some point! Enjoy the Philippines!
My last day in Bali consisted of all my favorite things, a
class with my favorite yoga teacher, my favorite lunch (fresh spring rolls with
peanut sauce!), a run in my favorite part of the beach and my favorite massage
(foot rub!) and then finally off to the airport!
I had an over night layover in Kuala Lumpur where I took
full (over) advantage of the breakfast buffet and then was soon Cambodia bound
where Miss. Katherine Swick was awaiting me! :D
I hope everyone is doing well and I look forward to seeing
many of you this summer! Take care and big hugs from me! Xoxo
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