I went to Bali!
And I have no words!
Well no that’s not true. Would make me a horrendous copywriter if that were to be true.
So most of you know me as this rigid planner who needs to stick to an itinerary or else all hell will break loose?
Well.
Damn.
Bali you really made me rethink everything I knew to be true in life.
I had never made as many impromptu decisions as I have the last two weeks.
No worries. Spontaneity is my middle name.
No it’s not.
It’s actually Maria.
Day one: Kuta
When I first arrived in Kuta (the one place everyone told me not to go to) it was this weird mix of New Delhi and some other totally new place that I couldn’t quite figure out — it was familiar, but also not?
Does that make sense?
Essentially that first night, do yourself a favor and just eat.
Happy days.
Day two: Kuta beach
This was my day two. My happy place.
See? Happy face.
Day three: Uluwatu Beach
And. This was my day three. Another beach. My other happy place.
(Starting to get the picture?)
Uluwatu’s beaches are quite possibly some of the most “drop jaw to ground”- esque beaches.
I mean.
Look:
Granted you couldn’t exactly swim cause you know tide and the water being too low and all that. And starfish. And. Some other unknown things moving around in the water.
Minor details.
It’s fine.
Day four: Kuta beach (again)
Day four was.. not important. (Fine. I slept until midday and went to the beach for two hours and then wanted to nap again). What was important, however, was night four. We went to Skygarden and had an all you can eat barbecue buffet and all you can drink. Needless to say it was a bit… dangerous. We danced the night away.
Okay well others danced.
I can’t dance.
I swayed awkwardly.
Brilliant night.
My point is, whilst my other trips are mostly dominated by visiting one thing after the next, being in Bali showed me I didn’t have to. I could sleep in as much as I wanted. I could go out and party. I mean I was 24 when I did this trip. What kind of young person would I be if I didn’t party or do reckless things?
I don’t know if I’d do it today. But if you’re up for it, you do you.
Day five: Canggu
The next day we left for Canggu.
Dog on a bike. Cause you know.
When we got to Canggu we did beach. And eat. And nap.
The sand in Canggu is black?! And magnetic?
We went to a bar.
In a fridge.
A fridge.
Felt like I was in Narnia.
Why, for the life of me, can I not find any pictures. Anyway. It’s worth a look.
So. The next couple of days sounded like a broken record you wouldn’t want to fix: eat, beach, eat, Fridge bar, Pretty Poison, Old Man’s.
All bars. All bars worth a visit.
Our homestay in Canggu was so adorable and rustic to the point that we were woken up at 5am by the lovely cry of a rooster.
So I asked the lady of the home why the rooster. And she kept saying “it’s for pighting!”
Coolcoolcool.
Day seven: Ubud
One day we went to Ubud and saw this:
Don’tfalldon’tfalldon’tfall.
We felt it was time to get in some culture (and apparently a work-out — no squats needed after that).
And hot damn.
It was worth the trip.
Ubud I’m coming back for you and you might not be able to get rid of me. Don’t get me wrong, I am not into the whole “Eat, Pray, Love” thing.
But Ubud, you pretty.
Day seven and eight:
These two days we spent wandering around Canggu, bar and homestay hopping.
Day nine through eleven: Gili Trawangan
Then, we ventured to Gili Trawangan. And by venture, I mean it was a literal adventure. I don’t think I’ve quite feared for my life as I did on that boat ride.
Not this boat.
So you know how I tend to get sick on any moving vehicle? Even the boats on the canals in Amsterdam? Well. Apparently my fear of toppling over ‘toppled’ my seasickness. (Ha my wordplay is genius.)
Gili T was… I don’t quite know how to describe it.
The swings in the turquoise blue water were quite literally what you picture when you think ‘paradise.’ (Sorry for the cliché, but the place just brings it out in me. I know.)
We spent our day doing this:
Shameless pictures present.
Oh but Gili T you are a dangerous place as well. If there’s one thing I can tell you about the place, it’s stay away from the local alcohol.
I don’t think I’ve suffered that badly in a long time. My poor liver. I’m sorry for what I did to you.
I did make it out to see the sunset that night though!
Day twelve: Lombok
The next day we went to Lombok on a rather sketchy local boat.
So.
I did not realize that to board this rather sketchy local boat we’d be required to actually walk through the water.
I also did not realize that my running shoes would not be appropriate footwear for the occasion.
…
Anywho!
Lombok was interesting. The drive was beautiful and the scenery was, for lack of a better word, untouched.
Our hostel on the other hand was a tent on stilts.
No, like actually.
We left after a night.
Day thirteen: Kuta in Lombok
The next day we went down to Kuta in Lombok and had the best last day we could possibly have had.
We both sincerely hoped that the volcano would erupt again just so that we did not have to leave.
If there are a few things I learned this trip it’s this:
- stop making itineraries, you’ll never actually stick to them
- the cheapest option is not always the best option
- traveling with strangers for 11 days will result in you having an Indian wedding at some point in the future
- it is totally appropriate to just live in a swimsuit for two weeks straight
- go back as soon as possible
Suggested Lazy Itinerary:
So as you can see, I spent close to two weeks wandering around Bali and Lombok. It was a beautiful trip.
I had used this time to be a young adult: hiking, beaching, swimming, partying.
Now that I’m a bit older I would do this trip a bit differently.
Days one to three: The first few days I’d spend getting used to the time difference, get used to the beach, get used to peaceful life. You should probably stay in Canggu or Uluwatu.
Days four to six:
Spend some time in Ubud. Get a nice place, get fed breakfast in the pool (you know the Instagram pictures I’m talking about), go to the monkey forest.
Days seven to eight:
Canggu. You should actually party it up a bit. Because why not. There is something for everyone.
Days Nine to eleven:
I recommend you going to the Gili islands. You can’t go wrong with any of them. Gili T is more known to be a party island, so if that’s not your speed, then go to one of the other two. The best part? No cars on these islands. Your mode of transport will be a bicycle.
Days twelve to thirteen:
Go to Lombok. It’s beautiful. I haven’t been since the nature troubles, so I’m not sure what it looks like these days, but just keep it in mind as a place to visit.
And there you have it! Your two weeks are filled. Be mindful of all things nature (read: volcano eruptions). But you’ll have a fantastic time and you could use it as a jumping of point to all other parts of Indonesia.
