I first visited Bali when I was in my early twenties, more than three decades ago. A group of friends had gone, and based on their accounts and photographs, it seemed to be the closest thing to heaven that could be found.
I traveled on my own for the first time, and it really seemed like I was in a tropical paradise! I experienced a plethora of wonderful experiences and activities, as well as met some incredible individuals.
As the years passed by so fast, I assumed I’d return at some point, albeit I mostly traveled to locations I’d never been before rather than returning to areas I’d already been before. Bali, on the other hand, stuck with me, and I even considered retiring there at one point.
As a result, I traveled to a variety of other destinations across the globe, and Bali ultimately faded from my memory until another buddy began to rave about it on a regular basis.
And every time she brought it up, I felt jealous, as if she had been so fortunate while I had been less fortunate. That is, until one day when she brought it up again, and it dawned on me that “I can go, too!” A terrible period in my life occurred at that time.
My mother had just passed away, and I was embroiled in a violent family feud with my sister. My mental, physical, and spiritual well-being had been sapped. I wasn’t feeling great. And I realized that going to Bali was perhaps the finest thing that could have happened to me:
I returned to Bali in order to recuperate and rediscover a feeling of self-awareness. And that’s precisely what I ended up doing. I began my journey in a beautiful retreat in Canggu, Desa Seni, where I met healers and great people, as well as found the peace I needed to begin my journey.
Then I went to Ubud, stayed in gorgeous scenery just at Alam properties, met more people who truly changed my life, and proceeded with the healing process. I fell in love with the place so much that I returned less than a year later and met my wonderful friend and driver, who is both the face of and the encouragement for my new business.
Bali, in my opinion, is the ideal destination where you can find everything. Like anything else, really. Astonishing beaches, incredible surfing spots, quietly hidden islands, extremely touristy cities, incredible food, waterfall sliding, cool aqua parks, abandoned planes, cool nightlife, great mountain hikes, incredible people, and an incredible diversity of hidden spots are just a few of the highlights.
On living in Bali, I wrote a little more about it here. It is unquestionably a destination that offers something for every kind of tourist, as well as countless options for discovery.
The dry season, which runs from April to October, is the best time to explore the area. In general, everyone and everything is packed. It is recommended that you come during Ganesh Chaturthi so that you may participate in Ganesh Visarjan. When you arrive in Ubud, Ganeshji may be seen on the walls of every restaurant, hotel, and business you visit.
Kopi Luwak, the world’s most expensive coffee, is really a coffee. The Asian palm civet consumes coffee cherries and digests them (via fermentation). They gather the excrement, roast and put it in a skillet, and then sell it to other customers.
They have a coffee farm with a range of coffee varieties, and it can be claimed that they are attempting to hybridize the tastes. Personally, as a coffee drinker, I thought the flavor to be abysmally bad. However, firsthand knowledge is invaluable, so give the ‘cat poop coffee’ ago.
It is possible to live in either the busy southern part of the city or the quieter northern part of it, life is simple and that is what I like about it, you can rent a full house, an apartment. Or just a one-room studio, drive a car or a tiny scooter, eat at a big fancy restaurant or just from a food cart at the roadside, and guess what, no one will judge you based on your lifestyle, there is plenty to do in your spare time, shopping is good.
