Beautiful Bali

Exploring Bali

Respond to every call that excites your spirit

-Rumi

 Hi Friends!

One of my favorite places I have ever been to is Bali! I traveled to Bali in May of 2017 and I was there for about a month. I met a friend over there and we both had a wonderful time! I want to take the time to describe what we did in each location that we stayed at because we were all over and really got to experience all of the different sides of Bali. 

When I arrived we stayed at Sun Island, a hotel in Seminyak. Seminyak is known to be touristy and full of night life. My friend and I walked along one of the beaches there and learned how to surf as well! We also experienced some of the night life. One of the big night life spots to visit is a place called Potato Head. Seriously, look it up because the view is stunning and the waterfront view with the walk up pool bar could make for the perfect romantic or party setting. 

One of the highlights while in Seminyak was a massage. We started and ended our session with lemongrass tea (so good) and I found the whole experience to be quite relaxing. The great thing about massages in Bali is that they are super cheap and you can always count on locals to ask if you want a massage. Haggling in Bali is very popular and how most deals are done, which at some point can get annoying since you cannot really escape it. 

On the following day we went to Thomas Beach, which was beautiful and some what quiet compared to some of the other beaches. We had lunch later that day at a cliff bar restaurant that had one of the most stunning views of the ocean, waves, and surfers. Apparently, other people feel the same way about the view and such because weddings are held there in a chapel that is right there on the cliff. It was beautiful. 

Our next stay was in Ubud, where we airbnb’d a private villa with our own private pool. Airbnb is the way to go when traveling because you can find amazing places for good pricing. Anyway, while in Ubud, which is known to be more spiritual, serene, and natural, we hiked up a volcano mountain called Butar to watch the sunrise. The walk started with a wake up call at 2am and included a yummy breakfast of a hard boiled egg, a banana, and bread. You had to be careful because the local monkeys are very smart and would take your breakfast right off of you if they got the chance. This trekking tour is a must if you are in Ubud and one I will not forget!

Speaking of monkeys, while in Ubud we went to the monkey forest where we could have watched the monkeys all day! They are so smart and super entertaining. After talking my friend into it, we fed the monkeys bananas. To do this you hold the banana up high and the monkey leaps onto you and makes its way up your body to get to the banana. It was quite the experience and don’t even think about hiding bananas from them because they will dig and find them. :) 

Bali is a very religious place and one of the traditions that the locals do is place offerings outside of their homes or businesses to give to the Gods. The offerings consist of flowers, pieces of food from the night before, and whatever else they decide to put into the bamboo trays. Since Bali is so spiritual and such my friend and I wanted to stop in at least one temple to see what it was like. We went to The Palace and saw the beauty in structure and gardening. Some of the temples we could not go in because one must be properly covered. 

After staying in Ubud we traveled back to mount Batur to stay near the water and natural hot springs. Our little cottage for the night was nothing glamorous, but it had everything we needed and was quite cozy and a fun experience. We pretty much closed down the natural hot springs because we were the last ones there and I am pretty sure all of the workers had gone home too! The natural springs were right next to the water and we had a lovely view of the moon that night while soaking our bodies in the warm water after our long hike the day before. 

The next day we hopped on our scooter, had complimentary breakfast from the locals, and headed to our next place of stay in Sanur. Along our long ride we stopped to try the famous Luwak coffee. The Asian Palm Civet eats the chosen cherries that pass its digestive tract and the beans are then cleaned and processed into the famous Luwak coffee, which is also mentioned in the movie The Bucket List. The coffee I must say is alright but nothing too exciting. We enjoyed some of the other teas and coffee that was provided during our tasting. 

Sanur is a quiet beach place with fewer tourist. I found this part of Bali to be more chill and I loved our time there. The beach was a short 5 minute walk from our place and we stayed in an airbnb private room that was located next to a newly opened restaurant, which was owned by the owners of our place. In Sanur we went to the beach, had a relaxing breakfast by the beach, met a 69 year old kite surfer, and laid out on comfy chairs tanning while we watched all of the water sports taking place. I loved our time just relaxing and taking in every moment. 

The next morning before heading to our next and final place of stay, we went to breakfast at Soul in a Bowl, which I highly recommend to anyone in the area! The food was amazing and the presentation was urban and simple. Bali breakfast is one of my favorites because you could go anywhere and you could guarantee that there would be a selection of fresh juices, coffees made multiple ways, and wonderful tasting fruit bowls with granola, coconut, and all of the works! 

Our final stay was in Uluwatu probably our favorite place out of all of them! Uluwatu is a very chill area, spread out, and filled with surfers from all over. The beaches there are great for not only surfing but laying out, getting together with friends at local beach bars, or watching some of the most stunning sunsets. While in our private villa we met a couple staying in the room next to us that is from Long Island NY, what a small world it is, and we spent many nights hanging out with them. We truly had such a great time getting to know them. 

Single Fin is a surfers bar that is located right on the edge of a cliff overlooking the ocean. On Sunday’s two DJ’s battle each other and we had a great time there every time we went.

On my final day in Bali we all rented out a boat to spend the day on the water in Sanur. We started the day off swimming with manta rays, which apparently are rare and hard to find. Manta rays look similar to stingrays, but they are much bigger and have huge whole like mouths. It was quite the experience and another one I will never forget. 

Some of the guys went spearfishing and caught our lunch for the day. After the fish were caught we went to a private beach where the locals cooked up the fish and we had quite the feast. The view was spectacular and seeing how the locals prepared the fish was interesting and fun. We had a great day on the water! 

Bali was so so beautiful and if you ever get the chance to go you definitely should! This was an amazing trip and I cannot wait for all the adventures ahead. 

Thanks for reading friends if you want to know more or have any questions please reach out! 

In love and light!

Shelby