Bali – Where do I even begin?

 I had been to Bali three years ago and did not like it one, single bit.

Surprising, right? After what the world (and Instagram) has to say about Bali..?

I never wanted to set foot in the place again, because I felt it was supremely overrated, too crowded, and much too popular among honeymooners.

Back then, I wasn’t a blogger. Heck, I wasn’t even a traveler. My idea of ‘travel’ was a ‘vacation’, and let’s just say the two are VASTLY different (do you want me to do a post on that? I could do a post on that. Maybe I will). So my Bali trip back then was nothing too remarkable, and although I did see some lovely places, I returned with a feeling of discontent, thinking that I wouldn’t recommend Bali to anyone.

Over time, I started seeing more of it popping up on my Instagram (as I got more active and started taking blogging seriously), and I realised it wasn’t the place that was at fault. It wasn’t even mine. It was just how it was, because at the time, I wasn’t fully aware of how I’d like to travel, and ended up doing something that didn’t make me happy. I knew right then that this gorgeous place had to be given a second chance, and I had to be given a second chance over there.

And so rolled around my second chance in the summer of 2018.

My quest for finding opportunities to travel got me a beautiful chance to work with a fun brand as an ambassador, the campaign for which was to be shot in, YES, BALI!

Here’s the deal. We are all different. Every place in this world is different. And like cogs of a wheel, we need to fit together and work together for the output to be perfect, but that output is what we craft. It’s up to us to know what we want to do in a certain place, and look for that, else it isn’t going to be fun, and it’ll end up like my first Bali trip!

You know why I say this? Because when I went back to Bali this time, I lost myself. I didn’t want to leave. All I wanted was to stay there, and I KNOW I feel this way about a lot of places, but Bali felt like my soul-city, you know what I mean? I feel like I can actually live there, and be completely at home. Like a comfort zone, but a new one, one that had already started accepting me.

If I were to wander into a world of my musings, I’d float back to Dream Beach, where the sound of the waves crashing and rising high enough to lick my toes while the sun toasted my skin to a golden-honey-brown made me feel like I was in a wonderland where life was at its most organic and peaceful; barefoot living with art and beauty all around me is my ideal life, I think.

I’d cycle through rows and rows of lush rice fields, gently swaying in the wind, as the emerald green surroundings contrast magically against the golden rays of the sun slanting in through the tall coconut trees. I’d sit for hours, surrounded by tropical gorgeousness, and I KNOW that’s what would make me deliriously happy!

I’ve got so many stories from Indonesia (not just Bali, because I went to Java as well), and I want to put together a guide of sorts for you. It won’t be a set itinerary, but it will outline my favourite experiences from there. Like I said, you need to tailor your trip to how YOU want it to be, so that you have the best time ever when you go. And I will recommend what I enjoyed the MOST, and why I did, so that you can plan something amazing for yourself 🙂