Bali is one of those magical places where once you visit, you know you will return. This is my second time visiting in three years, and while I thought this might be my last time I now realize I will need to go back again one day. There is an indescribable sense of peace and contentment that one experiences in Bali.  Three weeks into 2020 and I was off to Southeast Asia again with some friends to celebrate my impending birthday (I won’t say the number, since no one asked…and who would? Wouldn’t that be rude? LOL…I digress). I was happy when my friends left Bali with the same feelings I had my first time around. So with that I say- if you EVER have the chance to go to Bali, JUST GO! Do not concern yourself with that abnormally long flight, because really that is the only thing that stops everyone from going there right? This time I connected in Tokyo which put us on a 14 hour flight for the first leg (vs. Qatar, which is only 12 hrs). Listen, I know that sounds crazy to a lot of people BUT if you do it right, you’ll be fiiiiine I swear! What does “do it right” mean? Well, first, you preferably want a night flight so you are tired and can get your 8 hours of sleep (ironically planes are the ONLY place this insomniac can get 8 hrs of straight sleep). If you can sleep 8+ hours, the rest is a piece of cake. If you can’t sleep- watch a movie, watch 10 movies! Eat all of the delicious food they serve and drink all of the free alcohol, you’ll be there in no time! And yes, I understand this is only the first leg, but the second half is nothing after you’ve done 14 hrs! LOL…And a lot of the international airports have showers or lounges where you can get refreshed and get some (more) food, there is nothing better than showering before your next leg!

So back in Bali I was. Last time I had stayed on the most eastern coast in a beach town called Amed, extremely peaceful and sort of secluded but a far drive from the airport and many of the things to do. So now I wanted to stay in the heart of it all, in the jungles of Ubud. The little town of Ubud sits amongst the rolling green rice terraces and is known for its arts and culture. It’s the perfect place to stay for first-timers because it offers many great things to see and do, but also is centrally located so you can explore other parts of the island easily.

Infinity Pool at Villa Jacques

Our villa was beyond exquisite and extremely affordable. Just to give you an idea of just how affordable Bali really is, take this into consideration- I paid $350 for a 5 day stay including morning breakfasts and airport transportation. Not to mention that we had only 4 people staying in a villa that slept 11! If we had max’d it out, we would have only paid $127pp for 5 days!! And there are definitely cheaper places, sometimes I just like to ball out **insert hair flip emoji** LOL. Check out this amazing villa on my Favorite Finds page and you too can live in the lap of luxury!

Our first full day in Bali I spent enjoying the phenomenal infinity pool. There were two! But I didn’t even get to swim in the other one. That evening we traveled to the southern part of the island to watch the Kecak Fire Dance at sunset. Taking place at Uluwatu Temple which sits high on the cliffs of the most southwest coast, it was a truly exciting experience. The Kecak dance is a traditional Balinese ritual where they perform an epic Hindu tale through dance and music (mostly chanting) that keeps you captivated until the sun goes down. It is truly a sight to see as the burning fires rise in the sky and the sun sets below the cliffs. After the performance (and our photo ops with the performers!), we took a short drive to Jimbaran Beach where we enjoyed a seafood dinner on the beach.

On day 3 I visited the Sacred Monkey Forest in Ubud. If you aren’t familiar with it, it’s a forest where about 3000 monkeys roam free. My first time there (3 yrs ago) I really enjoyed playing with the monkeys (babies only, stay away from the big boys) and having them jump all over me, however this time around they seemed a little more…unfriendly. Not aggressive, just not really wanting to hang out with people for photo ops (I’m just being Petty Betty, they are just trying to LIVE and be left alone LOL). Still a fun thing to do when you are there!

After that we hopped on the tourist train and visited the Bali swing! This is the latest Instagram craze, which you can see by how many swings are all over Bali now. There are several versions of this all over the island, I suggest doing your research to see the differences. I personally enjoyed the experience at Aloha Swing where you can swing over rice fields or perch in a nest for a really cool photo op. My favorite things about Aloha where the beautiful long dresses they had available for rent, the variety of swings, and the extremely talented staff who took amazing photos AND even taught this photographer a cool little trick! Seriously they were amazing! Unfortunately for us it started pouring after our first swing so we missed out on the nests (WAH!), which just means I need to come back **shrugs**. If you do go to Aloha Swing, be sure to stop in the restaurant. The food there was delicious and affordable.

In the 15 minutes it took us to get back to our villa, the rain had stopped. We decided to use our new found free time to explore the neighborhood. We hadn’t gotten more than a few feet when we heard the vvvroommm of a bike and someone yelling “Miss Jackie! Miss Jackie! Are you okay??” We turned to find our house manager, Wayan, who had just gotten done work at the villa. She thought we were lost (so sweet!). I told her we were just out to explore. She invited us to visit her family home, which was conveniently across the street from our villa. In Bali, families usually live together in a sort of compound. They have a shared courtyard/temple, but each has their own house. It was so lovely of Wayan to welcome us into her home and introduce us to her extended family. THIS is why people love Bali, because of the PEOPLE of Bali. So hospitable and friendly, you instantly feel like family. After a nice chat and a couple of attempts at photos, we thanked them and said our goodbyes.

Wayan & her family

The next morning we arose with the rooster to set out on an adventure. Unfortunately one of my friends was plagued with Bali belly (this is why I always come prepared with antibiotics and tummy meds!), so she stayed behind. Today we were going to truly embrace the Balinese culture and learn the art of meditation. We wanted a spiritual, traditional Bali experience and we found it on Airbnb.

Side note: Did you know that you can find AMAZING (and affordable!) things to do for your destination under the “Experiences” option on Airbnb? I highly recommend you check it out. There are so many cool things to do, often with locals, which makes it that much more special.

So that is how we got to meet our (now) very dear friend and meditation guru Wayan. We still keep in touch and are blessed enough to still mediate with him from the other side of the world (don’t you just love technology?!). If you are ever in Bali, please do not hesitate to spend the day with Wayan. Check out my Favorite Finds page for the link to his experience. I promise you it will be life changing.

On this final day before we left for Thailand Wayan greeted us with the biggest, warmest smile when he picked us up on our villa. We instantly felt comfort. Wayan was going to teach us about his culture and also about meditation. Just a quick side note: Wayan has the coolest accent that I did not expect to hear in Bali. He sounded English! In Bali! He said he has a “country” accent because of the part of Bali he is from. I just loved when he said my name [Jac-Kay]…but, again, I digress.

Wayan took us to his home and temple. He taught us about the daily life of the Balinese and how important prayer and meditation are to them. Everywhere you look in Bali you will see temples, many are famous like Pura Besakih (the holiest temple of them all) but there are also private ones like this one belonging to Wayan’s family. The majority of people practice Balinese Hinduism with only a small population practicing Islam or Christianity.

Next we learned how to make a sacred offering. You will see a lot of canang saris, or offerings, on the streets and around Bali. Offerings are little handwoven baskets (the size of your palm) made of palm or banana leaves filled with flowers, often a bit of food, and usually topped with a burning incense. When placed in an offering each color of flower represents a different God, the bit of food represents selflessness, and the smoke from the incense carries the prayer up to the Gods. These are placed on the grounds outside of shop entrances, below statues, in or around temples, pretty much everywhere as part of their daily morning ritual. This tradition symbolizes their gratitude to the Gods and a wish for peace in the world. It is a beautiful thing to see how dedicated the Balinese are to their religion. It should be noted that if you do see these offerings around Bali, please try to refrain from stepping on them as that can be a sign of disrespect. 

Once the offerings were made, Wayan cleansed our hands and placed a few grains of rice in the center of our foreheads. In Balinese Hinduism, rice stands for life. So putting the rice on your forehead not only symbolizes the third eye but shows gratitude to the Gods for life (and rice). Wayan guides us through a beautiful meditation, which gave us the peace and happiness we sought in coming to Bali.

I will try to share a lesson we learned that day, though I will not say it as beautifully as Wayan did. In life, we all experience good and bad. Good things will happen to you and bad things will happen to you. Most of us feel pain when bad things happen and we feel great when good things happen. Life is always up and down. If you can learn to be a witness of these things instead of being attached to these things, there is where you can find true peace. ACCEPT the things that happen…go with the FLOW…and SMILE through it all, because this too shall pass. Even through pain, ACCEPT ~ FLOW ~ SMILE, because from pain comes beauty. Meditation helps you stay in this peaceful space. After our mediation, we participated in a prayer and placed our offerings on the altar.

Before we departed, I asked Wayan about the doorways that are seen all over Bali. Decorating the entrances of many temples are candi bentars, or split gates, where the outside world and holy grounds meet. They look like a flat, elaborately decorated or intricately carved stone wall, that was split in half and pulled apart. Leaving an entranceway in between the two walls. He explained that they symbolize your hands in prayer, one side representing all of the good and the other representing all of the bad, with an open space in between. If you can remain in that space in between, that is where you will find true peace and happiness.

Pura Lempuyang (“Gates of Heaven”)

Maybe these lessons help explain why the Balinese are some of the happiest, friendliest, and most peaceful people I’ve met in all my travels. I’ve always felt safe here and when you meet the people of Bali, you will see why. This spiritual encounter showed us the true essence of this wonderful island. I am forever grateful to have met Wayan and to have shared this experience with my amazing friends, days before a monumental birthday and just weeks before the world erupted in chaos.

Our day was not done though! Next Wayan took us to an adventure park where they had Bali swings, Luwak coffee, and tons of other fun activities. I wanted my friends to try the famous Luwak coffee, one of the most expensive cups of coffee in the world (if you are not in Bali). Please do not be alarmed when I say what I’m about to say, but technically this is poop coffee. An animal called a civet eats the coffee beans then poops them out (sounds gross- I KNOW!), the beans are then go through an extensive wash before being dried and roasted. Yes, it is safe to drink! I’m no coffee connoisseur but it is a delicious, smooth brew. When in Rome, right?!

We didn’t participate in an activities, so after some souvenir purchases we headed home. We had planned to explore more of the island that afternoon, but rain infringed on our loose plans. We took it as a sign we should pack for our departure from Bali the next day. I didn’t mind the rain so much, it gave us time to relax before the busy travel day ahead.

So here’s a question: How do you get 4 girls up (and pretty) at 6am sharp during vacation when they have 8 hours of travel ahead?

Answer: Have a photo shoot at a phenomenal infinity pool in the jungles of Bali! Duh

After all, when will we experience this breathtaking pool and view again?! We spent our morning posing poolside until it was time for our last plate of delicious Nasi Goreng. We thanked the amazing staff at Villa Jacques for an unforgettable stay and for taking such good care of us (check them out on my Favorite Finds page!). This experience was more than I could have dreamed and I will forever cherish it.  The next part of our adventure was about to begin…

The staff at Villa Jacques

We had no idea what 2020 was about to bring in the coming weeks, what was happening in the world as we danced around Southeast Asia, and how much our lives would change as we returned home…

But off we go…on possibly our last vacation this year and we didn’t even know it…look out Krabi, here we come!