Bali - Indonesia
Kuta, Uluwatu, Ubud, Mount Batur, Amlapura - Grandmas Plus Hotel, Argya Santi Resort, The Wayan House, Vanara Sugriwa Backpacker, Juli House, Batur Happy House, Villa Santai - 18/06 > —/07

Destination: Bali… I’m in Bali baby!!

- The boy arrives in Bali, listening to “Good Life” by One Republic as I glide through the rice fields and palm trees on my motorbike. A destination that wasn’t on my radar but with it being so close to Australia, it seemed fitting that I checked in for a few weeks.

- I stayed in Kuta for a few days to find my feet and hire a scooter, this town was very western, from the restaurants to gift and clothes shops.
- The roads are narrow in Kuta and there is too much traffic on the roads, it is literally what you see on social media, queues for miles. Scooters riding on the pavements are more common than ever in my previous destinations, we’re talking 5-10 minutes straight of riding on pavements!
- Next up was Uluwatu towards the south, this area was spectacular with its beach clubs, surfers, rice fields and palm trees, I enjoyed watching the pros ride waves as I sipped on coffee and tucked into Nasi Goreng - a traditional fried rice dish.
- I hit the gym a few times but the number of influencers with fake lips or on steroids was a little intimidating, they’re just not my kind of people and that’s okay.
- Ubud next, a more cultured, relaxed, and “spiritual” town, where people go to “find themselves”, at this point I just wanted to meet some normal people and have a good time! and that’s what I found. I met two guys in my hostel room, Fabio from Switzerland and Lukas from the Netherlands, oh the adventures we were about to endure!
- We attended a meditation class, going by the name of “The ultimate sound healing”, where we lay down in a room full of mattresses, your given a pillow and blanket and told to relax/meditate while the guide plays various percussion instruments. We all really enjoyed it and discussed the different effects had on us. A bite to eat was necessary before heading on to the next activity.
- We got our feet wet at the holy cleansing fountains for some ritual purification, a pretty sweet experience! You pray, wash your face three times, wash your mouth three times and then your head, the water is freezing cold haha! it was a laugh though. We hired a guide to talk us through the history and how to perform the ritual correctly, he goes by the name Dewa, a cool guy who spent his afternoon and evening with us.
- From here, Fabio went up to Amed to scuba dive, and Lukas went to the Gili Islands before heading to Australia, hopefully, I’ll catch up with them at some point.
- I drove east to the base of Mount Batur where I took a 4x4 jeep halfway up the mountain and then hiked the remainder before sunrise, again the guides here were awesome, they sourced drinks and a banana sandwich from the many small food huts at the top, true heroes. I entrusted them with my Sony camera and they took some epic photos of me, I definitely appreciated it.
- The final town I chose to visit was Amlapura on the very east of the island. When driving to and around both Mount Batur and Amlapura; two towns that tourists don’t tend to visit, it brings me to say that I am utterly speechless at the sheer natural beauty of this island. I was able to see small villages and temples where locals live, the shops they trade from and the fields they work on, see kids ride the same scooter as me up and down the streets with their friends on the back, and finally.. rice fields as far as the eye can see; an uncountable number, yet a tourist attraction you have to pay to view in the previous towns I visited. I loved being able to see normal Bali without all the tourism and commercial buildings.

- On a more personal level, I have to add that my time in Bali has been tainted as during my visit I’ve had this banging question in the back of my head regarding my future, “What am I going to do about for my career?”, It’s hindered my experience here for sure, having me not want to socialize or party to stay focused and solve the problem.
- My options are, to go to Australia and work in engineering/technical/health & safety, and shoot wedding/real-estate photography on the side, or continue my travels in Asia and become a digital nomad, YouTuber etc.
- The former is a safer, more traditional option, but the latter could skyrocket financially if I succeed… but it’s an area I have no experience in, I have all the gear with me to vlog, including my drone and 360° action camera… Time will tell.