Making Friends
A totally different experience coming back to Bali. The first time I arrived I was deep in my healing process and grieving with the recent loss of my amazing husband. What I did not realize until this last visit to Bali, is how much I have grown and healed since then.
I have been traveling just under a year now, I have seen so many amazing places, met beautiful people and felt my husband along the way. This time I was in Bali to meet his cousin Tami and her friend Donna but I arrived 2 weeks earlier. At first, I had mixed emotions about coming back to a place I had been, being a creature of habit I figured I would return to the same destinations on the island until Tami and Donna arrived. This did happen, in a way I never could have imagined.
My first night was back in the Lokal Bali Hostel, a place I had been several times before. This time I met a couple of people Jane and Patrick thanks to a young lad named Tonnie who invited me outside to mingle with them. The next day Jane was heading to Canggu a place I intended to also travel to, so we decided to share a cab. I booked at the same place she had found, Surfing Nomad, a small spot just up the road from where I had stayed before. This place was run by a young guy Madi and was filled with the most chill people. Our little group grew as others joined us in Canggu like Corinna, Shane, Rosa and others. We spent several days and nights hanging together, at the beach, out dancing 3am in the pool after a night out. It really was an entirely different experience.
Now last time I was in here I stayed with a family in Kelebang Moding, above Ubud. My Bali sister Wayan invited me to the village cremation ceremony of the priests’ wife. The entire village participates, so I decided to cut my visit to Canggu short and head to Ubud.
Since Jane was heading to Ubud anyhow we decided to go together, Patrick had already gotten there a night before us and Corinna was also staying there. We had an incredible time at the village ceremony, at Pyramids of Chia sound meditation where I felt the growth since my last visit, we even went and saw a Shaman with Shane and Rosa. Which was a unique experience and well worth the $20 USD “donation” As the end of the 2nd week came the group started to go their different directions across Indonesia and I was awaiting the arrival of Tami and Donna.
MY COUSIN ARRIVES
With Tami and Donna, I spent 3 weeks going to new places and having a great new adventure. We stayed in Ubud a few nights and did the tourist thing I had yet to do, we visiting the rive terraces of Tagalalng, went to a resort with hot springs filled with Chinese tourists, we went to a waterfall that did not accomplish the aww inspiring water fall reaction we had hoped for and we went to a water temple that all the tourists went to. Totally one of those days you thought sounded good until you went and it was all touristic.
After we left Ubud we headed to Amed where at least I could get some dives in and hang out at a place I love, Jukung Dive Resort. We drank Arak with the staff after work and had a wonderful visit, but it was a short stay as the 3 of us had plans to island hop.
First stop Gillie Tarawagan, filled with young tourist and bars it didn’t really feel like a place I would come back to, we only stayed one night which was plenty of time to make up our mind. The next day we headed to Gillie Meno where there was no wifi and not really anyone around. I really could have stayed there a week. We snorkeled with the turtles and lounged on the beach sand bags while a local band covered American songs.
Our next stop was Lombok where we stayed in Senggigi a couple nights and then off to Kuta Lombok. Everyone raved about Kuta Lombok and now I know Kuta Bali is a bad place to hang as there are thieves and drug dealers around. Our friends met a guy and decided to go for a swim securing their stuff under the scooter seat only to return to all their belongings being stolen. Her new phone, she was our trip photographer. The best part is she didn’t let that ruin her trip and went on to have a fantastic evening with her new Aussie friend and even rest of her trip. I really took note of her taking it in stride and not allowing such a thing to dampen her fun.
I absolutely love Indonesia, I enjoyed my visits there and learning several dialects from locals happy to share. The food is not my favorite but the scenery is. My initial regret I felt as I arrived in Bali was immediately replaced with gratitude for the trip. The people you meet along the journey are everything in how the journey plays out. I was so very fortunate to meet such a group of great people who to this day are people I call friends as well as getting to spend time with family and create lasting bonds. This trip was a pivot point in my journey of healing. I returned to places I had been before with a heart so much heavier. The Shaman told me that I had strong mind and body but heart was broken. That was what my $20 got me. We all already know that 🙂 Sri Lanka here I come!
I spent exactly 30 days and moved around quite a bit, so the transportation fees are a bit higher and 2 of the weeks I traveled with family so did not stay at any hostels. I did scuba dive and other misc excursions. The total I spent over the 30 days was $1364 which included my flight from Chiang Mai, Thailand. I spent $441 in accommodations, $228 on food, $150 on activities, $106 on gifts and $208 on Misc items including transportation and laundry, internet, groceries etc. (Photo Credits include Donna Rhea, before her phone was stolen)