Our Bali Vacation, part 1

We arrived in Bali in the late-morning of August 31. Navigating the airport was fairly easy; even going through customs was easier than expected. To travel to Indonesia, you need to register ahead of time, so we had a QR code ready to go indicating we'd paid the fee and had the correct travel documents. Customs scanned our code and waved us through.

We took a Grab to Ubud, which was a two hour drive. We'd rented a "chalet" through AirBnB that had outstanding reviews, and the moment we stepped onto the property, we understood why. The cabin was a spacious one-bedroom with a beautiful view of the jungle, a private pool, and multiple outdoor seating areas. The entire bathroom opened up to the garden. I had never stayed anywhere like it, and it was truly magical.

Our host, Dewi, lives on the property as well, and her staff provided us with breakfast every morning. They were very accommodating of my diet (Dewi herself also eats gluten free), and we felt very well cared for during our entire stay. 

September 1

A few people from Matt's paddle team had also decided to visit Bali before heading back home, so we met them to explore the Abian Desa Rice Terrace. We got there shortly after a harvest, so it was less green than we expected, but still beautiful.

Photos really don't do it justice—the shelves of the terraces are so aesthetically pleasing. 

After the terraces, we had lunch, went back to our place to rest for a bit, and then went back out for dinner. I was finding that the Find Me Gluten Free app was pretty useful in Ubud, at least in the city center where the bigger, more touristy restaurants are. We were staying outside the city center, so there were a few local restaurants that were a little more dicey, but I was able to get through the entire trip without incident.

September 2

We explored the Ubud Palace and Ubud Market, which was incredibly overwhelming (busy) and also underwhelming (tawdry). I had expected to find a lot of locally made art there, but the booths were so similar to American flea markets that I was unimpressed. I also hate haggling, especially when I feel like I can easily pay the asking price.

With Matt's friend Ernie's help, I successfully got myself a silk kimono and a painting for our gallery wall. After the market, Matt and I went to the Ubud Water Palace. Bali is an incredibly spiritual place, a Hindu holdout against the spread of Islam that overtook the rest of Indonesia. Matt and I found ourselves constantly tiptoeing around offerings that were left on the ground everywhere. These temples and palaces are ubiquitous in Bali, and they are still active for locals, but many of them allow tourists in certain areas.

I really enjoyed being surrounded by the culture and spirituality of the Balinese people during our entire stay. The province is poor, but the byproducts of poverty we see in the States weren't an issue. The province is poor, but doesn't feel unsafe. Everyone we met was so helpful and kind, and they clearly had a lot of trust in their neighbors.

The most refreshing coconut soft serve at Tukies.

After the water palace, we did a little shopping (I picked up crystals for Melissa and myself) and had the most delicious coconut ice cream. 

September 3

Our first big excursion outside of Ubud was to Taman Beji Griya Waterfall, a sacred waterfall temple that opened to the public in 2018. This waterfall temple is known for its purification ritual, and it surprised me that Matt suggested we visit it because he's not really into woo-woo stuff. Of course, he came back to earth the morning of and got cold feet about going, but I told him we'd committed and we were going to do this thing.

The experience was pretty cool, even if you're not a believer in spiritual things. As you go through the temple, you leave an offering at various statues of gods, and our guide explained what each god is known for and what we should ask for as we placed our offerings—gratitude, health, a prayer for family, etc. 

Going under the waterfalls themselves was intense. At the first one, you scream out any negativity you're carrying inside; at the second, you laugh to welcome joy and good luck into your life. I'd never gotten to scream at the top of my lungs, so that was fun, but laughing uproariously on command was very strange and ridiculous.

After the waterfall, we reached the final statue and drank from an ancient stream.

I didn't feel purified at the end, but like I did after the luau in Hawaii, I felt grateful for being able to experience another culture and moved by the ritual.

September 4

Our first three days in Bali were a whirlwind of adventure, and Matt and I were ready to spend a day doing nothing except laying by the pool and reading. We booked a 90-minute couples' massage through Dewi and didn't even have to leave the AirBnB. And with that, our trip was halfway over.

Stay tuned for part two.

Ali