Bali

Eat, Pray, LOVE. The “love” part of this book-turned-movie was centered in Bali, which is all the way across the globe from the U.S. I chose to come to this country because one of my high school best friends (Amanda) lived here for 2 years. The time I had planned on visiting was when Covid hit and she had to move home; I’ve always wanted to go since then. Fast forward to 2023, this trip was planned to be experienced with another friend but we ended up going our separate ways while in this foreign country. However, this led to fun solo adventures across the various islands of Bali! I have never felt so unprepared for a trip as I always make detailed itineraries, but I was able to book the hotels when I got there and everything else was figured out on site with the hotel staff. Unlike “Eat Pray Love,” I did not find love per se, but I sure did continue to grow in my love and confidence within myself. Surprisingly, I wound back up in the U.S. at the end of this vacation to a man wearing a suit and holding flowers for me on Valentine’s Day! Maybe Bali did find me “love” after all?

Upon first entering Bali, I knew this country would be a whole new world. The people. The food. The relaxed atmosphere. The jungle plants. Dramatic beach coastlines on Nusa Penida. The temples. These all played a role in the overall feel and culture of the country. Did I already say the people? I am sure I did as the people who make up this country are kind, honest, hardworking, loving, and HAPPY. Pictured below is a young family who ran the first hotel I stayed at in Ubud. The husband was my driver and his wife made all the arrangements. They moved their daughter’s 1st birthday party to the day after I left to accommodate for my travel to the next village. I told them I could find another driver but they said the money I brought in for that drive is more than they normally make in a month so they were thrilled to make that adjustment!

One of my absolute favorite parts of the trip included going to a ceremony at a temple next to my hotel, which was not planned! This hotel was a spa resort on the northeastern coast of Bali, so I thought the constant chanting I was hearing was from the spa. Out of curiosity, I walked to the spa but it seemed like it was from a little bit farther away than on the hotel property. Later that evening when I went to dinner, it was another hotel guest’s birthday who was traveling solo. I talked to her about what she has been up to and she said she was thinking about going to the ceremony after dinner. She then tells me that all the chanting we had been hearing was from the temple! So we made some more friends at the hotel who wanted to see all the happenings, borrowed sarongs from our hotel staff, and joined in the ceremony! At first, we felt awkward and uncomfortable because many of the participants were staring at us as we definitely did not belong there. But, turns out they were staring at us because they were HAPPY we were there! They were even totally fine with us taking pictures of the event and of the gamelan instruments that the men were playing on what seemed to be a large altar. This musical instrument sounded a lot like the xylophone but looked like they were using a hammer which made the sound electrifying. The dancing here was so fun to watch. The men looked like knights from Aladdin, and the women were in beautiful outfits. Since the women had to wear sarongs, the dancing included mostly hip, hand, head, and eye movements. The feet just spun the dancer around in circles or slowly from side to side or front to back. What a cool experience!