Wow, so you made it to my page! You mean I haven’t lost my 9 followers over the four month hiatus i’ve been on?? 😉 Jokes aside, as every human being knows, life gets busy. But i’m back and trying to catch up on our latest trips! If this is your first time checking out my blog (or you forgot who I was), let me introduce myself. Hi, I’m Vanessa. I’m married to a cute US Army soldier and we are currently stationed in South Korea. We love exploring different countries and attempting to cook food from around the world. He’s a straight laced rule follower with a killer sense of humor that keeps me rolling.. And i’m your classic rule breaking thrill seeker that has a fear of heights and a makeup addiction. We LOVE to travel and our goal is to live in as many foreign countries as we can. This blog is a hodgepodge of my thoughts, funny stories, trips around the globe, and pictures to accompany it all. Enjoy 🙂 Or don’t, that’s fine too.

Bali. Almost 6 years ago I got my hands on a copy of Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert. The book was delicious; full of the deep heart ache everyone has experienced in life, but balanced with light hearted self exploration to keep you reading. At 18, it was the perfect motto to feed my adventurous appetite. At this point in time I had already been to both India and Italy. But Bali? That had just popped up on my radar. Shortly after, I saw the Julia Roberts movie version of Eat, Pray, Love and Bali suddenly went from “on my radar” to “top of the list”. Cliche as it may sound, Hollywood and the NY times bestseller list had me sold. Nearly 6 years later, I finally made it happen.

Lonely planet says this about Bali, “The mere mention of Bali evokes thoughts of a paradise. It’s more than a place; it’s a mood, an aspiration, a tropical state of mind.” and we couldn’t agree more. Beaches galore, lush volcanic mountains, coral reefs, breathtaking rice paddies, iconic temples, mesmerizing waterfalls, yoga retreats, and smiling people- yes, it seems Bali does have it all. I think one of the things we loved the most about Bali was the diversity. So much to see and do for every type of traveler, person, and budget. In fact, we loved Bali so much we have talked about going back eventually and LIVING there.

So what do we recommend?

We started our trip by heading north and far away from the hustle and tourists traps of Kuta in the town of Selemadeg located in central Bali. And when I say far away from the tourists I mean it. Far away from even decent sized Balinese towns. Essentially we were in the middle of nowhere and off the grid. We stayed in a large open air bamboo house built and run by a Brit who walks barefoot everywhere he goes, lives in the local village, and pretty much considers himself Balinese at this point.

We set up an all day walking tour of the local village with Simon (brit-turned-balinese) and hiked around the gorgeous rice paddies, thick mountain jungles, the local villages and ended the day with a visit to the local hot springs.

Our local guide taking us through the jungle and on to the next village

Hot springs!

Joe wanted me to note that he is not fat, and in fact has a decent set of abs but this angle makes him “appear” to have many fat rolls. Notice I strategically placed my hand to avoid fat rolls. haha.

Our 2 and half days spent in the rural parts of Bali and at the bamboo house were right out of an adventure book. The breathtaking sunrises and homemade Balinese food made by two local women made our off-the-grid escape just too perfect.

I would SO recommend a quiet retreat to a less touristy part of Bali to EVERYONE. Airbnb.com is a great resource to find the perfect setting. Here is a link to where we stayed- https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/800284 Just be aware that it is an open air house. So don’t expect 5 star resort status. Like, the toilet is non existent.. It’s a glorified hole in the floor. BUT there is a shower with hot water 🙂

Next we set off to Ubud– the hippie jungle oasis of Bali. On our way we stopped at a spectacular waterfall called Nungnung and the impressive Tegallalang rice terrace.

Nungnung Waterfall

It was a bit chilly..

Ubud is the artsy fartsy town of Bali and is known for it’s crafts and dance. Within an hour surrounding Ubud you can find some of the most exquisite temples, cultural land marks, and iconic scenery. Ubud is bubbling with art galleries, international cuisine, fun boutiques, yoga classes, and so much more. In my opinion, Ubud is arguably the best part of Bali and a must do for anyone traveling there. Again, use airbnb,com to find a private villa for as cheap as $20 a night or try agoda.com (or hotels.com) for hotel listings.

Crappy phone pics (I had about 500 far better pictures on an SD card who’s whereabouts can not be determined at this time. I know, I already cried over it.)

We spent our 4 days there riding elephants, watching cultural dances, going to the spa, feeding monkeys, practicing yoga, visiting stunning temples, participating in Balinese Hindu rituals, shopping in the markets, hiking a volcano, and eating our hearts out.

Traditional Balinese Dance

Pura Tirta Empul. The “Holy Water Temple” is one of the oldest and busiest Hindu temples in Bali.

Joe sneaked a pic while we were getting a crash course on the Hindu rituals we were about to partake in at the holy temple.
The rituals consisted of many prayers, meditation offerings, the washing of your hands, face, and body in the holy spring water. As well as drinking it! 

The natural spring water was FREEZING. And there were all sorts of fish swimming around us. It was such a unique and inspiring experience to not only witness the devout locals perform the sacred rituals, but participate ourselves. 

Goa Gajah, the elephant caves

Monkey Forest in Ubud

Don’t let these cute guys fool you. This was taken seconds before this giant decided to rip half my shirt off and a worker came running over with a stick, ready to beat him away. They were vicious. And terrifying. I have a scar from a monkey bite to prove it!  

We hiked Mt. Batur, a volcano and one of the highest points in Bali. We started our journey at  3am to make it in time to see the sun rise. Another awe-inspiring moment of the trip.

And another frigid moment of our almost always warm weathered vacation

To finish off our vacation we headed down south to Nusa Dua for some beach time. Nusa Dua is known for it’s resorts and less-crowded beaches. We managed to book a gorgeous resort that had just opened for a steal of a price and it was the perfect way to end our holiday.

Now every place has to have its downfall right? While I’m sure there are prettier beaches and i’ve heard there are some amazing snorkeling spots, I was pretty underwhelmed by Bali’s coast line. If you want to travel to Bali for a beach vacation, look elsewhere. Thailand and the Philippines are far better options when it comes to jaw dropping beaches. Don’t get me wrong. It was great. But i’ve been spoiled and i’m constantly searching for “jaw dropping” not just great.

Overall, we LOVED Bali. I know a few people who were not impressed and left feeling underwhelmed. I suppose if you expect Bali to be a cross between Cambodia and India with an untouched sort of feel to it than you will be disappointed. Especially if you stay in Kuta. There are lots of tourists. You will not be the only westerner there. They do cater to western visitors. But if you search hard enough like we did, you can find your own rural, authentic Balinese experience. And learn to enjoy the western luxuries that you can’t find in places like India.

Have you been to Bali? Let me know! I’d love to hear about how you enjoyed it. Want to go to Bali and have more questions? Be sure to comment and ask.

Till next time,

xoxo V