I needed to get to Bali badly. As to be expected when you travel solo for five months around a country known for its extremes, India had knocked me for six. It was was hard in every sense and I need to recuperate from my good and 'bad' experiences.
So why Bali? A friend of mine, Yvonne, had raved about Bali to me so it was on my radar to a certain extent but I hadn't actually planned to go there. I have my Yank friend Rebecca to thank for 'sending' me to Bali. I'm a strong believer in that people come into your life for a reason; for you to learn a lesson, tell you something, point you in another direction. Whatever the reason (and there are many) and either way it's up to you to work out why your paths have crossed, learn what you need to learn and move on - some people are around for a short time, others longer. Either way they are there for a reason and sometimes we don't realise the reason until after they are gone. When I met Becs in Auroville during the depths of my nightmare her 'job' - apart from to cheer me up (which she did a very good job of doing) - was to tell me about Bali. And thank the Lord she did!
Bali is without a doubt the best country I have travelled around to date. In my opinion It has it all: the culture, scenery, people, weather, food, atmosphere (admittedly some places better than others) lifestyle. Everything about Bali I love. Of course no country is perfect but for me Bali is as close as it gets.
Bali is where I spent the most amount of time on my own - and I loved it. Hand on heart I truly did. In fact in all honesty I'd never really enjoyed my own company that much before. That said up until Bali I hadn't really spent any time on my own - no matter where I went I always met people. Got chatting and that was it. However that completely changed in Bali. I was really aware of the fact I didn't want any company at all which is most unlike me. Well, not so much cause now I'm like 'I vant to be alone'. Read in to what you will about people who don't like to spend time on their own. Personally I think it's pretty insightful - not happy being by yourself, with your own thoughts or just sitting still for a while? Hmmmm...
In fact Bali is where I really felt I came into my own. Everything I'd learnt on my travels fell into place. I never thought of travelling as finding myself - I thought of it more in the sense of me accessorising. So let's just say I took accessorising onto another level while I was in Bali.
You see for the last 10 months - and I will write about this cause I haven't in much detail as yet - I've been doing some investigation if you will into all manner of approaches, treatments, traditions etc. In areas which I've always been interested in but never had the chance to really look into in any great detail in terms experiencing it directly.
So since I've been travelling I've been privileged to have been taught various meditation techniques - from walking, sitting and lying to Tibetan, Kundalini, Vippassana, Hindu, Reiki (channeling of universal lifeforce energy). Experienced different holistic healing treatments: from Shamanism, Chakra balancing, Balinese/Chinese/Tibetan herbal treatments, Reiki, Balinese spiritual healing. Participated in various types of yoga: Tantric, Kundalini, Hatha, Iyenga, Tibetan, Ashtanga, Sivinanda. I've had my palm and tarot cards and met psychics, chatted and meditated with Tibetan Buddhist Monks, Thai Buddhist Monks, Spiritual Healers, yogis, Hindu spiritual leaders and I've completed Reiki level II so I can actually channel healing energy to others which is a rather nice thing to do for others.
Don't get me wrong. It's not as though I've wandered into every country/village/town, stood there and shouted 'take me to the nearest healer/yogie/monk'. No, no, no, no, noooo. Much better than that. I've literally pumped into these people or they've been introduced to me, we've got chatting - all these 'meetings' have happened naturally which I think speaks for itself and firmly supports me 'people come into your life' belief. To be frank I think it's much better/healthier to think of it in this way rather than we just plod through life for no apparent reason but maybe that's just me. Anyway to say I'm interested in the holistic side would really be an understatement. I'm fascinated.
So I had all this information but hadn't really had the chance to compartmentalise any of it or really work out how or where it fitted into my daily framework. That all change in Bali. It's like somebody turned on the light switch and it all made sense.
I spent the first week in Seminyak where I went for serious beach action. However I made a school girl error and got seriously burnt on the first day - be warned the sun is really strong in Bali. It was cloudy and you are talking to someone who is militant when it comes to the application of sun cream and I never apply anything other than factor 30 to my delicate skin. I was 'scared' of the sun after that so I literally spent my time reading (spent a small fortune in magazines - one thing I do miss about the UK), wandering around the shops - clothes/jewellery are amazing in Seminyak - and practising yoga. My own little retreat. It was great. I stayed at this friendly little guest house called Senen Beach Inn in Legian - I was sold on the porch and shady garden. They guys who ran it where really friendly and sweet and reminded me of Jayson and Sreejith from Skyline in Varkala which just happens to be my bench mark for all future guest houses I visit - a very hard act to follow too.
One of the things I love about Bali is the culture. It's easy for a tourist to think they are the honoured guests in Bali but really it's the gods, ancestors, spirits and demons who are the real honoured guests. They are presented with offerings (see pics above of ready made offerings at the market in Ubud) throughout each day to show respect and gratitude. The gift has to be attractive so each offering is a work of art. They usually consist of flowers, bits of food. The more important shrines and occasions call for more elaborate offerings such as citrus fruits, cooked meat etc. You don't have to worry too much if you step on an offering as many are dotted along the pavements outside shops (but obviously try not to). Usually you see animals eating them but given the belief that gods absorb the essence of an offering instantly, the animals are really getting the leftovers - so everyone benefits! It's so peaceful. The pace of life is really steady and the daily offerings just give the country a really nice feel. I loved it.
I indulged in treatment after treatment: facials, pedi, mani, massage. I took a leap of faith and had my hair cut (usually I don't let anyone other than Ben Cooke touch my hair) - my 'special' hairdresser Baxu at Kudos in Legian did a great job.
I wandered about the shops and sampled the local food and having never really tried Indonesian cuisine before I was pleasantly surprised - it's opened up a whole new territory. It was so good to be able to eat salads again after India and how could I forget my all time favourite fruit - avocado. I was in heaven. Couple of places I frequented while I was in the area were Warung Yogya and Indo National. Brilliant.
I actually planned to stay in the area for three or four days but the pace of life is so laid back I literally couldn't be arsed to move. And to be honest I'm pretty over carting my ruck sack around esp given that I have what could only be called a library of books which I can't sell or swap so I keep them with me as I keep going back to them all the time....so I stayed for a week instead. Finally I managed to get my arse into gear and organise transport to Ubud which is known as the spiritual mecca of Bali....
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