5 Days in Heaven // Bali
- Mia Tortolani
- Apr 23, 2017
- 2 min read
WOW. Do you ever visit a place, look around, and think: "This place is going to be important in my life. Maybe not right now, but someday." Not quite? Well, I did. One hour into our trip to Bali and I knew I'd be back later in life (even if it's the last thing I do).
Days 1-2: Ubud
We started our trip haggling the price of a taxi at the airport from 650,000 IDR to 300,000IDR (and I still think we overpaid). Our frustrations were quickly forgotten as we glued our eyes to the window for the entire hour-long drive... sensory overload: beautiful hills, mountains in the distance, temples everywhere, and so much more! We got picked up by our lovely Airbnb host and driven through the rice fields to the house, which took our breath away. Definitely the best Airbnb I've ever stayed at and perfectly tucked away from the busy Ubud center.
After getting settled, we wandered our way through Ubud, looking for Yoga Barn and the Arts Market. We didn't find Yoga Barn, but we ended up stumbling into Sayuri Healing Food, our obsession (we couldn't stop coming back!). Get the smoothie bowls and coffee, you won't regret it!
Days 3-5: Nusa Dua
After our two (sweaty) days in Ubud, we started the 2 hour drive with the BEST driver. Along the way he pointed out various temples, told us all about Balinese culture, and gave us a quick Hinduism-101 lesson. We got to the beach and were immediately greeted by the ~Manila Girls~ with hugs and beers. We spent our days watching sunrises, biking along the beach, and swinging on hammocks... absolutely the vacation I needed from the crazy day-to-day of Saigon.
Huge highlight of our trip: the sunrise hike up Mount Batur, surprisingly more difficult and unbelievably more beautiful than expected. Hiking in pitch black with a flickering little flashlight, we didn't realize until the sun came up how rocky and STEEP that damn volcano was. Eating banana sandwiches at the top as the sun broke the horizon: a forever kind of memory. (Click through the pics below for some more)
It's no surprise that people go to Bali to "find themselves" (@Julia Roberts). I've never been in a place so serene, calm, and loving than Bali. So excited to have already found my mid-life crisis vacation destination already!
Jokes aside, this trip was the centering, reflective environment and space I needed from Saigon to really start processing and appreciating the whole abroad experience, in its sweaty, hectic perfection.
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