To break with the long winter in Europe and get some rest I decided to travel to Bali and find out why everyone raves about this island that became a mecca for Yogis around the world. With the Eat Pray Love / Julia Roberts movie effect I was a bit skeptical whether the island’s authenticity might have suffered from commercialism and overrun by tourists. I was curious and booked my flights.
16hours later we landed in Singapore. From minus degrees in Berlin we embraced tropical humidity and 30-35 degrees, what a change! My boyfriend and I planned to stay 3 nights before heading to Bali. Our room at the New Majestic Hotel in Chinatown was very comfortable and we liked the art deco touch. In the neighborhood around Chinatown we found nice restaurants & discovered the Teahouse Tea Chapter where a tea master guided us through the essence of appreciating different types of tea. The Chinese tea ceremony was quite impressive and from the pictures I could tell that Queen Elizabeth II enjoyed it here too. We got addicted to the sweet dragon rice balls served along as a dessert and skipped lunch.
Singapore has a tropical rainforest climate as it’s located 1 degree north of the equator, and therefore extremely humid. We had read about the TreeTop Walk built in the heart of the city. It sounded like a welcome escape to the bustling city life so we went for a 8km long walk taking us 3 hours. It was really fun and from the bridge you could hardly see the skyscrapers. Next time though we should swap our flip-flops for walking shoes and take more water withs us! Other attractions to see in Singapore: walk around the Gardens by the bay and watch the impressive light and water shows, have a drink at the One Altitude Rooftop bar and enjoy the panoramic views, take a look at the infinity pool on Marina Bay Sands and wander around the Botanic Garden. Before heading to the airport we stopped by the lively neighborhood of Little India with its colorful houses and bustling food markets. The fragrance of spice was everywhere and we tasted some really nice indian food (however totally underestimated the spicy levels!).
From Singapore it’s only a 3hours flight to Bali. I guess I would plan many weekend trips if I was living in Singapore :-)
Known as the land of thousand temples, Bali is Indonesia’s most paradisiacal island with 85 percent of the residents adhering to Hinduism. Our first stop was Seminyak. From Denpasar airport it took us 30min to The Elysian Boutique Villa Hotel. A beautiful balinese retreat. Next morning we woke up in paradise, facing tropical gardens. Our private villa was located only 200 meters away from the beach. I must admit the area of Seminyak is quite popular but still not overcrowded as I had read and feared before. Walking along the endless beach and watching surfers was quite pleasant :-)
I was impressed by the sunset. Everything turned deep red and the tropical humidity seemed to intense the colors even stronger. I shot a dozen of pictures and we had a few drinks at Potato Head, a fancy beach club with good music and a funny crowd.
Next morning we got up early as we had booked a cooking class and drove to the local food market in Denpasar. The variety and flavor of vegetables, exotic food and fish impressed us a lot! We were basically the only tourists amongst locals. A great experience! Out of these fresh ingredients we cooked a tender Beef Rendang according to an authentic balinese recipe. It was a lot of fun and a culinary highlight. I would always do it again as you start to use spices differently and widen your cooking habits and horizon.
Bali has so much to offer. We got to celebrate another magnificent sunset at Pura Tanah Lot - a magic sea temple connecting us to the spirit of this beautiful island. Everyday I felt more and more relaxed and got to understand why so many people say there’s something special about the balinese culture.
On the southern coastline you’ll find Bali’s most spectacular and oldest temple perched on the edge of a high cliff: Pura Luhur Uluwatu. There are many myths about the temple believed to guard Bali from evil spirits. The view on the Indian Ocean is breathtaking! I was really impressed. The temple is inhabited by monkeys and I would recommend to keep your wallet close to you as they are not shy and apparently trained to steal belongings. The area around Uluwatu with its rough waves is a paradise for surfers and thus a popular spot. It’s also well known for its full moon rage parties. Blue Point Beach is a must-see when in Uluwatu.
If you’re looking for a more remote and offside place, then take a look at Alila Villas Uluwatu. It’s one of the most impressive resorts I’ve seen so far. Built on a 100 meter high ocean cliff it offers the most spectacular views of the horizon. The wooden cabana lounge is an architectural highlight. An oasis of serenity. I felt balanced, a zen-feeling moment that I won’t forget.
After a week at the ocean we drove north into the island’s tropical jungle. I had read a lot about Bali’s vibrant cultural beauty and variety of nature and was curious to discover more. Within 2 hours the scenery completely changed. We were impressed by the beautiful landscape. We passed along terraced rice fields, spiritual temples and ended up in the hills where we stayed at Alila Ubud. This place felt so peaceful, we didn’t want to leave. It has the most stunning infinity pool overlooking the jungle and while swimming you can observe monkey families jumping from one tree to another.
Ubud itself is a quiet town of artisans and became a well-known Yoga retreat over the past years. The success of the movie Eat Pray Love where Julia Roberts finds her balance and „joie de vivre“ in Ubud, has for sure contributed to a greater attraction towards travelers seeking for magical places. Bali is indeed a touristic destination, but always worth a trip as its beauty will flash you!!
The people we met during our stay were super friendly and their happiness and contentment touched us a lot. Their traditional dances and plays are a key to the balinese culture and tradition, I would really recommend to get to see one of them.
After two weeks we truly felt relaxed and happy! A paradisiac destination. Next time though I’d like to discover more of Bali’s inland as this time we’ve mainly traveled to well-known places but there’s so much more to see and so many more remote places to discover!
