While you read, feel free to listen to this audio clip to take in the sounds that were surrounding me during my trip. Today it’s the sounds of our tour guide Sana, leading us in chanting along to a Balinese song. Listen until the end for a sweet message
I’m back from my travels and am slowly feeling like a person again with a regular sleeping schedule! I wanted to slowly re-enter my Creating Spirals space with what I loved about the respective places I visited. This post is specifically on Bali, next week I’ll do a list on Kyoto! This email is cut off since it’s long, so you can take a look at this post in a more visually appealing way at creatingspirals.substack.com
UBUD, BALI, INDONESIA & SANUR, BALI, INDONESIA
Things i loved -
The countless flowers that attacked my head as they fell from the trees
The infectious most widest smiles I’ve ever seen come from Balinese people
This outdoor shower moment I had in my private villa
On a similar note - how affordable it is to spend a day in your own villa like I did the morning before a week of adventures started
Everything/every tradition has intention and a purpose behind it. In Bali, there is a Silent Day where no one is allowed to work, make noise, go outside, or expose light from their homes to the outside world. This is their new year, their day to reflect on the past year and what they hope to bring and do in the upcoming year.
The lack of fear I felt while canyoning thanks to the adventurous and free spirit of the guides. I jumped off a 15ft cliff without hesitation!
2 words: penis figurines. Shoutout to Mama Julia for giving me an option of a free gift after talking to her about why I was brown (lol I think she was confused how a foreigner looked like they could be from there) and how she looked like my grandma. Apparently there are a ton of penis figurines to represent how people with penis’ flock around because of a story of a man who left his family to fool around with other people. Tourists enjoy the figurines so a ton of them are sold across the island
Greenery and lushness seems to grace every corner of the island
Our guide, Sana, was a major highlight of the trip. He showed us his home of Bali and immersed us in all the information and culture that makes it so special. We also got to see him climb a pole during one of our classes 😆
Being alongside over 20 other femmes who came on this trip for different reasons, but with the collective passion for movement
The children wear the cutest school uniforms equipped with red and white caps to protect themselves from the harsh sun. They would wave at us as we rode behind pickup trucks
How much of a motorbike province Bali is. You can’t help but put full trust in the drivers as they navigate the narrow roads and lack of road rules
This rice cake with pumpkin was one of the best foods I had there
Coconut trees and kites galore
The artistry and craft of the elders. Bali is filled with artists and I passed by many shops that has intricate handmade wood pieces
For a small island, there’s an endless amount of details to notice
The sounds of the rough sweeping in the early mornings
The sun-filled pole studio I had the privilege of dancing in with 22 other lovely femmes
The emphasis on balance, happiness, tradition, gratitude, and celebrating full moons, while honoring that darkness exists simultaneously
The use of the word “naughty”, “sexy” and “innocent” in a non-creepy way. I saw “innocent drinks” in a menu instead of saying non-alcoholic drinks
How Balinese people are such jokesters. They have the cute and sweet silliness of children
The smell of incense and offerings sprawled across pavements, windowsills, and anywhere else you could think of
The natural soundscapes of the geckos, rain, and cicadas that I woke up to every morning instead of the artificial ones I’d have to search up on my phone if I were back home
The temperature of the water while paddle boarding was perfect. I couldn’t help but take breaks to dip my feet in the water and take in the view of the island and enjoy the clear waters in hopes to spot a sea turtle
I’m so grateful for how welcoming every Balinese person I met was and for the people I got to hang out with for a week (even if I was just listening in on conversations because my social battery was too low to even form sentences). I have a more thorough recap on my Instagram stories Bali highlight if you want to see other moments from the trip. I also plan to share more on my Wednesday post cause I have HUNDREDS of photos and videos 😉