Ah… Bliss!
From the food, the vistas, the people
and the culture- all of Bali seems to elevate everyday life with beauty. It’s
said that Bali is one of the most beautiful places in Indonesia to visit and so
far, I have to agree. These first two weeks we considered “our vacation” so we
took it easy, enjoyed playing together and worked to set our pace to this new
rhythm.
Bali is a favored vacation spot for Australian visitors, so
they have definitely created lots of fun activities catered to tourists. We hit
a fabulous Waterpark (Waterbom Bali) that was a jungle oasis. We also visited the ex-pat favorite-
Finn’s Beach Club. It’s a complex with a trampoline center, water park, bowling
alley, restaurants and beach-side club. We went there twice to relax and take
advantage of the in-house drop-off kid’s club. We’ve also spent lots of time
splashing in the beautiful pools at the nearby resorts and sunset dinners.
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| Caeden is our card shark. We play Uno CONSTANTLY! |
I have to give a shout out to our favorite spot- La Brisa.
It’s like stepping into the Robinson Crusoe story where you can chill, swim,
eat and play. The decor and vibe is ramshackle cool and it brought lots of joy
to my design-loving heart.
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| It’s not a holiday until you’ve had your first cocktail! |
We were spoiled by our villa chef, Mr. Putu, cooking
Indonesian specialties for us when we chose to stay in. Lots of nasi goring
(fried rice with vegetables), pork ribs (Balinese love their pork!) and Thai
pork salad. A favorite of Brent’s is the bebek goring which is extra crispy
fried duck. Yum! I wish I could tell you that the boys were sampling all these
culinary delights as well, but they have been seeking out hamburgers, pizza and
pasta. #keepingitreal
Throughout Canggu, we noticed lots of
little roadside “warungs” or small local-run restaurants with a variety of
dishes that you can buy to either take away or eat at the plastic tables and
chairs. These cater to locals looking for a quick bite. We chose one tucked off
the main road and had a very atmospheric dinner as we watched a thunderstorm
roll in over the surrounding rice fields.
Canggu has a hippie-surfer vibe that is reflected in gorgeous smoothie
bowls and poke. But this is really for the tourists and the expats that live
here. We had lots of conversations with our driver, Mr. Ketut, about Balinese
life, and the Balinese diet is much more simple. Vegetables and rice for three
meals a day and some meat for the main meal. And lots of local fresh fruit- papayas,
mangos, melons, pineapple and fuchsia dragon fruit.
The people we met have made it impossible not to fall in love with Bali. They have been genuine, sweet and open people. They are proud of their culture, and they are happy to share it with anyone who is interested. We also got the chance to visit the Hillsong Bali church on Sunday, which is a satellite of the main Sydney location. It was awesome to get to worship and experience the Spirit in their bi-lingual service. It made us miss our community back at Bainbridge Island and also glad to connect here.
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| Hillsong Bali |
The first two weeks were exactly what we needed to
rejuvenate before we start a more rugged and less glamorous section of our itinerary.
It was the lovely team at the villa, Putu, Nyoman, and Ketut along with all the
Balinese folks we met who made it such a great starting place for our journey!
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| with Putu & Nyoman |
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