Looking back at my pictures from Bali, it seems yesterday that I was in the Island of God, curiously wondering around the streets of Ubud, practising yoga at the Yoga Barn, eating vegan food and breathing that incense that accompanies every corner of Ubud. I still feel the excitement after I left the office on that cold and typical rainy afternoon in London knowing that, instead of catching the usual train back to the city, I was going to the airport to catch my flight to Seoul and then to Denpasar. Oh I wish I could be boarding that flight again right in this second!!
As soon as I arrived at the airport I couldn’t stop smiling, I was thrilled and excited, this was going to be my first solo travel experience: 10 days by myself in one of the most fascinating countries in my “must-visit-soon” list: BALI.
The plan was simple: immerse myself in photography, spoil myself daily (actually even more than once a day!) and let my Bali Dream Board come true. Before embarking in each of my trips I spend weeks reading blogs and forums before finalising my MUST SEE, MUST DO and MUST EAT list, in order to get to know the culture as much as I can, even if it’s just for a short period of time.
This time my dream board encompassed all kinds of things! After all, that’s the best part of travelling by yourself. You can do whatever your heart desires, stay hours in just one place or do the opposite, see a million of things in just a couple of days, trying to optimize the time to spend in a country, which by the way it’s exactly what I did.
YOU CAN'T WASTE TIME SLEEPING WHILE IN BALI.
And, unbelievably, that’s the only place where my alarm clock was set very early in the morning (7am or so) and I still managed to wake up at impossibly crazy times, such as 5am or 6am. Always happy, not tired at all and especially ready to explore the island with a 10kg backpack with me full of lenses, two cameras, a tripod, water, towels (it was boiling hot) and my inevitable moleskine. Go figure..
My plans were the following:
1) Spoil myself daily (!) --> The secret? Mango or Papaya juice every morning for breakfast;
2) Stay with a Balinese family, possibly near the rice paddies --> Nirwa's Guesthouse
3) Get to know the locals and learn about their culture and traditions;
4) Stay in a luxury hotel with an infinity pool (oh yeah!) --> Puri Wulandari Boutique Resort & Spa
5) Try all kinds of massages;
6) Enjoy life, be curious and get inspired;
7) Practise Yoga and meditation --> Yoga Barn
8) Relax and read some books;
9) Stay in a place by the beach and fall asleep listening to the sound of the waves --> Rock 'n Reef
10) Eat all kinds of Balinese food --> Lobong Cooking Class
11) Visit the temples;
12) Wonder around the rice paddies;
13) Visit a children school;
14) Attend as much ceremonies as possible;
15) Visit a Balinese healer;
16) AND, above all, do a photography reportage of the country and of the Balinese people, trying to capture their culture, their colours and the positivity, balance and happiness that distinguish them from many other countries in the world.
Below you can find a wide selection of the pictures from my 10 days trip to Bali. If you would like to jump straight to my MUST SEE, MUST DO, MUST EAT list you can read this other post: http://robertafacchini.wordpress.com/2014/08/10/bali-travel-guide-must-do-must-see-must-eat/
For the curious travellers, this was my itinerary:
11th October – Flight from London – to Seoul – to Denpasar with Malaysian Airlines. [The best airline I had the pleasure to fly with. Exceptional customer service and a wide selection of food with three options menu and tuns of movies. Above all, they made me fall in love with the afternoon snacks: slice of pizza and ice-cream, c’mon! I'm Italian, I couldn’t ask for more...]
12th October - Late arrival in Denpasar (1am), I went straight to Ubud with a taxi from Nirwa's Guesthouse (cheaper option), exactly in the middle of the rice paddies [Top tip: rooms 1 or 2 on the top floor have the best view].
DAY 1 – Met up with Mowgli, my Balinese guide. We went on his scooter to his house to pick up a sarong and then we drove to a village near Ubud to attend a traditional ceremony (one of the highlights of my trip). Then we went with his scooter through the rice paddies up to Sari Organik for a healthy lunch in a peaceful sorrounding. Finally we visited a healer, I had my first massage with 4 hands and then I had dinner at Murni’s Warung.
DAY 2 – Time for the Lobong Cooking Class (fantastic!), they picked me up at my Guesthouse and we went to the food market near Ubud, before heading to a typical Balinese compound to learn, but especially to eat, the most delicious Balinese food I have ever tasted! Spent half of a day there before heading to the luxury Puri Wulandari to enjoy my villa with my own infinity pool facing the jungle. Then again to Ubud, ending with a dinner at Clear Cafe (my favourite restaurant in Bali).
DAY 3 – Scooter trip to the Elephant Cave, Tirta Empul, to the local wood carver (IWayan Ritug - the sword master of Bali), to Tegalalang rice paddies, to the Pulina Coffee plantation and finally to an amazing Balinese Painting School called Keliki Painting School. Finally dinner in Ubud at Dewa Warung.
DAY 4 – Time to say goodbye (for now) to Ubud. After a yoga class and a walk around in Ubud, we drove to the south to Uluwatu Rock 'n Reef.
DAY 5 - Massage time before exploring the area of Uluwatu. Lunch at Hard Rock in Sulumban Beach, then finally I visited Uluwatu Temple at sunset followed by a fish dinner by the beach in Jimbaran (with fireworks!).
DAY 6 - Back to Ubud and the Yoga Barn. Lunch and dinner at KAFE.
DAY 7 - Boat trip from Padang Bai to the Island of Gili Trawangan. Relax at the beach, yoga class, foot massage and dinner at Blu D'Amare.
DAY 8 - Cycled around the island in the morning, relax at the beach, amazing lunch at Scallywags and sunset (the most amazing one) at the Sunset Bar.
DAY 9 - Back to Ubud, inevitable lunch at Clear Cafe and late evening massage at Tamarind Spa at Murni’s house in a peaceful Balinese compound. That was definitely the best massage I had in Bali.
DAY 10 - Last day: Went back to the rice paddies, spent a morning in a Balinese Elementary school, had lunch (again) at Clear Cafe before heading first north, to visit Ulun Danu Temple and the Jatiluwih rice terraces, then south to visit Tanah Lot Temple at sunset time. I decided to have my last dinner by the beach in Jimbaran, enjoying again the fireworks before heading back to Denpasar's Airport to catch my late night flight.
This was definitely an unforgettable trip, the best travel journey I took so far in my life. BALI is such an indescribable and magical country and I can't wait to visit you again and again!
