The sunsets this weekend
Lit up my life
Why I started Moments
To bring back the good old Tumblr vibes.
To record the little snippets of life.
To keep me writing candidly (without feeling the need to edit myself so much).
To keep my blog more active.
To share my favorite little memories.
To get photos off my camera roll.
To express myself.
To revisit later on.
To remember.
PS- I made a new section on my site called Moments.
might change the name of the page later on but this is where I’ll be posting more frequently and casually.
Expect a lot of throwbacks on there!
December Daily Journal Flip Through
As you know (I know), I love notebooks and traveling – which is why the Traveler’s Notebook system is the perfect marriage of all things memory keeping and making for me.
I’ve just about officially moved into this Pocket Traveler’s Notebook that Ian gifted me with on the 1st day of Advent. I was so excited, I journaled every day. Here’s a flip through of what that mess looks like.
Travel Diary: New Years in Samoa
Adulting is hard. I only got Christmas Day and New Years Day off, and I sorely miss the days when winter holidays meant 3 weeks of vacation. So to maximize the feel of vacation this time around, I started my New Year 2018 with…
A trip to Samoa
It was really my day 24 advent Christmas gift to Ian. Booked our tickets and planned it with our friends, Paolo and Mareike. It would be a surf trip for the boys, and a girls trip for the ladies.
30 DEC 2017
ARRIVING IN SAMOA
Landed at Fagali’i Airport and met up with Mareike and Paolo who were already there waiting for us. There’s nothing quite like seeing familiar faces when you’re traveling. We filled up on brunch at Home Cafè, topped up the gas on the Rav4 rental, and headed for the eastern coast to scout waves and find a beach fale to stay the night. We kept driving south until we found a spot that met our basic needs. A cheap beach fale accommodation called Sina PJs and nearby, waves for days.
High five brotha man!
The air was warm wet and completely still… great conditions for surf. The spot was called Salas (or Jaws – I’m not sure which is which). Ian and Paolo started paddling out from the beach and got lucky. A boat came out to pick them up and took them right up to the waves. A couple of hours later the tide receded into the evening and they stayed out just a little longer hoping for more waves. They were grinning ear to ear when they got back, even after the long paddle in, talking stories of getting tubed.
We grabbed a few beers at the shanty store down the road and hung out at the fale reading and swatting at mosquitoes. The book I’m reading is called “Jaguars Ripped My Flesh: Adventure is a Risky Business” by Tim Cahill, a founding editor of Outside Magazine. It seemed like an appropriate title for the trip.
Our hosts made us a delicious curry dinner which I devoured. Mareike wasn’t feeling too great, so the boys made another run to the store to pick up good ol’ Pepto Bismol. And we called it a night.
Remember that rainbow earlier on? It tricked us a little because later in the evening, the clouds got darker and we saw streaks of lightning in the cumulonimbus in the distance.
It rained hard that night, and our thatched roofs must have not been in use for a while because we woke up in the middle of the night to water droplets leaking all over. We had to move our mats and mosquito net to find a dry patch, and lightning and thunder were going off like crazy less than a mile away. It was a quite a wake up call. So needless to say we were pretty restless and slept in the next morning.
31 dec 2017
NEW YEARS EVE
We woke up slow and enjoyed an egg on toast and koko rice breakfast from our hosts. It was New Years Eve so we decided to settle in at Matareva Beach Fales to ring in the New Year. The place was likely named after the fictional island of Matareva from the 1953 Return to Paradise film (my favorite oldie movie!!!). We swam and played cards. Drank piña coladas. The bartender convinced the guys to paddle out in the waves right there at Matareva. It was a short paddle but wasn’t that good since it was onshore and kept closing out before anyone could even take off on one. The name ‘Boneyard’ is suitable. The guys were bummed but being the awesome girlfriends that Mareike and I are, we fired their stoke and pushed them to try again back at Salas/Jaws which was a 20 minute drive away, and you’ll be happy to know it was worth it. The guys surfed until their arms gave out and Mareike and I went over to Coconuts for a little girl time and fancy drinks. The Tokelau Teaser drink was the perfect cool down.
Teaching them how to play Sweepie
We got back to Matareva just in time for a late dinner and I stuffed my face silly. Then the night began. It was New Years Eve after all. The host family invited their extended family and put on a traditional Fiafia Night, full of siva ma le pese. My favorite was the siva afi, or fire dancing. They prefaced the performance with a lesson on making fires in a dried coconut husk, and explained how important it was for them to pass down this knowledge to their children. And then a little boy about 8 years old came out and gave a show stopping performance. It was so cool.
This kid’s face takes the cake!
The older guy shows the kid how it’s done, blue flames and all
who did it better?
BOY vs MAN
The night closed off on a very grateful note. We gathered together in a “Circle of Love” and went around saying a few words to reflect back on the year and thank our hosts Tavita and Fia for their Samoan hospitality. And before we knew it, it was 10 seconds on the countdown! HAPPY NEW YEAR! We cheered, kissed and greeted each other. The moon was full and all were in good spirits. It was a good way to end the day. I took my first shower of 2018 and crawled under the mosquito net in our beach fale, and had the best sleep I’ve had in recent memory.
1 jan 2018
A CHILL NEW DAY / NEW YEAR
In the morning, music was blaring from an aiga bus that arrived chock full of day visitors. I was already awake, reading in bed while Ian snoozed on. We headed to the main fale for breakfast and played several rounds of cards. We decided that Matareva is the new Taufua so we were staying another night. The only problem was that with so many day visitors they planned to rent out the fales for the day, so we decided to pack our stuff back into the car and venture out for the day until the tide came in.
Taking photos while Ian is passed out sleeping
Me – hanging out in the fale before breakfast
We barely spent any money except on our accommodations and a few Vailimas, so we went on a little spending spree (not really) and chowed down on some good food and ginger mojitos at Sinalei. We realized we were actually low on cash and were relieved to find out that Matareva accepted credit cards. There were no ATMs on Upolu south so this was really great news. We toasted – manuia! – to good company and proceeded down to the pier. I’m not a big ‘jumper’ so I hung back (also because my bikini was back at the car; read as ‘excuse’) for a bit while everyone else kawabunga’d off over and over. We all read and napped for a bit and Ian finally got me to get up and jump off. I saw a video of myself jumping, and not gonna lie, I look like my 2 year old nephew does when he jumps into the pool. Kinda stoked but kinda terrified, hahah.
The tide was coming in so we went over to Coconuts next door and got chased out of the pool since we weren’t technically guests. Ian and Paolo went back to Salas/Jaws (can someone please clarify what the name is?!) and Mareike and I relished in another round of fancy drinks – no straw please. Tokelau Teaser again for me and Tahiti Tickler for Mareike. It’s so fun to gab about our lives over these pretty names for drinks. We lost track of time, and surprisingly the guys came back a little early. We drove back to Matareva, took photos on the beach with new friends, enjoyed dinner… and what did we do the rest of the night? We played cards like we hadn’t been playing all weekend long.
These taro fries were killaaaa
The smiling lady at the Coconuts bar. I was mostly eyeing the bananas.
New Year dips and kisses
^ Always a good idea to get jumpin’
And little Bill being the diva/rockstar he is >
2 JAN 2018
LAST DAY OF VACATION
I woke up way too early. My alarm went off at 5am thinking it was a work day. Not yet. It’s our last day of vacation before we’re back to the grind tomorrow. But I didn’t go back to sleep. I meditated in the Samoan sunrise. Journaled for half an hour in the hammock under the coconut trees. And read while Ian snoozed on till breakfast. We settled our bill, packed the car back up for the last time, and said our ‘not goodbye, but see you laters’ to our hosts Tavita, Fia, and the boys Tom, Walter and Bill. On the way out, we took some film photos as souvenirs.
After about an hour of driving, we were back in town. We wanted to stop by the market and visit a couple of shops, but everything was closed. Apparently, lucky Samoa gets Jan 2 off. Only The Edge by the marina was open so we chilled out there, ordered lattes, lunch and milkshakes, and played sweepie for the last couple hours of our trip. Then it was back to the airport, crossed the international date line, and we were back at January 1 in American Samoa. Home sweet home.
Journal 3/52: Five Things To Do More
Week 3 of Mindful Journaling:
Five things you would like to do more?
1) This was the first thing that came to mind as it’s been high up on my list of goals lately. I would like to TRAVEL MORE. To an unexpected country, a land full of rich history. Experience new cultures and new environments. Meet people and see things differently. Photograph and document those memories. And eventually figure out how to be more than a tourist passing by.
2) This year I made it a point to create uninhibitedly. I want to carry this practice to next year, and something I really want to do is to CREATE MORE SHAREABLE WORK. I’m not sure what exactly that would be, but something worthy of sharing. Significant to my life and maybe impactful to others. Whether it’s photos, or a piece of artwork, or even a blog post! haha
3) I was going to say I wanted to work out more, but that doesn’t motivate me. So instead, I want to simply BE MORE ACTIVE. That not only applies to building myself up physically, but also putting my mind to work. Do those puzzles you used to love, do the daily sudoku when you’re checking out your horoscope, write down new words and add them to your vocab.
4) This is similar to #3 but I want to emphasize this and do more of this. LEARN NEW THINGS VORACIOUSLY; flex my intelligence and constantly sate my appetite with new skills. Been meaning to learn morse code? [ -.. — / .. – —. ] (Do it!) Interested in baking your own banana bread? Bake the damn best banana bread anyone’s ever had. And to use what I learn to work smarter not harder.
5) In the last couple of years, I’ve become acutely aware of the relationship between our human lifestyles and the state of our environment. Which is why I want to BE A BETTER HUMAN IN THIS WORLD. Do more recycling. Compost. Think sustainably, lean towards earth friendly products and resources, research what I am consuming, and seriously consider how my decisions impacts planet Earth.
DIVE LOG: Wreck Diving the USS Liberty in Tulamben, Bali
My week in Bali was coming to an end and I was bummed about it. There was so much more that I wanted to do and explore, so much ground to cover in so little time. I didn’t want to say goodbye yet.
With a hurried sense of adventure, we took a risk, and what we ended up doing may just have been our best decision yet.
The day before our departure flight, we got on our moto-scooter and drove for 3 hours from Seminyak to east Bali, including a quick stop at Padang Bai for lunch.
Surf & sea pizza for only $7 in Padang Bai!
Our destination: Tulamben
Our goal: Scuba diving
If you’re in Bali and want to go scuba diving, there are great dive sites all along the east coast. Tulamben wasn’t our first choice–we heard lots of great things about Amed and Padang Bai, which were closer–but after finding out that the USS Liberty shipwreck was a shoredive and having the option to dive without a guide, we were sold.
I would have loved to do a boat dive and wouldn’t have minded a guide, but we were running on limited time, and still had to moto back for 3 hours to our place in Seminyak.
We didn’t do much planning for this dive, which is something we really should have done. We Googled a list of dive shops in Tulamben, and almost all of them wouldn’t let us rent gear without a hiring a guide. Finally, we found one called Madha Dive Shop. The location could not have been any more perfect – it was right next to the USS Liberty shipwreck!
We met the dive shop operator named Made, and he set us up with our gear. We forgot to bring our GoPro so we rented an Olympus Tough point and shoot camera.
And in case you’re wondering why I’m wearing a wetsuit in the Indian Ocean, they were available as an option at the dive shop and I didn’t want to risk getting cold. Basically, I’m spoiled for warm waters.
About the USS Liberty
The USS Liberty was a US military cargo ship that was torpedoed by a Japanese battleship in January 1942 during World War II. It went down 10-miles from the Lombok Strait and was tugged back to a beach in Tulamben so parts could be salvaged.
Twenty one years later in 1963, the nearby Mt. Agung volcano erupted (one of the most prominent volcanic eruptions of our era) and the rattling of the tremors caused the USS Liberty to slip back into the ocean on a slope with depths ranging from 15ft. to 75ft.
I was nervous at first
Because I always associated shipwrecks with sharks for some odd reason, and I kicked around awkwardly as it was my first time wearing open heel/strap fins.
I was totally fine though as soon as I started my descent and dipped below the surface–my weight distributed until I was neutrally buoyant, my muscles relaxed, my breathing slowed, and my ears equalized.
The first thing I noticed were the fish.
There were so many of them. At least 3 different schools were swimming past me as I sunk lower until I was hovering over the ship. And they were huge! The fish, I mean. They must be protected in that area or something because we have (some of) the same exact fish in American Samoa, but these were 2 to 3 times bigger! And they swam up to me curiously; not at all scared when I would reach my hand out to say hello.
The Lonely Grouper
This Goliath Grouper was about 4ft long and was chillin’ out super hard in one of the hollow crevices of the USS Liberty. They are typically shy gentle giants and I stared at this guy for a long minute. I also just realized that I have never seen more than 1 grouper at the same time, which is ironic because of its name.
Down here it feels like roaming on another planet and I’m flying through a spaceship
Side note: while writing this I stopped for like 10 minutes and stared at this picture of fish (below). I don’t know if it’s just me, maybe I’m really tired or something but the fish look like they’re moving! I swear, it’s so cool.
You can click on it to zoom. Do you see the fish moving? Is it really just me? Am I going insane????
There’s so much life down here.
It’s a different kind of dive than back home. Here, the ocean floor is a muck and looks bare, but after closer inspection, you’ll find garden eels and stingrays hiding in plain view. A few spots of coral here and there, but on the shipwreck there is all sorts of living matter that now take residence.
Shout out to my guy for doing it all
Driving through crazy Bali traffic (on a scooter nonetheless) to and from Seminyak and Tulamben (is nuts). But you made it happen. Thank you for resting your hand on my thigh every now and then to check on me. I am leaving out so so so many reasons why you’re amazing, but just know that you are, and that I love you!
Dive Log 05:
Date: August 23, 2017
Site: USS Liberty Shipwreck, Tulamben, Bali – Indian Ocean
Depth: 70 feet
Total time: 75 minutes
Visibility: 50 feet
Weather: Partly cloudy
Dive type: Shore dive
Gas Type: Air
Dive buddy: Ian M; Divemaster
Dive Shop: Madha Dive
Back on land
It was abaout 3pm when we got out of the water, and I could immediately feel gravity taking a toll on me. I trudged up the shallow beach, rinsed off, drank some iced coffee, and waited for the photos to transfer to my iPhone, while Ian bought a pair of (probably knock off) polarized Oakley sunglasses from Made’s friend who was there selling them for super cheap.
We geared up for the long ride back to Seminyak and stopped a couple of times to refuel the bike, our bellies (we needed more caffeine!!), and admire some of the most incredible views of Bali on the vistas along the way. The drive was long and hard but it was so worth it to see the beautiful countryside and witness some traditional religious rituals along the way.
Tired but stoked in Seminyak
We finally got back to Seminyak at 7:30pm. Our butts were so sore from the roadtrip, and we felt thoroughly burnt out. But we were hangry!!! We didn’t eat a proper breakfast and that surf and sea pizza seemed like forever ago. It was our last night in Bali too, so we took a cue from one of our favorite shows ever — Parks and Recreation “TREAT YO’SELF”! We took long hot showers, dressed up in our fanciest clothes, and prepared to indulge.
Ian was craving for a heavy meat so we stopped by Smokehouse BBQ for some real American goodness and ordered some of the best sliders I’ve ever had. They even had American beers! I on the other hand was feenin’ for seafood so we headed over to The Holy Crab for shrimp and callamari galore.
We stuffed our faces like mad. We were tired but we felt so electric that night–high on our epic adventure–and we had zero regrets about it!
Bali, i love you
xoxo Nerelle
One more excursion
We made one more stop to check out the popular Potato Head Club. It must have been an extra high key night for the club (or maybe there were famous people there that I missed) because the security was intense. They searched our bike before we even turned in to the parking lot, which was a bit of a maze to get to, and then patted Ian down and checked my rattan bag. I didn’t even think about what to expect of the place but once we got there, I was impressed. The exterior design of a couple thousand shutters was really cool, and inside, the vibe was really laid back, tropical, and just. so. cool… We lounged on the floor pillows to look up at the string lights swinging between palm trees and admired the view and the sound of the ocean not far away. The ambiance was so chill that I almost fell asleep right then and there, so we yawned and decided it was time for bed. We had another long day ahead of us.
All photos taken with either my iPhone 6 or the Olympus Tough camera. Ian took almost all the underwater pics!
You Need to visit Ubud Art Market
About the Ubud Art Market:
Locals call it Pasar Seni Ubud. It is one of the most popular markets in Bali, and is a must visit if you enjoy shopping and handicrafts. The traditional art market itself is located at:
Jalan Raya Ubud No.35,
Ubud, Kabupaten Gianyar,
Bali 80571, Indonesia
It’s open from 8am to 6pm. The Ubud Art Market is a street maze of shops and souvenirs, and if you look hard enough and bargain, you just might find some amazing hidden gems.
What you’ll find:
// Sarongs – We call them `ie lavalava in American Samoa. Probably the most versatile piece of material ever, I love sarongs. You can find mandala prints, elephants, batik and ikat designs in every color and pattern imaginable.
// Penis things – I’m not kidding here. Lots of penis made of wood (yes, it’s punny) that pay tribute to the old practice of penis worship. I don’t know the details of the practice, but you can find huge penis bottle openers and incense holders, which might make a funny and functional souvenir.
// Jewelry – Ubud is known for its talented silver smiths, so you can find silver jewelry pretty much anywhere, and even take a silver making class! I don’t usually wear jewelry, but I couldn’t resist this sterling silver wave shaped ring I bargained for only 40,000 rupiah (~$3USD)!!
// Clothes – Lots of great cotton, linen and even silk garments. Ian bought a blue cotton batik shirt with coconut shell buttons, and I got a 100% silk batik robe which makes me feel so luxurious.
// Bamboo straws – Sustainable and makes great souvenirs to take as gifts for friends. I fell in love with these straws when we had dinner at La Pacha Mama, and was so stoked to find them at the market.
// Bags – Who doesn’t love bags? The rattan roundie bags from Bali are especially popular these days (you might have seen them on instagram). But there are so many different bags to choose from. Straw and canvas totes, cross body bags, clutches, leather purses, backpacks, yoga mat slings… am I missing more?
// Homeware – Dishes and bowls and cups, and candles and cushions and home decor. There is a lot of really beautiful handmade homeware that are perfect for decorating your home.
// So much more – There’s a plethora of fun and interesting trinkets and homeware and decorations. From keychains and koozies to handmade baskets, paintings, toys, and home goods–the Ubud Art Market is a bargain shopper’s heaven.
How to Haggle:
Ask how much, but only ask for the price if you really want to purchase it. The vendors expect that you will haggle so they’ve marked this up by a lot. I’ve found it works best to my advantage when I start asking at only 30% of the ask price. Think about how much you’re willing to pay for it, and consider the time and resources it took to make it. Be fair and always ask with a smile.
*Pro tip: Go to the market early in the morning because vendors believe that their first sale is a sign of a good luck, so they will often offer you the cheaper “morning price”when you’re haggling.
How to Deal with Impulse Spending:
I wanted to buy so many things! I already know that if I ever become a homeowner in the future, I am coming to Bali just to shop for all the cute things to fill my home! On this trip though, I came prepared to resist the urge of spending money on material things. Call me weird but I actually Googled photos of the Ubud Art Market before my trip just to see what I might want to buy and I thought about whether or not I wanted it or needed it. It was actually super helpful. I asked myself: Would I use it? Do I really want to travel with it? For so many of the kitschy things, I probably would get buyer’s regret. Plus, I was determined to make it through this trip with just my backpack and duffel, so my mind was made, and I only bought 6 things I could easily travel with.
What I bought:
1. Silk batik robe. I loooooved this purchase. One of my favorite garments to date and it was in my favorite color, green!
2. Rattan roundie bag. You can probably tell by now from all the photos that I was obsessed with these rattan bags. There were dozens of different shapes and sizes, and if I was to mail a box home, I would have definitely gotten a bunch more.
3. Incense. Ever since my trip to India, I will pretty much only buy sandalwood incense because the scent reminds me of that time of my life, which I loved.
4. Bamboo straws. I love buying things that support environmental wellness, and these eco-friendly bamboo straws were perfect for traveling souvenirs.
5. Sterling silver ring. There were so many to choose from, but I honestly didn’t even want to get a ring until I saw this very simple wave-shaped ring. It was too cute to pass up.
6. Wooden magnets. One of those kitschy things I said I wasn’t going to get, but ended up getting them because they were cute (picked out the flip flops and surfboards shaped magnets) and super cheap.
Q:
What are some of your favorite markets?
And if you could choose, what would YOU buy from the Ubud Art Market?
MEET Wayanna Batik
Meet Wayan and Anna, together they make Wayanna Batik! I met this wonderful pair in Ubud, Bali. Wayan is the batik artist who creates beautiful batik paintings inspired by nature, and Anna is the project manager who is building the brand.
Tell me about yourself: your name, age, where you’re from, what do you do?
My name is Wayan. I am 33 years old from Ubud, Bali, Indonesia. I am the batik painter.
I am Anna. I’m 33 years old, living in Bali. I am the project manager.
What is Batik art? History of batik? Process?
Indonesia is the home country to batik, it is ancient technology. Balinese people have kept this art from generation to generation.
The batik art involves drawing on a fabric with hot wax. This wax separates the drawing from the dyes that are painted over it. The batik artist then paints over the drawings, removes the wax by heating, then dries and sews the fabric, and prepares it for the shop.
How did you get into Batik painting? What did you do before you started Batik?
I have been painting since my childhood: by pencils, by acrylics on on t-shirts. I was working with my cousin on his fabric work. Then as my family’s homestay business grew, I took care of the homes we rented out. And then 2 years ago, I started to help my cousin with his batik. Now I have my own batik project with Anna.
What inspires you? Where do you draw your inspiration from?
Nature is the main thing which gives me inspiration. And most of my paintings depict nature.
Favorite spot to eat in Bali?
I like to eat at Made’s Warung (my uncle’s warung😊)
Tell me something I probably didn’t know about Bali.
Did you know about the *ceremony of cutting teeth of all 13 years old boys and girls?
We do it for sign that a person is now an adult.
*The mesangih or mepandes, is the ceremony wherein the Balinese smooth away the fang-like qualities of human teeth and, in doing so, smooth away the savage aspects of the soul.
What is your favorite quote?
Akuadalahkamu, kamuadalahaku (I am you, you are I).
So all people are the same and what you do for people, people will do for you.
The main idea is to live in peace and love.
Three words to describe your art?
Amazing, unique, beautiful. 😊
Hard handmade work, with magical colors and unlimited ideas.
Any goals you want to accomplish before the year ends?
How about in the next 5 years?
I want to have regular monthly orders before the year ends.
I hope my batik project will grow more popular and will develop the brand – Wayanna Batik brand!
I want to have my own house in the next 5 years.
Advice you would give to your 10-year old self?
Be honest. Follow your heart always.
Bali Travel Diaries: Market visits and batik class
My home in Ubud is alive with nature
It’s nestled away from the busy Ubud center and surrounded by the sounds of birds chirping, crickets playing their songs, trees rustling in the wind, and rain pit-pit-pattering on the rooftop.
I stayed up all night inspired by this place to work on my travel journal, edit photos, and work on my blog.
What paradise
At 6am the roosters were crowing.
At 7am Ian was frying eggs and making smoothies.
By 8am, we’re skinny dipping in our private pool and rinsing off in the outdoor shower.
Market visits
There’s a bit of rain but it doesn’t stop us from walking around our little town towards the Ubud Art Market. I’m determined to not to buy anything, except for a rattan roundie bag.
There are a bunch of shops that have them, but I’m looking for one that fits my DSLR camera with 24mm lens. I walked into a shop with the cutest old man who helps me to find a bag that’s wide enough to fit my bag.
We found one, and I’ve haggled a price that’s reasonable for the both of us. But I completely forgot that the only cash I brought with me was for my batik master class which I was headed to after lunch. I promise him I’ll be back to purchase it.
Lunch at Yoga Bali Cafe
We stop for lunch at this cute cafe hidden away from the busy streets.
Learning Batik
We walked back to Penestenan Street to Wayanna Batik shop.
Anna and Wayan are standing by the door ready for my arrival, and I jump on a scooter with Wayan (the artist) to his uncle’s studio. This is where he creates his batik paintings, along with his cousin who is also a batik artist.
Because this wasn’t a scheduled class, and I requested so last minute, we delved straight into the painting process. I was a bit bummed that we didn’t have time to go into the initial wax drawings, but after 3 hours of painting, I still felt I had the full immersive experience.
We talked stories and Wayan watched while I painted, telling me how I could get a better result by using water to make the colors more muted, and mixing colors for vibrance.
I felt in my element, and 3 hours whizzed by.
By the time I was done, it was nearly evening.
The canvas needed to dry overnight so I had to come back tomorrow to see my final work.
Café Vespa and renting a scooter
I walked over to Café Vespa with a huge coconut in hand (courtesy of Wayan and his family), ordered a latte and waited for Ian to meet up with me.
While I spent my afternoon painting, Ian spent his day hiking the Campuhan Ridge and exploring the town solo.
We walked back home and not that we were complaining about the walk at all, but we really wanted to get a scooter. It was just so much more convenient.
Like serendipity, we got home and our host Wayan Budiana meets us to let us know he has an extra scooter that we can rent.
Vibes at La Pacha Mama
For dinner, we showed up to a very fancy restaurant called Bridges, but it was so fancy that we could not be seated unless we had a reservation—which we didn’t… so we drove up the hill and found an even better spot.
We walked into La Pacha Mama and were stoked to see a live band playing a mix of old school Spanish music and Cuban music. The cocina styled decor was super cute, the waitstaff was amazing, and the food was divine.
I love my days in Bali.
Where we stayed in Ubud
Someone asked me where I stayed in Bali, and I thought it would be a good idea to share some of these places…
Of all the places in Bali, this AirBnB in Ubud was my favorite.
We planned to stay for 3 days, so I wanted to make sure we had a comfortable spot to call home while we explored the town. A requisite when I was looking up accommodations for Ubud was that it had a kitchen, an outdoor shower, and a private pool. When I found Wayan Budiana’s home on AirBnB, I was immediately heart eyes over it.
The details
This home in Ubud has everything you’d want in a vacation home and more. It is listed as a brand new family villa which can house up to 6 guests comfortably, and is hidden away in nature, but is very close to the main Ubud town areas. The open floor plan give the home a very spacious and airy feel, and the floor to ceiling windows and sliding doors brings the outside in and provides much of the natural light. Both the showers are partially outdoors, and i was obsessed with the wooden kitchen table and benches. There’s even a goldfish pond at the entrance!
We walked around on our first day to nearby rice paddies and the cutest little cafes and shops, and rented a scooter from our host to get around for the remainder of our stay.
What do you look for when you choose an AirBnB?
Never used AirBnB? Sign up using this link for an extra $25 off your first stay!
All Good in Ubud
The clouds have blocked the sun from shining through my window, and my eyes flutter awake at 8am.
Good morning Uluwatu!
Our plans for today are simple. Eat breakfast (we went to Nyoman Local Food and ate on their boat table). Catch some surf (for Ian), and pack up again – because today we are…
On our way to Ubud!
Our AirBnB host helps us get a driver named Putu to take us to Ubud, with a couple of stops along the way.
I was still in dire need of an American power adapter to charge up my camera and laptop. We got one at a stall outside of Bagus Supermarket while we were picking up some groceries. We also purchased a prepaid SIM card from Telkom Cell which had 12GB data for 30 days, and it was only 150,000 IDR (about $11.25 USD). I highly recommend this plan for anybody passing through Bali and whose life is recorded on social media. So worth it!
The drive took about 2 hours during the afternoon traffic. I was getting carsick so I *forced* myself to take a nap (only kind of lying, because I’m also known for falling asleep on car rides).
We arrived at a small unmarked road looking for our next AirBnB home, and after a quick phone call made by Putu to our host, a friendly face pops out from a family compound right next to us, introducing herself as Chantik (she is our host’s relative) and she leads us through a smaller road beside it. There, we found our secret private villa – and it is amazing!
If you’re ever in Ubud and you’re looking for a beautiful place to stay that’s close to town, but gives you a sense of privacy – check out Wayan Budiana’s AirBnB! If you’re new to AirBnB, click here to get $25 off on your accommodations.
As tempted as I was to stay in and enjoy the pool, we got up to explore our area. The evening air was cool, and we wandered off the beaten track. The road was completely run down, but a man on a bridge that leads nowhere gestures to us to take a little hidden path just past the banyan tree. We walk down some sketchy steps and over a bamboo bridge and find ourselves amidst a rice field. How cool is this?! Right in someone’s backyard.
We continued our trek through Penestenan street. I felt inspired here. I wanted to paint.
I walked up to a couple of different places offering batik painting, but most were closed since it was almost 6pm. I saw a small shop with the lights off but the door was open. There were beautiful batik materials hanging and draped in all sorts of fashion. I walked in and was met by a beautiful woman named Anna sitting on the floor working away on her laptop. She tells me her boyfriend is the artist in residence and I inquire about taking a class. It’s settled, tomorrow I will be back!
On the way home, Ian stops at a moto vendor selling chicken satay and sticky rice. And we head to our AirBnB to relax in the pool, make dinner, and watch movies.
It’s all good in Ubud!
What we did in Uluwatu
My internal alarm clock went off and I was wide awake 2 hours before the sun would come up. I wish I was more of an early bird usually. I used those hours to catch up on my travel journal – I’ve been slacking on it.
Scootered over to Padang Padang Beach to check out the Impossibles surf break. It was barely 7am and there were at least 15 people out already. An hour and 2 other surf spots later, we stopped for breakfast at Cempaka Cafe.
We had the whole day ahead of us, but we needed to see one more break – Bingin beach. It looked big everywhere. Ian concentrated on the waves and I fell asleep on the beach. About 2 hours later, I was burnt out. I needed to move around.
We refueled our scooter and checked out Nyang Nyang beach. Our taxi driver told us it was a sweet spot but after having to pay a toll to enter and discovering halfway that we would have to descend a quarter mile on slippery limestone to the unshaded beach, we realized we were getting hot and hangry.
So we doubled back to Padang Padang beach, where we passed through a temple with macaques running around everywhere, and walked through a corridor in the 200-foot cliffs. It was high noon and the beach was packed. I’m still in a state of culture shock over the density of tourists here! We strategically placed our things next to a big group of suntanning“bule” or white foreigners (lol), and cooled off in the cool Indian Ocean. Ian also got chicken satay skewers from a tiny beach vendor, and we couldn’t help but buy souvenirs to remind us of this place.
After the beach we stopped by Dedari Theory, a treetop bar which caught my eye when we zipped by earlier.
It had the chillest vibes, and we were the only ones there! How can this be?! Such a sweet little spot.
Got to the cabin and jumped in the pool right away for the next hour or so.
The sun was about to go down, and Ian and I rushed to the Uluwatu Temple. Again, there were macaques everywhere. I’m honestly scared of them – whenever they would look at me, I’d look away and pretend I was minding my own business. They definitely look mischievous.
We hoped to catch the Kecak Fire Dance but by the time we got there, it was sold out. There were a LOT of people there, so we sat around for a bit and all watched the clouds lose their luminance and the sun fall behind the horizon.
But the night was not over yet!
We zipped off to Padang Padang again for some amazzzzzing yellowfin and salmon poke bowls at Coco & Poké, and dancing at the famous Single Fin bar. The scene was bustling. Surfers and non-surfers, bloggers, business people, drifters, young and old travelers of every age and nationality. Just dancing to some funky tunes.
We got home before midnight to rest our tired bones.
