Why I’ll Allways Love Bali

I’VE TRAVELED TO OVER 30 COUNTRIES, AND TO THIS DAY, BALI IS STILL ONE OF MY FAVORITE PLACES IN THE WORLD.

When I first arrived in Bali for the second time last year, I felt broken. I was stuck in a soul-sucking office job, I was nowhere near finishing my creative writing degree, and I was in the middle of a relationship that was barely hanging on.

I was low on money because of all the travel I had been doing, I had pushed away all of my friends and family, I was barely sleeping, and on top of that, I had absolutely no idea what I wanted to do with my life. I was completely burned out from the physical, mental, and emotional exhaustion of life.

Then, I came to Bali, and it healed me.

There is a magical energy enveloping Bali that I haven’t found anywhere else. If I had to narrow it down, this is what keeps me coming back every year:

THE UNIQUE MIX OF LOCAL AND FOREIGN CULTURES

I usually prefer to stay away from places that are notoriously touristy, but Bali manages to strike a comfortable balance between the tourist, expat, and local populations. The island’s huge expat community makes it particularly ideal for longer stays; you could visit for weeks, or even months, and not feel like you’re on the other side of the world.

Whenever I missed home, I had my fair share of Western restaurants, meetups, and coworking spaces to pick from. The variety of options available on the island makes it an ideal hub for digital nomads and entrepreneurs, and I was constantly in awe of the people that surrounded me who had found a home in Bali.

Despite having such a large foreign presence, the island doesn’t feel completely taken over by it. It was easy to immerse myself in Indonesian culture, spend time in temples and other holy places, attend celebrations, and have meaningful interactions with the Balinese.

Wise beyond their years, welcoming, and impressively pious, the Balinese have a gentle nature that envelops all those who come into contact with it. I love their humble dedication to everything they do: how they take the time to make a small offering to their gods every day, to protect their work-life balance, and to relentlessly devote themselves to their family.

My time in Bali was spent navigating between the tourist and Balinese worlds, depending on my mood and needs. I loved that I had the option to experience a piece of home, while also being able to mingle with and learn from the Balinese.

ADVENTURE CAN BE FOUND AROUND EVERY CORNER

It’s hard to run out of things to do while in Bali. There is always an adventure to be found, and the island’s diversity makes it suitable for just about anyone.

There is raw beauty all over and around Bali. The island boasts a myriad of impressive volcanoes, crystalline beaches, world-class diving, diverse nightlife, iconic ricefields, and gorgeous waterfalls. Breathtaking hiking can be found all over the island, as well as on the nearby Lombok island. If you’re looking for a quick beach getaway, the stunning Gili or Nusa islands are just a couple hours away (although I did not venture to these until a later trip to Bali).

Adventure in Bali is not only an activity, but it is also a mindset. Every day, I would wake up and do something unanticipated and exciting, and that could range from swimming with Elephants at sunrise and exploring waterfalls in the afternoon to spending the day reading by the beach, and one of the island’s many trendy coffee shops.

In Bali, you don’t need to know what the day will bring, but there are plenty of opportunities to make it exciting. At any given point, there was sand between my toes, dust on my skin, and dampness on my clothes from either sweat, rain, or ocean water. Somehow, I didn’t mind it – I cherished the feeling of always being on adventure mode.

THE EASE AT WHICH YOU CAN CARE FOR YOURSELF

Bali is often described as a place for healing, and once you visit it, you’ll understand why.

The island is laden with opportunities for self-care: there are massage parlours, healthy restaurants, yoga studios, and natural healing centres everywhere. The best part is, these services are so affordable (on average, a one-hour full body massage costs around $10 AUD) that it’s quite easy to treat yourself to at least one act of self-kindness every day!

The easy, affordable access to self-care makes it an ideal place to restore balance in your life- which is exactly what I needed.

No matter what lifestyle we have chosen, creating balance is a challenge that we all face. Most of us keep ourselves pretty busy, and a lot of times it’s by doing stuff that we are convinced is important, but isn’t actually when you look at the big picture.

For me, Bali is the perfect place to reset that equilibrium, and to carve out time to work and play. I have now been there four times, and am counting down the days until I can return.