In February, I decided to go out on a whim and buy an airplane ticket to Bali. As it turned out, this amazing trip would be my 21st birthday present to myself. Some present, right? In my 10 days in Bali, Indonesia, I was able to discover so much. Unlike Julia Roberts in the movie "Eat, Pray, Love," I wasn't able to go to India or Italy, but that didn't stop me from this great experience.
Eat.
For Julia Roberts, this third of the movie was focused in Italy. Yes, I do love Italian food and pasta is one of my main food sources, but the food in Bali was amazing! I honestly am not positive what I ate for the majority of the time. My time in Thailand taught me the choose-and-point method and that is what I continued to do in Indonesia. During my 10 days, I tried anything and everything. I would say that I am an adventurous person, especially when it comes to food.
One thing that I noticed was the majority of traditional Balinese dishes had some form of rice. Each meal had a variety of spices, some of which were unrecognizable.
Babi Guling is one of the most popular dishes in Bali. However, this was probably the only dish that I did not try during my time there.
Nasi Campur was a dish that I had frequently. Nasi Campur is a version of mixed rice with vegetables and/or meat.
I was able to try the most expensive coffee in the world -- kopi luwak. This coffee is literally made from Luwak (an animal) poop. The Luwaks eat the coffee bean and then they poop them out. This pooped-out bean is then used to make the coffee! Sounds gross, right? Well, in my opinion, it just tasted like a bitter coffee. Although, I usually do add a lot of sugar or cream to my coffee, so that may be why....
Pray.
Throughout my 10 days in Bali, I was fortunate enough to visit many of the famous temples. I am going to discuss two temples in particular: Goa Gajah and Tirta Empul.
Goa Gajah is also known as the Elephant Cave. Goa Gajah is filled with carvings and bathing pools. The unique cave and surrounding sculptures have endless amounts of details that just make it a breathtaking view.
Tirta Empul (the Water Temple) is unlike no other. The main bathing pool is filled with people joining the ritual of purification.
Another form of pray that I witnessed during my time in Bali was their offerings. These are located everywhere -- sidewalks, doorways, driveways..etc. They are to please the gods and demons of Balinese Hinduism. These offerings are a daily thing and I was able to take many pictures of these beautiful offerings that contain a such a deep meaning.
Love.
Love has a lot of different meanings. In this case, I am not talking about romantic love. I want to share the love that I was able to witness during my time in Bali.
The first (of many) was on the beaches of Sanur. The beaches in Bali are like no other and although I did get to visit one of the famous black sand beaches, the beaches in Sanur were just as amazing. The difference between high tide and low tide was so drastic it would always shock me. During high tide you could go swimming and cool off. However, during low tide there are merely inches of water. The sand bank gets longer and there are ripples in the sand. Little streams of water flow into somewhat longer rivers. The locals especially love the low tide. This is when the children are free to roam. Some play in the inches of water with their inner tubes, while others just run around. The low tide is especially great for the water/mud fights that the younger boys participate in. Pure joy. Them running at each other with handfuls of wet sands. Hiding behind the boats that are washed up during the low tide. Watching them ducking and dodging the sand that comes apart with each throw. During these times they are just grinning from ear to ear. Their laughter is infectious and you can just tell that they are loving it.
Another story is about an older gentleman that my roommate and I met while we were on a hike. He had a little store full of his own artwork. Let me just say that they were amazing. He also had a collection of wooden eggs that he decorated elaborately. During this time he told us that the artwork sometimes would take three days to finish. The detailed egg decorations were no different, taking up to two days to finish decorating and egg. He shared multiple pieces with us, explaining the meaning, and his eyes lit up when my roommate decided to buy one. He seemed so incredibly happy that he was able to share his experience and wisdom with us.
On my birthday, we went to "The Laughing Buddha" where we were able to listen to an incredible live band. The guitarist was insanely good. Watching his hands as he played was mesmerizing. During their break, he came up and introduced himself to us. He told us he had played all his life and playing the guitar was clearly his passion. Unfortunately, we were unable to continue our conversation because he had to go back to the stage. Fortunately, we were able to watch him do something that he loves.
