And as a 1 week up date, it mostly has been sunshine and beach days!
We arrived on Monday 4th July. After a long few days of travel, we made it and it was a welcome rest for us, the landing. We had managed to organise airport transfer through our program who have been more than helpful in welcoming us to Bali. We coordinated before with our driver to get some money ready as cash is main currency form (a hard adjustment to us regular and reliant apple payers) and had to sort an all important sim card to keep us fully connected and on grid.
Perhaps our reliance on tech is a downfall of our generation, but our safety has never been in question with how easy and accessible Bali is for its never ending plane load of tourists.
Our first stop before we’d really had a chance to settle in and recover, was to Batu Balong beach in Canggu which, I think, might have been the real moment we realised just where we’d made it to and what the foreseeable future has in store for us! The views along the beach had us in awe, the heat had definitely been missing in both mine and Jack’s lives and the sound of the waves, for both of us, was the settling moment that we were actually in Bali. 7,000 miles away from home.
And life was going to be good.
For such a tiny island Bali holds a lot. We’ve found each different area feels different, you can see different habits and architecture mostly. It’s amazing to move across this tiny island, so much less built up but still feel the hustle and bustle around you of the people and locals going about their lives.
So stay tuned over the next few updates to hear what we’ve been up to!
Canggu
In Canggu we stayed in the most stunning guest house. When we arrived we paid for the room. The rate sounded shocking at 750,000 Rupiah for 3 nights.
But of course our strong exchange rate brings that in at around £42.19- and that’s after the exchange rate has fallen nearly a thousand RP from when we first arrived.
So we’re not really splashing out too much, we should be alright to enjoy our time here. And even on that low price the room was incredible. There was a pool (obviously a win for both Jack and I) and a small kitchen area and drinking water available on filter. We loved it there and with it being slightly further away from the party central of Bali we enjoyed the peace and quiet of our guesthouse neighbours and the stars showing up so clearly with the early sunset.
Our first day, we decided to take it super easy and take a real day at the beach. Most of our plans for exploring Bali are water based so it would be wrong not to see what the coastline of Canggu, actually holds.
And that was something of an experience.
In case you’re not aware, Bali is tourist central for many reasons. It’s Australia’s Spain from what we’ve noticed and for the surf, for all those east coasters looking to venture beyond Aussie waters, means it’s a popular holiday destination. As an English born and bred child the waves I saw were unimaginable to me. I didn’t believe the pure force these waves had against me because I’d never been in such treacherous waters.
I mean, they’re totally safe, we swam within the flags, had a great time, got knocked about and stayed clear of the serious surfers. But the UK could never!
Often the beaches here are lined with either shacks or stalls with chairs or sun beds to use rather than the dreaded, endlessly frustrating sandy towel. We found one stall on the end of the row and ended up there from around midday until sunset. It was a beautiful day. We enjoyed some beers, some chips, some nice cold water, the sound of the waves and even rented some bodyboards for 50k (~£2.70) each and had an amazing time! We chatted to some locals trying to sell us various items, the owners of the stall looked after us and we really started to soak in our new location and enjoy what was surrounding us! It was a beautiful start.
Our next day, I tried out a moped lesson in the potential attempt to help us get around more easily as bike is most popular transport to weave in and out of traffic and save you from the tropical humidity here. I had a great time, I’m no longer scared of sitting in a bike. However you’ll be glad to here, I’ve not yet taken to the roads. I’m not sure I’m safe enough yet for true Bali traffic or anything beyond a basic junction. We save all that for our GoJek’s (one of the popular Uber equivalents here in Indonesia)! After that we headed to the beach again and attempted to surf. Big mistake. Canggu surf is not for anyone less than absolute pro and my GoPro decided to dive down deep and live the rest of its life without me somewhere in the Indian Ocean. If anyone finds it, I wouldn’t mind it returned!
We headed back kind of soon after that to shake the stress off and later that evening found an amazing little resto called Joon just down the road from us which had a pool, super chill vibe, good food and lovely staff! Had we had more time, we’d have gone back!
Beyond that… we start our life in Kuta!
Let me tell you about Kuta in the next one 🤭
Keeping up with Beth 
Leave a comment