March 22-24, 2018

Through my experiences in Indonesia I have realized that I do not enjoy being a tourist. I enjoy  being a traveller. I do not enjoy sitting in an air conditioned Starbucks knock-off cafe, sipping a flat white, surrounded by a bunch of other tourists. I enjoy finding a family owned street-side shop, ordering food through pointing and hand gestures, and only spending 12000IDR (roughly $1.10 CAD) for a beautifully prepared, authentic Balinese meal.

Canggu is (I think) a suburb of Kuta/Denpasar. I had heard from several people that it is a much preferred place to stay close to the airport over the bigger cities. I stayed at a hostel far from the beach or any of the touristy parts of the city, which was wonderful.

There will be a busy street one moment, and then you turn the corner and there is a literal rice terrance right there! Perfect balance!

I rented a scooter to explore the city further. This was my third time renting a scooter, 2nd time driving myself, and, might I say, I was a gosh darn local about it this time! I didn’t have any mishaps, I was composed, I was even having fun!

One of the beaches in Canggu. I’m kind of becoming a beach snob and I wasn’t very impressed by this beach… Sorry Canggu. It’s suppose to be good for surfing though!

Touristy AF

These are all pictures from Tanah Lot Temple, built on a little island just off shore. It can only be accessed during low tide. It was cool.

On my last day in Indonesia I took a personal day. I FaceTimed friends and family, I took a nap, I ate good food, and I met up with a sweet new friend for a farewell. Travelling for extended periods of time can be exhausting, constantly on the go (the longest I have stayed in one place is 4 nights, usually more like 2), and I’m finding it important to listen to my body, heart, mind, to know when I’m feeling run down. So today I took a break.

And that’s the end of my travels in Indonesia! For now… I am definitely intrigued by this country and must explore it further. I visited 3 islands within a network of 14, 752! I will definitely be back!

Next stop, India!

XO – Kristiane