(This entry is part of the Coming 2016 side blog)
Yes I’ve heard those places exist: bars where you can get free tattoo’s when you spend enough on Heineken. What a way to support thought through decisions and proper hygiene! My stomach cringes a little when I imagine these venues and the crowds they draw. Seems like Bali is either that, or the glitzy opposite: bony models drinking fancy cocktails in expensive bathing suits, splurging on high end resorts that have swimming pools in walking distance of the ocean. Private beaches and banana boats in the sea. My stomach cringes a little when I imagine that, too. In fact I can’t decide which crowd I hate more.
So back in the days when I thought I had principles and steady willpower, I have sworn I would NOT go to Bali. I would not go to the land of wanna-be yoga teachers, regretful tattoos, cheap alcohol and high school graduates on a “spiritual journey”. I would have skipped it, as not to be confused with one of those “love, eat, pray” fangirls. Is that what it’s called? “Eat, love, pray? Eat, pray, love?” You know what I mean.
I’m not actually a beach person you see. I feel uncomfortable when wading around in a bikini. I feel uncomfortable in the fancy resorts. I find the atmosphere in beach towns inferior to that of the inland – in any country I go. I get sunburned after 10 minutes. But I like to go snorkelling for a day and toddler-like wave at the fishes. I like the idea of doing yoga while watching a sunrise on the beach. Maybe I secretly am a bit of a wanna be teacher. And I do like the idea of rice terraces and lush green hills a lot! So when I found out the weather on Sulawesi wasn’t going to be that good at my time of travelling, and the accommodation on the Gili’s isn’t as much value for money as those on, say, Lembongan… I have let go of my principles and become Bali trash.
I’m going to the island for a couple of days on Lembongan. I guess it might be nice to do a bit of nothing. Maybe take a boat ride through the mangroves. Sign up for some yoga classes. Cycle around, drink too much coconut water, enjoy the occasional dip in the sea.
I’m also going to Bali for Ubud. I guess I’m going to fit in there – with my baggy, cheap clothes and that travel yoga mat I carry around all the time. I guess I’ll like the fact that night life is on a low there and organic tea bars are on the rise. I hate to admit that maybe, it will be a place just for me: a solo female traveller with a love for the spiritual.
Damn.
Should I… like… Should I read that “Love, Pray, Eat” book after all?