Welcome back to Bali!

For as long as I can remember, I have always desired to travel to Bali. Why – I can’t really say. It was just a feeling from the very beginning, and I am an emotional person who, perhaps, too often listens to my heart instead of my mind. For me, Bali embodies friendliness, mysticism, and nature. And when I heard the term “Bali smile” for the first time, it was clear to me: I have to go there!

Knowing this, James surprised me with flight tickets to Bali back in 2013. And my Bali dream finally came true.

We had a wonderful time and tried to see and do as much as possible. Spontaneously, we even added Lombok to our itinerary. And, what can I say? I saw the Bali smile. Every day. I experienced the mysticism and the kindness, the hospitality, and the cordiality of the Balinese people. And I saw a lot of nature. I am so happy that I hadn’t made it to Bali earlier, otherwise, I wouldn’t have been able to experience all this with James.

Normally we enjoy exploring new countries and/or places and like to go to places that we haven’t been to before. So why Bali again? We deliberately chose Bali so that we could retire for a few weeks and get some work done. And we wanted to try yoga. Is there a better place to do that than in Bali? In the end, we were also excited about the many food options. We like to eat well and the variety in Bali is simply overwhelming. Healthy, fresh dishes, much of them vegan and vegetarian. Lots of good cafes and great locations. These are our plans for Bali. Until the Captain says: Ready for take-off to New Zealand.

So, six years later, we finally made it back to Bali. And a lot has changed since then. We stayed for two days in a more rural area of Nusa Dua that has fewer tourists. That was very nice, albeit too short. And now we are in Ubud, where, on the first day, we were shocked.

We were prepared for a lot of tourists, but we really didn’t expect this. The traffic was crazy. The main street was packed. Where was the Bali that we remember from just a few years earlier?

We escaped to a side street, away from the hustle and bustle, and found a sweet little restaurant. In the background, we can hear Balinese music, and I begin to relax and sit back with a smile. This is Slow Travel in Ubud.

I smell the incense sticks and see green rice fields when I look out. Here it is. I found it. Welcome back to Bali!