Mixed First Impressions of Bali (Indonesia): Canggu, Ubud
I chose to write about Bali first, and I’ll catch up on the Vietnam travel journals later.
Even though we’ve been traveling for 6 years, this is our first time in Bali. For us, Bali is synonymous with mass tourism and is the “clichéd” destination of the digital nomad. That’s why we’ve always carefully avoided this place. It’s only after 3 months in Vietnam, and while the number of open Asian countries is still limited, that we go there, with a rather negative preconception.
In mid-June 2022, the PCR test is a bad memory; only a vaccination certificate (two doses) is required to arrive in Indonesia.
From the plane, I see a huge but rather flat island. The first part I see is covered with trees, there are no buildings, then in the distance we see a huge volcano covered with clouds. It looks as high as our plane’s altitude, and then we start flying along the coast. There are a lot of clouds, so I can’t see the whole island, but I’m stunned by the thousands of buildings along the coast. The terrain is flat, and there are houses as far as the eye can see. From the plane, we can even see the waves, so they must be numerous and violent.
We queue to pay for the visa on arrival (essential if you want to stay more than 30 days) then wait an hour to go through immigration. For once, we don’t find an ATM at the airport exit (there were some on the way to the exit, but next to the currency exchange offices, these ATMs usually have high fees). However, we do come across a “prepaid taxi” stand that looks official. Prices vary by zone. We explain that we don’t have cash, but they assure us that the driver will drop us off in front of a bank along the way. The taxi drivers are in traditional dress. I don’t know if it’s like this every day because they had just had a big ceremony the day before. Ceremonies seem frequent here because a few weeks later, there was already another big one. JB buys a SIM card to ensure a reliable internet connection. Note that there was a point Grab (the Asian equivalent of Uber) that allows you to pay by card if you already have the app installed.
Canggu
Well, after withdrawing 3 million (in two transactions) fee-free at Maybank, including 300,000 IDR for the taxi, we finally arrived at our first hotel in Canggu.
I’m absolutely blown away because all the cafes are extremely pretty, too well decorated. You can take Instagram-worthy, Pinterest-worthy photos everywhere, everywhere.
However, it was very difficult to find a hotel with a work desk in the room because the villas and rooms here are more suited to tourists, so there’s often a nice lounge but no proper desk at all.
Our first hotel is right in the center of Canggu, the hub of mass tourism. But at the hotel itself, it’s still very quiet, everything is tastefully decorated. Our second hotel, 550m away, is less pretty but has a long work desk in the room. I really like it because right across the street there’s a restaurant with rice field views that I love (I liked the vegan chocolate mousse less—it was gluten-free, egg-free, and apparently chocolate-free too!).
Okay, a quick note on my mental health: after 3 months in Vietnam, I’m absolutely exhausted. Between numerous trips, sightseeing, people to see, administrative stuff to sort out, breakdowns… Since I speak Vietnamese, things that were usually handled by JB end up with me. So I ended up with double the usual mental load and 10 times more social interactions. For an introvert, that’s just unmanageable. There wasn’t a week when something big didn’t hit the fan, in my private life, in my work life, and I was on the verge of burnout. Maybe that’s why I did a lot of shopping in Vietnam, to de-stress, while I was supposed to just eat there 😀 So I chose Bali to get a change of scenery and relax a bit. On arrival in Bali, I also had a huge deadline to meet, so during our first week in Bali, I lived like a zombie: eat, work, massage, sleep. And to waste as little time as possible, we just went to the very touristy restaurants nearby. I drastically reduced my Instagram stories, partly because I wasn’t interested in the platform anymore, but also because it was a waste of time.
From Canggu, I didn’t see much. Oh yes, I saw foreigners, more numerous than Indonesians, half-naked all day, riding huge scooters.
One lunchtime, when I finally had my head clear enough to connect with nature, we went to the beach for lunch.
And it’s a disappointment.
I’ve seen black sand before (it’s normal, there are volcanoes on the island, after all), but it was in Iceland, and in my memory, the black sand was much, much finer and prettier. The sand here isn’t as pleasant; it’s like walking on coal, I don’t know, but I don’t like it at all.
While watching the surfers was truly superb, watching a tourist on the verge of drowning was less cool. Yes, despite the red flag, a tourist went swimming, but well out (while others just dipped their toes), and with the current, she couldn’t get back. Luckily, a lifeguard noticed she was struggling and sent two surfers to help her. It’s only with the surfboard that she could get back. Anyway, you can’t swim here; it’s not meant for that.
In short, the only time I managed to relax a bit in Canggu was filled with stress and reminded me how fragile life is and how it can be lost between two stupid waves, before the stunned eyes of tourists stuffing their faces with bad hot dogs.
There’s another restaurant by the beach, but when we went, it was raining. Another Vietnamese restaurant with a stunning view over the rice paddies, but we went on a scorching day and nearly passed out.
In short, Zero chance to relax despite the attempts because even the Indonesian massages are really bad. There’s only one spa that knows how to massage properly, it’s Espace Spa.
Ubud
After Canggu, I finally finish the professional project and can relax on the weekend. For the first weekend of true rest in a very long time (before I was working or had to organize visits), we went to Ubud. Everyone told me great things about Ubud, so I expected a paradise.
Unfortunately, the moment I saw the ultra-touristy city center and the terrible traffic, I died inside. The little energy I have left evaporates and I become absolutely irritable. The slightest thing annoys and stresses me out.
We booked a villa with a pool outside the city for me to relax that weekend, but I didn’t manage to, despite the setting, because the stress level remained far too high.
Then, JB books a week at the OUTPOST coliving/coworking space because we can’t find any hotel with a work desk, and frankly it’s not bad, because zero social interaction (thanks! I really need some silence), but yeah, in terms of zen, it’s still zero.
Moreover, because of the torrential rain in Bali, we end up dining a bit too often at the restaurant right across the street.
This restaurant is the living embodiment of the stereotypes we have about Bali.
There are tons of people who sit there to work, even though just 3 meters away there’s the coworking space which is quieter and more suitable for work. But hey, people do what they want… People sit there to take their calls, and you mostly find coaches there (they talk so loudly, sorry, that I listened in a bit). It’s really sad to see these people giving life lessons, “financial abundance”, to limiting mindset others. While they’re in a crowded, noisy restaurant, with a free glass of water whose ice cube has already melted hours ago, in an environment totally unsuited for well-being and relaxation. There’s such a contrast between what they’re selling (inner well-being, abundance, a dream life) and where they actually are.
Everything reeks of consumerism, nothing is authentic. Also, if there are so many people in this restaurant, it’s because they also run non-stop yoga sessions all day, and people gather for a drink before/after yoga. 100% are foreigners. The only Indonesians are the servers.
In Ubud, moving a little away from the center, you find secluded villas, rice paddies, cafes with a better view than that. I don’t know why they pile up here, rain or shine. The food isn’t even that good. The menu gives the impression that it’s trendy to be allergic to everything because there are tons of gluten-free, meat-free, egg-free, fish-free, salt-free (?! ) dishes.
ANYWAY.
I know that it’s mainly up to me to improve my well-being and raise my energy levels, so for the second “true relaxation” weekend, we first spend 2 nights in a somewhat secluded villa with a view over the rice paddies (Booking link).
While looking for a restaurant in that area, I get led astray by Google Maps and we end up in a secluded area where the dogs, unaccustomed to tourists, are very aggressive. Luckily we were on a scooter and didn’t get bitten, but for someone on the verge of burnout like I am right now, it’s the last straw. The moment I see a dog, my stress level hits its peak, and there are tons of them here too! Rabies is definitely present, the dogs are feral, some aggressive, others crossing the roads freestyle.
Thankfully I had the good idea to call my hypnotherapist for help. She immediately understood the situation and offered a relaxation session, which didn’t have an effect during the session, but it did give me a truly good night’s sleep. I need to get back into cardiac coherence sessions, every hour. That, combined with the absolutely magical location of the villa, a massage that the villa manager offered me… my stress left for the first time in months.
The issue with secluded villas is that the road isn’t lit at night and the dogs come out and bark aggressively as soon as it gets dark (and it gets dark early). Add to that the wet roads, and we weren’t too keen on going out. We found a simple solution: home delivery, via the Grab app. The dishes were not only delicious but also cheap compared to the other “life coach” restaurant.
Following these two very relaxing nights, we finally find the restaurant we were looking for (and for which we almost got bitten by the dogs). Turns out the restaurant was on the other side of the river, right next to our place, and inside a beautiful 5-star hotel. We were treated like royalty, with a gorgeous view, and the delicious dishes finally reconciled me with Indonesian cuisine.
Cherry on top: We stumble upon a 2-story house within a hotel (Booking link) that doesn’t look like much. Not too secluded though (no dog problems). Exactly like the haven wehad on Koh Phangan island. The moment I set foot inside, I feel an abundant energy that instantly recharges me. That’s it, I’m alive again!
With his nice polo shirt, he looks like a staff member carrying my suitcase. But no, it’s JB!
It goes to show, when my energy levels are high, I attract things that suit me, instead of just enduring the situation.
This article also reminds you not to make assumptions—just because the photos are beautiful doesn’t mean the person taking them is necessarily happy or lucky. Don’t be jealous of anyone, because you don’t know what that person is going through or feeling. Know that maybe an influencer, whose life you dream of, is just sitting uncomfortably in a crappy vegan restaurant with a lukewarm free glass of water, preaching abundance or whatever 😀
Update in August 2022: I now know why I felt horribly unwell in Bali. It wasn’t Bali-related, it was related to my intuition. I must have felt very bad and in danger (of death) for us to leave Bali ASAP. Because just one week after we left Bali, JB was rushed to the emergency room and had emergency surgery in Vietnam (in my country). If we had stayed in Bali, JB would have been in great danger: we would have been in a country where we don’t speak the language at all and in too remote areas to be operated on immediately.
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