Bali ~ Part One

The sun is out, but the air is cool. I'm tucked inside, ugg boots on, blanket on, hot cup of tea next to me.. what better time to start to share with you my two weeks experience in Bali, where there was no sight of ugg boots, but lots of sweating, coconut drinking and my first world problem was to decide which bikini to wear by the pool.

What I Did

The first week of my Bali adventure was mainly playing tourist. We visited the Bali Safari and Marine Park, had some cuddles with an Orangutan, lay by the rooftop pool and soaked up some sun and did a lot of walking, shopping and seeing local life. For those that have been to Bali, you will most likely be smiling and nodding at this, but for those never been, Bali is a place that you can't help but return to, again and again. It's hot and humid, from the moment you step off the plane, to the moment you step back on.

 The smells can get to you, a mixture of rubbish, incense from the offerings and the typical Bali clove cigarette. The moment you see a stray dog or cat walk towards you, you immediately think "rabies". The people are so happy and friendly, the traffic is chaotic and has no rhyme nor reason to it- the organised person in me found this a little hard to witness. But there is no road rage, no anger, just so many smiles, people happy to welcome you and show you their way of life.

We made a visit to the Tirta Empul Temple, a Hindu temple famous for its holy water where people go to bathe for purification. It was a tempting idea to take a dip, to encourage some enlightenment within ourselves, maybe this was just my Western mind's way of thinking, but the idea of taking a cold bath amongst 20+ other people in their underwear, began to lose its appeal. So we stood and splashed our hands through the stream of healing water instead.

What I Ate

About a year ago, my health and attitude were in a far different place. Travelling to destinations such as Bali, Thailand, Hawaii, come meal time, my eyes were always bigger than my stomach, and I would always find myself looking forward to the hotel breakfasts. Yep, you know the ones... Muffins, donuts, croissants, some bacon and eggs, seeing as they're catering to all cultures, why not sample some noodles, jellies, pizza, while you're at it? Oh I should be good, let me just put a piece of watermelon on my plate.

What a difference a year can make. Day One of breakfast at our hotel left us completely and utterly unimpressed, with most of the above items in abundance. A small mental pat on the back for having come so far with my eating habits and recognising what is good for the mind and body, and what is not, and then we decided no more hotel breakfasts.

We  ate out every day and were glad to try some great recommendations made by friends. Below were the favourites by far.  (Yes I still drank Coke on some days, i'm only human!)

Watercress Cafe - Seminyak

Owned by an Aussie, this place was a hidden gem. Super healthy, simple meals. The type of place where you finish your meal, but just want to sit around, and enjoy the atmosphere afterwards.

My amazing breakfast consisted of a cacao, banana, honey and soy milk Smoothie, followed by what the menu describes as "Sprouted Goodness". Two thick slices of toasted sourdough with tasty miso, fresh avocado (yes mum, I eat avocado now), juicy tomatoes, crumbled feta, house sprouts, topped with herbs, olive oil and sea salt, with a side of poached eggs and lime.

Zucchini Cafe - Seminyak

They describe themselves as "a little slice of Bondi Beach and Byron in Bali"

We had a taste of breakfast at this place, but it's the lunch that you want to try. A big wooden bowl of three different types of salads, with fresh toasted herb bread. We chose a fresh tabouleh salad, green bean and pumpkin pesto salad, and a Vietnamese noodle and coriander salad. 

We visited these two favourites multiple times! An honourable mention goes to Earth Cafe, for their raw food smoothies, however we found the food menu itself a little too raw and vegan for our liking.

We spent most days relaxing and looking forward to our upcoming Yoga and Surf Retreat. What would it be like? Would the people be nice? Would we starve? Would the food be spicy?(ok that one was mainly my thought), and please don't make me look like a fool attempting Yoga!

Our first week was an amazing start to this holiday, we packed so much in, in just a few days, and couldn't wait to see what the retreat had in store for us.

What I Read

You Can Heal Your Life ~ Louise Hay

This was lovingly loaned to me, and could not have come at a more opportune time. From Work, Relationships, Self Love and Friendships, life is really very simple. What we give out, we get back.

 What we think about ourselves becomes the truth for us. Every thought we think is creating our future. Each one of us creates our experiences by our thoughts and our feelings. The thoughts we think and the words we speak create our experiences.

~

Next Post: Bali Part Two - The Retreat!

Images: My Own