Asia, Indonesia


Bali is a Feeling

Asia Indonesia

For me, travelling is a feeling; a feeling I carry from one place to another. I nourish and truly appreciate those feelings because they give me a sense of understanding of my new surroundings. They allow me to visualize the place way before I am actually there. The same happened with Bali. I had a clear vision of never ending lush rice paddies, turquoise beaches and beautiful Hindu culture, that is deeply rooted and easy recognizable in all corners of the island. This picture allowed me to create such a high vibration of feelings. I knew I had to visit Bali.

My boyfriend and I first came to Bali for one month and we already had our ticket to the next destination. Our first days in Bali were…chaotic. It was noisy, some parts dirty and disturbing. In fact, it shocked me. Here I am with all those beautiful, pink feelings, ready to live like an “Eat Pray Love” book character. Instead, I had to find the safest way to cross crazy busy streets with a million scooters passing by. It did disturb me just a little bit.

Soon afterwards, I slowly got used to the buzzing locals and dusty streets with gigantic holes in the pavements. Now that I look back, that moment was a breaking point. It was a surrendering to the new place and all of the feelings it brought to me. I had the chance to paint Bali in all of the dark colours and complain how far from my expectations it was. Instead, I just let it be. I let the place slowly grow on me. And may I say, it was such a beautiful and pure experience.

For the rest of the month, we completely emerged into Balinese life. Apart from all the beautiful places we saw, we got to know the everyday life in Bali. We were lucky to have made some local friends. We saw secret and 100% authentic food places, we started our surfing and yoga practice journeys, and we probably and most likely had too many corn cobs. We not only travelled in Bali, we lived in Bali. We did so much and in return, we got those same feelings I first visualized of this little island.

It is hard to pick a particular memory or a story which remains the closest to me. Now looking back over all the days and moments, they were so colorful and different. They all were so raw, so close to our hearts. Today, when I crave a bit of Bali feeling in my life, I quickly transfer myself to our little orange colored apartment. I remember the warm nights, when you feel slightly cold and hot at the same time (due to the endless hours spent laying in the sun throughout the day). I remember how we used to drive our scooter into our little street and each step closer to our home, we used to recognize the familiar scents of vibrant and rich incenses. A Balinese lady used to put beautiful handmade offerings each night by our flat’s doorstep. It was a magical scene.

It is no surprise that after a month away in Thailand, we decided to go back and spend another month in Bali. Always try to listen to your inner guidance, it will lead you where you have to be. To truly see Bali, you have to feel it and sometimes it happens way before you even enter it.

Contributed by Greta Zapolskyte