Travel Story Indonesia, Bali

Introduction to Bali

Todays travel story brings us to Bali. Bali truly feels like my second home, this place has something magical, and when you set foot on Bali for the first time, you will directly understand the hype about this island.

The first time I went to Bali was in 2019 for my internship. I stayed for five months and fell in love with culture and nature. The second time I went to Bali was more recent; in 2021, when the world was in lockdown, I decided to go to Bali. Since school was online and I followed the minor Digital Nomads, I tried to make a negative situation positive (for myself, at least). As soon as I arrived in Bali, all my doubts disappeared, and I felt so free and happy. Not only for me but also the locals, it was positive that there were still some digital nomads and western tourists on the island since the economy of Bali depends on tourism. It was bittersweet to travel when the world was still in lockdown.

Bali is known for its rich culture and beautiful nature. In contrast to the rest of Indonesia, the most significant belief in Bali is Hinduism. This is quite special since the rest of Indonesia is primarily Muslim. Hinduism is a particular religion, and it is the world’s oldest religion, according to many scholars, with roots and customs dating back more than 4,000 years. With about 900 million followers, Hinduism is the third-largest religion behind Christianity and Islam.

The most touristic places to stay in Bali are Canggu, Seminyak & Ubud. These places are worth visiting, but if you want to experience the traditional culture of Bali, you should see the North/ East side of the island.

After we finished our minor, we decided to embark on a road trip from Canggu to Lovina and from Lovina to Amed. We went all by motorcycle, but it is possible to go with a driver or rent a car since it is pretty long. We left the villa we stayed for a few months and got on our NMAX ready for the road trip. On the first day, we drove to Lovina, and on the way, we came across a beautiful Nungnung waterfall. It is nice to stop here and relax for a bit. After the climb up and down, we had some Indo pope with the locals! After this, we drove to the A-ling- A-ling waterfall, where you can do a five or 10-meter jump and go from a natural water slide!

After some water fun, we drove to Lovina, just in time to catch the sunset! This night we had dinner at a local stand near the beach and had some good Nasi Kuning. After a long drive, we decided to sleep early and woke up at 5:30 for something extraordinary! We did a sunrise tour on a boat and saw many dolphins. We even swam with them. It truly felt like a dream. It wasn’t that busy now because of covid.

After the dolphin tour, we drove to Amed, which was approximately a 2hours drive. We stayed in a beautiful villa with a view of Mount Agung. If you want a relaxed, more local experience, you should visit Amed. It is surrounded by beautiful nature but still not that touristic yet! Amed has a special place in my heart. If you stay for a few days, you get to know the people from the village, and you will find your favorite spots. On the second day, we drove to Bukit Cinta for a beautiful sunrise view of mount Agung. We arrived at 6 in the morning, a bit too early since the sun rose from behind the mountain at 7. The idea was beautiful, and we could shoot some fantastic pictures.

After Bukit Cinta, we went to the Lempunyan temple on the other side of Agung. This place has something magical as well. It usually is highly crowded, and there are lines where you must wait hours. But because of Covid, there were only two tourists in front of us.

Lempuyang Temple, locally known as Pura Luhur Lempuyang, is one of Bali’s oldest and most highly regarded temples. It is also believed to predate the majority of Hindu temples on the island and the six holiest places of worship in Bali. Lempuyang Temple (also known as the Gates of Heaven) is one of the main highlights of many tours in Bali.

You may have seen a ‘reflection’ shot of this particular temple. It gives the effect of a massive puddle with a Pura Lempuyang Temple reflection below. Since the boom in tourism, a genius local figured this would be a hit with visitors.

So now, he stands in the perfect position and holds a small mirror under your camera, making it easy to create the typical reflection photo. So, no photoshop or rain is needed, but a tip for the mirror holder will be expected. The rest of the time we had in Amed, we mainly spent relaxing, snorkeling, eating, and watching the sunset every night behind the beautiful Agung.

After Amed, we drove back to Canggu for a few days before we continued our trip to Lombok Island, which I will tell you more about in the following travel story!