Bali. Bali is a tiny island in Indonesia, a ton of people visit this place every year and I have to say writing a post about it is going to be tough. After I’ve visited the island I noticed this is not my place on earth and it’s okay. Not everyone is the same, we all have different opinions, different mindsets and especially we all want different vacations. My expectations for Bali where pretty high right from the beginning. I saw a lot of documentaries and read a few blog posts but at the end, it was different. Yes, it is most of the time different than expected but it was absolutely not what I had pictured in my mind. The locals were so different, I didn’t feel welcomed and I had lots of problems with their food. Yes, I’m aware that everyone is different, but Bali, well I would say I just didn’t feel it at all.

When we arrived at our hotel, which was around midnight we were already exhausted. And the start wasn’t as smooth as I hoped for. We got the hotel room that we booked, sure that is what I expect from hotels, and the only information I needed was when and where can we have breakfast in the morning. The employee gave us the information but right after he tried to sell us almost 5 different tour options which we were absolutely not into and told him. Especially after our long and exhausted ride from the airport to the hotel. Oh yes, these streets are another level. Be prepared for a rollercoaster ride – one you won’t enjoy. Anyway I tried to forget about it and focused on a quiet nice resort where we can finally rest our soul and body after this journey and a not so nice start.

The next morning we woke up and felt rested and hungry. We went to the restaurant to get breakfast. In my opinion the food was okay but nothing special – especially not for a five star hotel. The next few days we relaxed by the pool and enjoyed the weather, it was warm and sunny most of the time. After a few days of rest we decided to explore more and give Bali another chance. We went on a local village tour with someone from the hotel and I enjoyed it. We learned a lot about the history, the villages and even what a typical day for the people there looks like. Thanks to our guide we got the chance to get into one of the villagers house and he gave us a tour. He also explained to us more about their religion and what they believe. I’m happy we did this tour and I would recommend doing it. On the same day we went on a bike tour and explored the rice terraces and a part of the jungle. Back at the hotel we decided to get something to eat and went back to the pool. This was a great day, we made a few memories and I felt better, a little bit more connected to the island.

A lot of the tourists visit Ubud, but we where just too far away and I was not interested in another tourist hot spot. Ubud offers you several temples and you can explore galleries and boutiques there. Another tourist spot is the “Monkey Forest”. We didn’t go there, first of all I’m not a fan of any kind of activity which involves wild animals and I read that the monkeys there bite, have diseases and on top of it – they steel!

After a few relaxing days we left Ubud and went to another hotel called “Munduk Moding Plantation”.