paradise waits . . .

beach at Anturan, Bali

    I’m going to take off my ‘expat’ hat and put my ‘traveler’ hat back on! These next few blog posts will take a detour from land-locked Lao, to some of the islands of Indonesia. With over 17,000 islands in Indonesia, I narrowed my month-long journey to just three, Bali, Nusa Lembongan, and Java. I departed Lao, spent a few days in Bangkok, then flew to Denpasar, Bali. Upon leaving the airport, I was greeted with a fragrant, tropical scent, and a salty, marine air! I left Denpasar, and checked into a room near the beach of Sanur, on the southeast coast of Bali. Taking a walk along the white sands, I felt my skin sucking in the salty air. All my life, I have lived near the saltwater, and I now realized how much my body missed the marine air!

beach at Sanur, Bali

     This blog post will feature the beaches and coastline of Bali. I spent some time exploring Sanur, enjoying live music at night, and strolling the beach by day. I was taken back into my past, to the many times I have spent gazing at the ocean, thinking about life, the universe, and everything.

beach at Padangbai, Bali

     I headed north, to the east coast fishing village of Padangbai, and spent some time exploring the beaches in the area. This small town was slow-paced, and had a relaxed atmosphere. There was live music at night and plenty of freshly caught seafood. There is a ferry to Lombok that departs Padangbai daily, and most foreigners only stop long enough to board a ferry. They missed out on a lovely town, with a vibrant community!

beach at Kalibukbuk, Bali

     On the north coast of Bali, are a number of small fishing villages. I stayed at two of these, each similar, slow-paced, with fresh seafood. Kalibukbuk was the bigger of the two, and had a few foreigners, but most of my days were spent with the local Balinese. Anturan was another town I stayed a while, and I was able to listen to live music in the evenings. September is a low season on Bali, room rates drop, and foreigners depart. This is the perfect time to visit, as the weather is still good! The north coast, at this time, is calm and as flat as a lake.

beach on Nusa Lembongan

     I explored the island of Nusa Lembongan, and spent days walking around this small island. It is located east of Bali, an hour away by boat. Lovely beaches, fresh seafood, kind people, and days spent lazing on the beach! My time on Balinese beaches was meaningful to me, as I started thinking about my life in land-locked Lao. I was able to look at my Lao life from afar, and think about my future. It was great to be eating seafood again, and soaking in the salty, marine air! Balinese beaches are excellent, and I highly recommend this island in September! More to come, as I will soon post about the culture of Bali, and the ancient temples on Java!

beach on Nusa Lembongan with Bali in the distance