It was late when I arrived. Around 8pm, I stepped off my flight from Amsterdam, absolutely exhausted. Nearly three days of flying with only a few short naps really takes it out of you. I was so excited to finally be able to sleep laying down. Unfortunately, the world had other plans. When I turned the corner towards immigration, this is the sight I was greeted with...
Immigration and customs were slammed. Absolutely packed. It took me over two hours to get through and meet up with my driver, who one of my friends had sent to come pick me up. Yes, you heard that right. Most middle to upper middle class people in Bali have drivers. This was a bit of a culture shock for me, because in North America, it is very rare to have your own driver. In SE Asia, however, it is, and in Bali it only costs around 20 USD per day. I met up with Shri, my incredibly energetic (and quite well dressed) driver after leaving the airport, and immediately headed to get dinner with my friend Kate and her family. One nice thing about having a driver is that you are able to leave your stuff in the car. I speedily changed into nicer clothes in the backseat, freshened up, and stepped out into the fanciest restaurant in Bali (I had no idea at the time) Si Jin. It takes months to get a reservation at this Korean-Japanese fusion restaurant, but I was lucky enough to stumble into eating there for free. The highlight of the meal was definitely the meat. I mean, look at it:
It was absolutely amazing, but quite pricey. If you can manage to secure a spot while in Bali, I would highly recommend it. If you can't, don't worry, there is plenty more affordable and delicious food to be found.
After this amazing meal, I was so ready to sleep. I went back to our Airbnb, which my friend Bryan had just arrived at, and after greeting him, immediately fell asleep.
After sleeping in, and still waking up tired, Bryan and I decided to walk around and explore our area, Nusa Dua.
Before we went out, we found this massive bug the size of one of our hands, which really encouraged us to get out of the house faster than expected. We wandered the small streets of Nusa Dua, stunned by how tranquil it was. The old architecture and stone streets really helped us get into the vacation mindset. We came across what looked like a very, very, popular local street food spot for Babi Guling, which is essentially crispy pork. It was spicy, flavorful, and 2 dollars. Unbeatable. As we continued to wander, we came across a cute surfer style coffee shop and decided to stop for a drink and some air conditioning. As the last stop in our little exploration, it was a perfect place to decompress before heading back to our villa. When we arrived back, we were able to sit peacefully knowing we picked an amazing area of Bali to stay. Nusa Dua is less touristy, with amazing beaches, tranquil forests, and incredibly kind locals. I would definitely recommend booking a hotel or Airbnb in this area.
After relaxing, unpacking, and showering, we realized that to fully immerse ourself in the relaxation and rejuvenation Bali promises, we would have to get a massage. We searched online, and decided to go to a mid range spa called Serene Spa and wellness center. We booked, and immediately received a call asking where we would like to be pickup up and dropped off. What? Yes, you heard that right. At 25 USD for an hour massage, transportation (and we later found out tea and water) are included. Check out our excitement.
The massage was amazing. Well, except for the part where we forgot to mention we both had injured ankles. That wasn't very pleasant. This withstanding, we were officially reinvigorated.
Soon after our massage, we received an invitation from Kate to explore the night life in Bali. How could we refuse?
We started our night at the rooftop bar of the Kempinski, one of the nicest hotels in Bali.
After that, we knew what we had to do (sound up).
It was a long night. After our little bar adventure, we went to Mexicola, a club very popular among the expats and huge numbers of digital nomads in Bali. The music was good, but it was so crowded we eventually decided to leave and go to Velvet Room, a smaller club popular among locals and international students. We met a group of people from the Netherlands, and with my 12 hour Amsterdam expertise, we ended up joining their table, allowing us to skip the line and get into the nearly full club. It was a blast! Though day two technically ended at midnight, our day really ended when we got home at 4am, after a successful cultural immersion experience.