Promise Yourself That One Day You Will Wake Up In Bali

If you think adventure is dangerous, try routine. It is lethal.

Well… we made it to Bali in one piece! We flew Malaysian Airlines and I must say they were fantastic! Never have I been better fed and watered on a flight before and the staff were extremely warm and welcoming, not to mention the wine kept pouring. Upon arrival, we were greeted by our pre-organised taxi driver which the Canggu Apartments kindly arranged for us.

Despite feeling utterly disgusting and delirious after 24 hours of travel, I could not keep my eyes open during our 1 hour commute to Canggu.

Bali was just incredible from the start. We drove through countless twisted and bustling streets, home to hundreds of people and their beloved dogs! As an extreme dog lover I could not help but grin at every animal which sprawled across the warm streets as we passed through.

The whole drive was sensory overload and the aroma from the hoards of restaurants and outdoor food stalls was intense like nothing I’ve ever experienced before . I kept thinking to myself we are bound to get lost as soon as we venture off ourselves!

At last we made it to The Apartments Canggu, situated just 5 mins away from the award winning surfer’s paradise, Echo Beach. We were greeted by the friendly receptionist who showed us to our room. Safe to say we were pleasantly surprised with how big and homely our room was.

The bed was HUGE and we had ample space for our new North Face bags full of stuff we probably won’t even need. There was a small yet fully stocked kitchen area and a generous size fridge filled with treats and drinks at a small charge. The bathroom was spacious and light and best of all, we had a fantastic view of our shared pool which we could access directly from our patio doors leading out to a small terrace dining area.

The apartments are set amongst glorious green rice fields and as mentioned before, only 5 mins away from the beach. We knew from the drive in that there were multiple restaurants near-by which we were both eager to try!

Awakening after what felt like the worlds longest sleep (the jet lag hit us hard) we set about organising our means of transportation for our month in Bali.

If you have ever experienced Bali, you’ll know that renting a scooter or motorcycle is your best bet. Now I must admit, I was slightly apprehensive at the thought of us joining the Balinese highways where the highway code is pretty much thrown out the window. From what we had seen so far, it looked like chaos! Thankfully, Gary took charge and I was eager to take the role of sitting on the back of the bike, ready to hold on for dear life!

Being from the UK, we are used to everything being pretty expensive therefore we were gobsmacked to find that we could rent a scooter for the entire month for only £53! After researching I found the going rate per day is between 50,000 & 60,000 IDR (£2.38-£2.86) however we were lucky enough to rent our new ride for just 40,000 IDR (£1.90 per day). What a bargain!

If you fancy a go, here’s a few handy tips for renting a scooter:

• Before travelling, consider getting an International Driving Permit (IDP). It’s so easy to do and only costs around £5 from the post office back home. We got one after hearing stories of Police pulling tourists over claiming not to have correct licences. So far we are okay but better safe than sorry!
• Please make sure either yourself or someone you are travelling with is confident on chaotic roads. The other drivers will wait for no one and it really is survival of the fittest/fastest.
• Petrol is ridiculously cheap here but make sure you are not short changed or scammed. The process of filling up at stations is so quick and a station worker stands and takes money. It’s better to have your money at the ready. An average scooter tank will take around 25,000 IDR to fill (£1.19).

Our first official day was spent exploring the local area of Canggu. Having a scooter was undeniably our best decision so far as you immediately feel drawn into Bali’s unique way of life. Canggu is a beautiful area as it remains much less developed than the well-known touristy areas like Kuta & Seminyak.

Canggu is well set within acres of green rice fields, farmed everyday by local residents. Being set amongst such tranquility, you really feel at home and are lucky enough to catch a glimpse of how residents work day-in and day-out to develop their home town.

Everywhere you look, there are new infrastructures being built however what is truly refreshing is seeing such raw and natural materials being used alongside strong manual labour. There are no machines around, just groups of local people working together to improve and develop their surroundings.

Echo beach is a surfers paradise! If you’re like me surfing does not come naturally, nor do many sports which require good balance and technique. However Echo Beach caters for all. There are surfing lessons readily available or if that’s not your thing, the beach has a great dining and bar scene where you can sit back with a cold beer and watch the enormous waves crash onto the rocks.

The beach itself is not exactly your white sand postcard paradise for sunbathers or families and is very much catered for surfer lifestyle however, if you fancy a stroll along the sand you can walk for miles along the rocky beach and watch the surfers take on the waves. You’ll find boutique style shops surrounding the area selling clothing and boards perfect for those wave chasing hooligans. If cheap dining is what you fancy, the beach has many stalls set up where you can grab yourself a coconut or some grilled skewers and corn (Gary’s favourite). You can easily pick up a meal for around 10000-15000 IDR (0.47p-71p). 

‘One Cannot Think Well, Love Well, Sleep Well, if One Has Not Dined Well’

The greatest part of staying in Bali for an extended period of time is knowing how many different restaurants to try. Being a giant foodie, this was a welcoming challenge. I will try (it won’t be too much of a struggle) to test and review as many different places as possible and share it on here…

On our first evening after exploring the delights of Canggu, we were excited to try out the Betelnut Cafe, having followed them on Instagram for a while prior to our trip and seeing the amazing food they offer. The atmosphere of the restaurant is fantastic. It’s so relaxing and welcoming and what’s best is that the restaurant is split levelled so be sure to ask to sit upstairs where you can watch over the gorgeous rice paddies while sipping on a fresh fruit frappe …and if you time it well, you can watch in awe at Bali’s beautiful sunset. What better way to end a successful first day!

The menu is to-die-for with an eclectic choice of all different kinds of dishes. The egg noodle stirfry is a particular favourite of mine already (you’ll see how good it looks in the picture below).

Bali thrives on it’s healthy outlook on food and you certainly are not short on healthy options at Betelnut. The ingredients are so fresh that you can order a burrito without the guilt. The tortillas are filled to the brim with crunchy veg, tasty red rice, and a grilled meat of your choice – fresh tasting, without the slob!

The juices are spectacular too with countless fruits and veggies to choose from and don’t forget that shot of wheatgrass to kickstart your metabolism (also Gary’s favourite). A truly disgusting taste if you ask me but the health benefits are something to sacrifice your taste buds for I suppose… I am reliably informed that one wheatgrass shot contains the nutrient equivalent of 1 kilogram of veggies!

The prices are very reasonable here too if like us, you are on a budget. Meals are priced between 35,000 – 65,000 IDR (£1.66 – £3) Safe to say the Belelnut Cafe was a fav of ours and we will certainly be back!

I’m excited to share lots more so keep reading to follow us on our journey. If you have any questions or comments please leave them below. I’d love to hear your thoughts…

Lots of Love

Xx

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