Photo Journal: Bali Belly

Don’t let the title of this post fool you; I’ve never actually gotten “Bali Belly” in the two trips I’ve made to Bali. I did, however, get the sneaky-once-its-got-its-claws-in-you-you-can’t-escape Hong Kong stomach flu this weekend (my 5th time in 2 years??). After a trip to the ER for a shot in the behind (which is still sore BTW), I laid in bed, drenched in sweat, hallucinating for the rest of the day.

 

Bedridden, I dreamt about one of the first trips I took after moving to HK in 2010: Bali, Indonesia. Unlike my dark and cramped 7×7-foot bedroom in HK, the island of Bali is lush, green and magical. Home to Indonesia’s Hindu minority, Bali blends a mix of Chinese, Indian and South East Asian cultures which can be seen across the many temples, local dances and traditions of the island people. It seems like just yesterday that I was bike riding through dewy rice paddy fields, traversing through Ubud’s rowdy Monkey Forest and surfing warm Balinese waters.

 

My favorite thing about this province? The laid-back cool of island life. People wait patiently in moped traffic for hours at a time, reap rice harvests across large acres of land with just a few hands and basically sit around shooting the sh* all year ’round. It might not be the most economically-advanced place on earth but hey, it’s not a bad life!

 

Hotels:

Four Seasons Resort Bali at Sayan
Sayan, Ubud
Bali 80571, Indonesia

 

Nammos Beach Club
Karma Kandara Resort, Jalan Villa Kandara
Banjar Wijaya Kusuma
Ungasan, Denpasar
Bali 80362, Indonesia