There’s a 2 hour time difference between Melbourne and Bali so it was inevitable that I would wake up early, even though I didn’t go to sleep until 3am Australian time.
The hotel I booked is a lot more expensive than the traditional Bali experience, but I figured I work my bum off for the majority of the year so why can’t I treat myself.
First stop breakfast. I hadn’t included breakfast in my room as I didn’t know what I would be doing but it was easy to add on. It was buffet style and I opted for noodles when in Rome 😂🤪.
It was then time to get my bearings, find the pool and the beach – not that I will be going on the beach as I can’t deal with sand in all areas of the body.
Before I had arrived, I had booked a massage at the spa. As a welcome drink I was given some butterfly pea flower tea. According to google it has the following health benefits: slows down aging, nourishes hair and skin, aids weight loss, improves heart health, boosts brain power, supports eye health and balances blood sugar. I was mostly baffled by the fact it was bright blue and upon the addition of acidic lime it turned purple – so you can imagine I’m now wanting to buy some for chemical experiments/ human trials on me 😂😂.
I’m not going to lie. I’m not sure if the massage was relaxing or the most painful experience of my 35 years on planet earth. The noises coming from my back were unreal and the pain as the lady pummelled me. At one point she said “ma’am is everything ok” as she jumped on my back, I am going to have one more before I leave.
Post massage I headed to the pool! Found myself a good little spot and started to read my book. It was then time to hit the water and accidentally have a margarita at the reef bar!
Another chapter later and it was time for some lunch. Nasi goreng and a bottle of bintang ✅✅
Lunch was followed by more reading and an afternoon coffee aka an espresso martini. I was living my best life (absolutely not sustainable).
All of the excitement of the day meant that I needed a nap. I also couldn’t work out if my back was getting burnt or it was just bruising from the massage. I’m still not sure. After a nap aka a proper sleep where you wake up thinking I could just stay in bed I headed to see the sunset. Seeing as I’m just south of the equator the sunsets at 6.15pm, not going to lie it wasn’t too shabby, neither was the glass of local white wine. No idea where it’s from. Local could be Australia for all I know.
Every Saturday at the hotel I’m staying at they do a BBQ with traditional dancing by the pool. I got a front row seat with my table for one 🤪. The king prawns fresh off the bbq were fab, as was the fish skewer. Whilst watching the traditional dances I did pose the question, if you were staying at a fancy English hotel let’s say Rudding Park what dance would be their go to “traditional English dance” – answers on a post card will be greatly appreciated. For those interested the Balinese dance is a religious and artistic tradition. It is known for its dynamic, angular movements of fingers, hands, head, and eyes, often accompanied by the music of a gamelan orchestra. The dances rooted in Hinduism, express ancient narratives These dances, rooted in Hinduism, express ancient narratives. Meanwhile all I can think of in my head for that “English dance” is YMCA and that’s not even English 😂😂.
The evening ended with a fire dance. Traditionally, Kecak dance is a sendratari (dramatic art) inspired by the Balinese ritual of Sang Hyang. It is a means of spiritual communication between the community and the gods or ancestral spirits. In an unconscious state, they will dance and be accompanied by songs of worship and accompaniment of tetabuhan. I’m not sure the music was traditional but who cares.
Considering today was a “relax” day I feel like I’ve done a lot…since leaving Australia my eye/ cheek has started twitching again…apparently it’s a sign of high cortisol…not sure what’s stressing me out 🤪🤪.
Flying Solo 