After several weeks of sparsely populated wide-open spaces, our arrival in Seminyak was a bit of a jolt. Busy roads with a jumble of motorbikes, taxis and pedestrians; a hectic main drag with wall-to-wall designer boutiques, surf shops, galleries, and restaurants; beaches littered with soggy remains of temple offerings and lined with hip bars, their music and colorful beanbag chairs spilling out to the high tide line. It was a pleasant sort of culture shock.
The air is warm and heavy with humidity, and as long as you don’t move too fast, it feels like a gentle embrace. We kept our days simple, moving between the pool and the beach, with occasional wanders through town for meals and a little shopping. Chad went surfing, caught a few respectable waves and earned his first surfing scar; Lindsay strolled the shore beachcombing. This felt like vacation in the traditional sense. We enjoyed the lack of a schedule, the freedom to while away a whole afternoon reading a book.
From Seminyak, we traveled to Gili Trawagnan, or “Gili T” – the largest of the three tiny Gili Islands off the coast of Lombok. The high-speed boat pulled up on to the sandy beach and we disembarked barefoot in the shallow water. Our luggage was loaded onto a cart pulled by a stocky little horse decked in bells and brightly colored tassels, and we were off to our hotel. Part of the charm of these islands is their complete lack of motorized transportation – everyone gets around the island via bike, horse cart or their own two feet. Happily, our hotel issued us each a bike to use as part of check-in. We spent our days lazily peddling around the ring-road of the island, stopping for a drink or bite to eat, or a particularly pretty beach.
Gili T is an island of interesting contrasts: minarets peak up behind the main drag and the muezzin’s call to prayer mixes with the reggae music of the beachside bars; scantily-clad, sunburned tourists mingle alongside local mothers in headscarves, children scampering in their wake; modern, sleek hotels hide the quiet villages in the island’s interior, sandy lanes where the occasional chicken darts across the path.
From Gili T, we moved inland to Bali’s capitol, Ubud. Lush tropical vegetation, twisty streets lined with busy shops and bustling restaurants, gated temple gardens with richly ornate pura offering a quiet retreat from the chaos of the streets. There is an air of sophistication in Ubud, home to artisans, and a clear appreciation for beauty and creativity.
On our first full day in Ubud, we set out for the Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary. We picked our way along the narrow sidewalks, one eye on the ground to avoid cavernous cracks and dodge canang sari (little daily offerings to give thanks to Hindu gods), before arriving at the unmistakable entrance, monkeys already visible in the trees.
Officially called Mandala Wisata Wanara Wana, the sanctuary houses three holy temples. Even with crowds of visitors, the peace and serenity of this ancient place is still present. The dense jungle is cool and cleansing, a welcome respite from the hot sticky streets beyond the gates. Moss-covered stone sculptures of dragons, monkeys, Hindu gods and fantastical creatures, towering trees with tangles of roots reaching towards the earth, tranquil fountains and a rushing river ravine… and everywhere, monkeys! Monkeys eating bananas, sibling monkeys wrestling and pulling each other’s tails, baby monkeys clinging to their mamas’ bellies, grizzled old monkeys dozing with half-closed eyes, whole monkey families… Over 600 grey-haired and greedy long-tailed Balinese macaques call this place home. As cute as the hordes of monkeys are, it’s good to remember they are not your friends; one of them managed to steal a map from Lindsay’s bag, clever fingers quick as a snap, and promptly ripped it to shreds. We then watched him pull a lady’s hair.
Ubud has a reputation for art, and throughout our visit, we kept an eye out for a piece that we could bring home with us. There are whole shops filled with canvases, markets dedicated to art, as well as fancy high-end galleries. Much of it felt mass produced, variations on the same themes, which made the hunt for something a little more special a more concerted effort. We unexpectedly discovered the two pieces we liked best in a humble stand-alone stall in the middle of rice fields. Sadly, upon closer inspection, exposure to the elements had already destroyed these pieces – the small one of a dancing woman was besieged by mold, and the larger piece of frolicking white cranes had been faded by the sun, evident once removed from its frame. Such a shame. In the end we walked away without purchasing anything… but if we had it to do over again, we would have bought them just to give the artist a sale. We still feel regret when we think of the disappointment on the older man’s face as we walked away… a lesson learned.
We spent a lovely meandering day wandering through rice paddies of the Campuhan Ridge Walk. Vibrant emerald green fields dotted with white flags on bamboo poles, fringed with palm trees and sparkling irrigation streams, butterscotch-colored ducks busily waddling and foraging in the flooded fields. It is the Bali of postcards.
Hydration being vital in the tropical heat, we eagerly tried fresh green coconut water, its clear juice chilled and refreshing; we also sampled the infamous Luwak coffee (verdict: good coffee, but not worth the fuss and price tag). Later, we stumbled upon a darling little restaurant on an offshoot of the trail called Sweet Orange. Charmed by their whimsical coconut artwork, we sat down and ordered vivid pink dragonfruit smoothies that were so good we decided to stay for lunch.
Our time in Bali was exactly what we needed at this point in our travels. Jordan and South African challenged us in ways we didn’t expect, made us think and churned our emotions. Bali offered us a time for reflection, space to process our experiences, plus time to play and relax; it felt restorative, at times indulgent, and wholly wonderful. We wanted to stay longer…
Now reading… Lindsay: Just Mercy, by Bryan Stevenson, and Another Brooklyn, by Jacqueline Woodson
Chad: Just Mercy, by Bryan Stevenson, and Flight Behavior, by Barbara Kingsolver, and Seveneves by Neal Stephenson
A Forever of Nows 
Loved each picture and word. Precious memories! Love Brenda
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