This is part 1 of 2 posts that I’ll be writing about my time in Indonesia; the next time I’ll be writing about Gili T, Ubud and final thoughts on Bali.
I spent a month in Indonesia, with most of my time in the island of Bali. Thus far as of writing this, Indonesia has been my favorite country in SE Asia. To start, there are over 17,000 islands across the country, so you spend an entire lifetime alone just exploring each one.
I should have wrote this post fresh after my travels were over, but now later than never.
I started my journey in Indonesia in Bali. Bali is hands down the most well-known and famous island of Indonesia, known for being a tropical surfing paradise. I started in Seminyak, which is where the majority of restaurants and accommodations are, and is the hub for the majority of visitors. I spent a few days there, with the majority of the time spent on the beach.
Cruise to the Komodo and Flores Islands – Whale sharks & Komodo Dragons
I learned from other travelers of a 4 day / 3 day boat cruise that takes you to Komodo National Park and Flores Island. The minute I heard about it, I jumped on the opportunity as quick as I could. The journey started for me in Gili Trawangan, where I was staying for a few nights before. From Gili T, the fast boat took us to Lombok Island, where we took a mixture of a bus and a minivan to get to the east edge of the island. From there we boarded the boat and started our journey. The boat was far from luxurious. There were around 40 passengers on the boat, with a few private rooms, however the majority of the passengers slept in a common shared room. It felt like a big sleepover (like those ones we all had as kids!), as there were pads laid out and space only for one small backpack. Everyone was given a small blanket and pillow. What is crazy, is I slept like a baby each night! There were 2 bathrooms – 1 western and 1 Turkish style. We received 3 daily meals and delicious ones at that! The ship crew were well organized in feeding 40+ people. I met some incredible people on this journey and from all different parts of the world.
On day 2, we woke up early – at like 5:30am to see the whale sharks. The ship docks near a feeding point created for the whale sharks. From there we were able to jump out of the boat and swim with them. It was surreal to be in the middle of the ocean surrounded by 2 of these gentle giants. It was definitely a highlight to see them in person. What was even neater, was there was 2 other ones a few hundred feet away from the boat and feeding area.
For the rest of day 2, we were sailing through the islands. Many people used this time to read, relax, have a few drinks and conversation, and to simple bathe in the sun. Such a chill day. The views around the boat were super beautiful, as we were surrounded by islands nearly at all times. Out on the water, I saw multiple fly fish, plankton and dolphins too! It was such a privilege to be at the forefront of all these amazing creatures.
On day 3, we reached Komodo National Park early in the morning. When we arrived on the island, our group was led into the park and we had a park ranger who shared details about the dragons and also worked to ensure our safety. Komodo dragons are very dangerous for humans – they are poisonous and strong creatures, and messing with them can be deadly. What was crazy was the park rangers only had a wooden stick with a round curved ring at the end to push them away and/or to move them in a different direction. Given the size and the strength of these creatures, it didn’t give me too much assurance, but they must work. Our group saw least 8-10 dragons, ranging from really large to young age. They seemed uninterested in humans, although I don’t they would be happy if we would get in their way. After seeing the dragons, our group was lead through a brief walk through a nature trail on the island. We were shown an area with their eggs. What is fascinating is the guide told us that when the dragons lay eggs, they will sometimes eat their offspring. The offspring are left on their own to grow up, with no support from the parents. So, it’s not easy to be a Komodo dragon, even from young age.
After seeing the national park, we sailed to Pink Beach, which had an amazing variety of fish and coral reefs. They were some of the best reefs I’ve seen so far in my travels in Asia, with the exception of the Great Barrier Reef I saw previously in Australia.
That evening, we hiked up to see a sunset at the top of one island (which I can’t recall).
On day 4 we saw another coral reef and then sailed to Flores Island to finish our journey. The experience was beyond amazing and one of my favorites of my time in Southeast Asia. Upon arriving to Flores Island, I was super excited to sleep in a real bed and to shower again!
Yoga Retreat
When I was flying into Bali from Singapore, I met a fellow American traveler who was doing a yoga retreat on the island. As someone who has been practicing yoga since 2015, I never had thought of doing a retreat while in Bali, but they inspired me. I enrolled for a 6 day yoga retreat in the northern part of Bali with Shanti Toya. The retreat consisted of 2 yoga sessions a day – 1 in the morning and 1 in the evening. It included 3 meals daily and all vegetarian. The food was homemade by local Balinese cooks and oh SO good!! There were daily activities including a cultural activity, cooking class and Jamu juice making. To help further relax, they included a Balinese massage, which was one of the best ones I’ve gotten in my life. As part of the retreat, there was also an option to see the local village “Medicine Man / healer.”
Did I have any revelations or epiphanies during my retreat? Well no, but I enjoyed talking to my fellow retreat buddies and hearing their epiphanies and realizations. There are some nuggets I can take away. First of all, I want to continue doing yoga ongoing – I missed doing group classes with fellow yogi’s. I haven’t done one since before the pandemic. I tasted new fruits including snake fruit and dragon fruit and made Jamu juice. Jamu juice is a delicious combination of ginger, turmeric, lemon, honey and water. It is super simple, delicious and good for you!
By the end of the week, 6 days in a row of yoga was more than enough for me. I’m glad I did and took away a lot from it. If you’re looking for an affordable and quality yoga retreat in Bali, I would highly recommend Shanti Toya.
Riding Scooters
I’ve ridden scooters in the past in other countries, including Albania and Greece, but I jumped on a scooter for the first time in Asia here in Bali. With it being such a small island and lots of traffic, scooters and motorbikes are far by the best way to get around. I didn’t dare drive myself – the traffic and the way people drive there are absolutely insane. Luckily there is an app in Asia called Grab – it’s the Asian equivalent of Uber/Lyft, and you can easily hire scooters that way.
Thanks to my friends, David and Jenny, for capturing this photo below of me in the moment!
Stay tuned for another post to come shortly – the next time I’ll be writing about Gili T, Ubud and final thoughts on Bali.
Sounds amazing Justin.😊💗
Thank you, Cindy!