Bali was never just a trip. It was a complete love affair – one that began on Instagram at 2 a.m. as I was doomscrolling through sunset swings, smoothie bowls, and cliffside villas. In a few minutes, I was searching for flights. Several weeks later, I was flying to the island everyone says alters you.
Spoiler: they were right.

Introduction: Disorder and Sanity.

The initial impression that you get about Bali is its liveliness. It is not without rhythm: scooters flying by, incense waving in temple winds, folks smiling at you as though they have known you your whole life. One day you will be meditating in the rice terraces of Ubud and the next you are dancing bare feet in Canggu and somehow it all makes sense.

Bali doesn’t rush you. It flows around you.

My Days Looked Like This

Saturdays and Sundays were opening with the sun peeking through bamboo curtains and the waves in the distance. I would take an iced latte out of a beach cafe and sit on the beach with my feet bare, and I would sit on the sand and watch the surfers ride the waves, only to have my phone in my face.

Afternoons were to be spent in exploration– waterfalls which seemed secret only to me, rice terraces which appeared to me green poetry, and temples which seemed to me humming with centuries of peace. And at sunset, I would be in a beach club, with my feet in the pool, holding a mocktail, and seeing the sky turn orange and lavender.

It is the type of rhythm that makes one forget what day it is – and you do not even mind.

[?] What Instagram Doesn’t Show

The swings and smoothie bowls are posted by everyone, but nobody discusses the energy. This is that silent attraction of Bali, as though it is teaching you how to breathe again.

It is people who refer to you as “sister” so affectionately. It is the passing-by near-stranger who assists you in repairing your scooter. The slow mornings are what make you remember that you do not have to make everything a rush.

It has magic here that is not in the aesthetics, and it is in the way that Bali makes you feel lighter, softer and somehow even more you.

[?] Lessons I Took Home

Bali showed me that healing does not need to seem serious. Sometimes it is nothing more than dancing in the rainfall after it pours or laughing with strangers over spicy noodles at 2 a.m.

It’s letting go. It’s showing up. It even believes that despite the chaos, there is calm.

Would I Go Back?

In a second.

It is because Bali is not a place; it is a state.

The one that stays on your skin even after you have gone.

Yes, Instagram booked me to go there, but Bali? Bali made me stay.

Travel Trick: Spend the soul in Ubud, the vibe in Canggu and the sunsets in Uluwatu that you will never forget.

Vibe Check: Coconut girl encounters soft life.

Save this: Bali, Indonesia – where peace collides with party.