My recent Bali trip was different on many levels.
Living Like a Resident
I tried to fully immerse myself in the community and live like a resident, not a tourist. I also witnessed many beautiful natural wonders for the first time in my life.
One of those was the high tide reaching the entrance of Seminyak’s beachside resorts. In turn, making the ocean too dangerous for a swim.
Apparently, with every full moon, the waves and the current become so strong you should stay away from the water and even the shoreline.
A Full Moon Walk
Being a wild and brave one, I still went for a walk at the beach during those days. The current was so strong that it could sweep you into the ocean for eternity. The high tide lasts for a few days around the full moon so it’s not a one-day phenomenon. This happens monthly with each full moon.
A friend who I met on this trip invited me to join her to a DJ gig at a beach bar in Canggu. I vaguely knew of the place while passing by it many times, but I wasn’t sure of the exact location. We agreed to meet there at around 10 pm and I decided to walk along the shore from my hotel. The thing is, it was pitch dark and all of the beach-side spots were closed. Being the stubborn person that I am, I still walked along the shore with my little flash light.
I also ignored the warning signs of a lady who was at the Canggu hotel. She told me how the water can go up all the way to the waist in some areas. I basically thought that she was exaggerating since I’ve walked along that side of the beach before and I never had water go up my waist!
As soon as I passed by this casual Canggu beachside bar where I was sat with my friend about two hours ago, I heard a dog barking so loud! I was scared but I managed to ignore him and walk further down the beach. Only then, I could hear a group of dogs barking at me so loudly. I couldn’t possibly ignore them and keep walking forward. I thought: “What if they attack me? It’s too dark and I can’t even see where they are!”
House Music at the Rave Party
That’s when I decided to head back to the hotel and call my friend, who advised me to take a cab to the venue. About an hour later, I finally make it to the rave party. The DJ was playing deep house music and everyone was dancing with fluorescent-painted faces and unicorn heads sticking from their foreheads! It was a very funky, original and super cool scene. There were even two beachside swings where you could entertain yourself with and just sway yourself away.
After about ten or fifteen minutes of looking for my friend with no hope, I decide to sit down at a bench by the swings and people watch until I see my friend or decide to leave the wild party.
Minutes later, a white teenage boy sits next to me and introduces himself. He asked me where I was from and wanted to start a friendly conversation. I only gave him my name, but when he wanted to start a conversation, I replied with: “I’m here to meet a friend and I’m going to look for her.” (or something like that). That’s when I made my way out to the street and took a cab back to my hotel.
Despite an eventful evening in Canggu, I guess the full moon didn’t bring a soul companion with it after all. In a message to my friend the next day, I wrote: “I didn’t come all the way to Bali and spend a month here to have a conversation with a white teenage boy!”