Part Three of my Bali Journey
If you missed part two of my Bali journey, you can read it here. The second part is the most important, defining the six months of my Bali trip.
I shared how I met a Balinese family when I stayed at an Airbnb in Seminyak and how they became my friends. More specifically, a four-year-old called Gladis was the main person who helped me heal and made my Bali trip so memorable and special.
My magical encounter with the Balinese family is also connected to the bridge of events when manifesting a big desire. You can read all about this manifestation principle here.
After my month at the only Airbnb I stayed in, I moved to a hotel near the Balinese family home. So, I was still in Seminyak and going for nice long sunset beach walks on most days.
The third place where I stayed was a hotel, but the room was a villa-type place. My villa had a small private pool, a big living room, and a spacious bedroom.
The place was perfect for spending time with the Balinese family’s kids, playing kitchen, watching cartoons and supervising them as they went swimming in the shallow part of the pool (the jacuzzi).
The Reality
Because I always share everything honestly, I don’t want you to be delusional and think that moving to Bali is smooth and easy.
When I stayed longer, I saw all sides of the place and discovered very upsetting things.
For example, after around three months, I realized that some Western cafes prefer white foreign customers. And on top of that, some Indonesians don’t like dark-skinned people and they’re not afraid to show it. Of course, I learned all these things as the months went by.
Throughout my travels, I bounced around the island, staying at places of all sorts. You know, it was on my very last morning at the hotel near the airport that something hit me hard. I was sitting there at breakfast, and the difference in how people were treated was just… blatant. And guess what? It totally threw me off. I was so taken aback that I completely forgot to take my morning supplements and vitamins. Can you believe that?
Many other truths were revealed, but I can say that the most upsetting is the one about skin colour discrimination. This is another topic, and I don’t want to explore it in this blog post.
I just wanted to share a snippet to show you that my Bali move wasn’t all easy beach walks, fresh coconuts and smoothie bowls. There were countless moments of anxiety, frustration, stress and even sadness.
So, I choose to share the highlights and moments of triumph and happiness in this series of posts.
The People and Memories
What makes any place special is the people you connect with, the memories you create, the conversations and laughter you share, and the feelings and moments you enjoy together.
Bali, to me, is a beautiful place because of all of the lovely people I met there. I have two supportive friends who are always there for me. They showed me the real meaning of friendship and loyalty.
Gladis and her family are an extension of that love. They helped me feel truly at home with their warm gestures and kindness.
No words can describe how much these beautiful souls gave back to me. I feel like I’m different thanks to their love, support and kindness.
Scrolling through the pictures in my photo album to choose the best ones for this story made me realize how priceless my Bali journey was.
Although, as I said, there were challenging times and even loneliness, the rewards of taking a big step outside my comfort zone far outweighed the difficulties.
Stay tuned for the next part of this series. In that part, I share about my three-week Sanur stay.
Love,
Leela
