Category Archives: Bali

You know you have been in the kampung for to long when

you get excited about the supermarket. The real deal I’m talking about now, you know the kind of super market who has other stuff than 32 different kind of noodles. So I’m in Bali for a romantic week with myself and I spent the last hour or so walking around the isles like a shop lifter with no purpose going ahhhh ohhhh whaaaaa. Picking stuff off the shelf and putting them back. It was overwhelming. I didn’t know what to get. So I left with a package of Green Tea. Oh the fancy imported stuff? No the exact same one that I buy at my local kampung AlfaMart. Bali – Kampung, 0 – 1

Hello from the slow lane

I wanted to move, like every inch in my body was ready for dynamic movement and in my mind sweat was dripping down on my mat. And there I was with 24 hours of travel and already a full on class that very first day, maybe things went a bit to fast. I feel something is not right and looking down I realize my right knee has the size of a water balloon. Decided the next morning that it still looked pretty ugly so went to the doctor who gave me some anti inflammatory pills and told me to rest for a few days. So back to yin, meditation and pranayama. Not what was in my mind but probably what I need. It’s the morning of day three and I finally start to arrive, sometimes it just takes time, relearning about my right side, the unbalanced yang of my body. Hello to you from the slow lane.

When she talks, just listen

I know she has a message for me. We meet about a year ago and sometimes you just know, the energy is there and that intuition of mine is trying to say something. Time is flying by and there she is – back in my social media feed again. I say hello. She says she’s on her way to Bali. I say I’m leaving in two days for the very same island. And so it turns out she’ll be staying down the road from me for the week. Miss universe has spoken.

Paradise gone wrong?

So I’m on an island just a few kilometers north of Java/Indonesia, white beaches and swimming pool like water. And yes I know we have a problem with plastic. Like I’ve seen the pictures of the plastic island floating around my social media many times. But I guess it’s like a difference to know and to see for ourselves. This makes it so more real. So I went on a snorkeling trip and ended up just collecting plastic from the ocean instead. So much plastic floating around and then look the other way – the most amazing ocean, corals and animal life. I feel so sad – where did we go so wrong? What can I do to help? This is my favorite playground, I spend so much time in the ocean and I am so extremely grateful for it. So from now I will try even harder to be a responsible traveler and eliminate the plastic I buy and use. But what more can I do? I mean there’s so many things gone wrong that need to change, like when I finish my snorkel my guide who also collected many many plastics hands me a single use tiny plastic water with a straw to drink 🙁 And on the pic above it’s batteries that I found sitting on the coral, and I couldn’t even get them all because some where jammed in the coral, seriously – what the fuck 🙁

A tribute to you – solo female traveler

So my last two months or so on the road was on my own. I always think that I’d rather travel on my own than not at all so I guess for me the choice has always been easy. And I’ve done it so many times now. I have friends spread out everywhere and alone is never really alone. But some people you meet has this misconception of solo travelers like the German guys telling me “oh you travel alone you must read so many books” or “but you must know someone there (when I talk about where I’m going next)”. Well I read because I like it no matter if I’m on my own or not. Alone does not equal lonely. I’m lucky because I don’t mind my own company but you meet people all the time when you travel. You don’t have to sit on your own reading unless you want to and you can go somewhere you don’t know people because everyone wants to be your friend.

It’s also nice to be your own person, don’t get me wrong I love traveling with Pax or with friends. It’s amazing to have someone to share all those moments with or to have someone just keep an eye on your bag when you have to go to the toilet at that busy train station. But traveling solo makes you step out of that comfort zone more and people treat you differently to. Suddenly you’re not just 50% of that couple or one of those European girls or whatever your crew happens to be. You get to be 100% yourself and all those connections you make are yours. And the last two months I’ve made a lot of those and I’m so stoked about it, especially all the cool solo female travelers that’s come my way and I know we’ll share travels together again. Lots of love 🙂

That romantic getaway to… Ubud!

So I spent the last 30 hours in bed with a fever looking something like this (photo below – not above) and feeling extremely sorry for myself 😉oh-the-romantic-get-away-to-ubud-1

When life finally came back to me we thought it would be a good idea to do one of those romantic getaway trips you know. Go to Ubud get our chakras in shape and just chill out for a few days until we head back to Java. For you guys who don’t spend a lot of time in Bali, Ubud is the holistic, yoga, wellbeing and hippy mecca of Bali.  It’s usually quite cool but this time he he well we stayed a night and decided to come back to the coast 🙂 oh-the-romantic-get-away-to-ubud-3

This place where we stayed looks really cool and it was just that it was pricy for us (but it was like the 5th place we looked at and I was just to tired to keep looking ha) and there was a not a proper wall to the room next door – so much for the romance – ha (again). Like just a divider and a curtain, water in the toilet not working properly and yeah well. oh-the-romantic-get-away-to-ubud-4

oh-the-romantic-get-away-to-ubud-5Nice and purple I’m happy to be back on my feet again 🙂

You can be rich in spirit, kindness, love and all those things that you can’t put a dollar sign on

However this is Bali in dollars or Rupiah – just for my memory.

Visa on Arrival 35 AUD per person
Departure tax 200 000 Rupiah18
Bike rental 2 bikes 600 000 Rupiah for 8 days – monthly is still 600 000 Rupiah
Accommodation Kuta – between 150 000 – 250 000 Rupiah per night fan/aircon
Accommodation Medewi – 200 000 Rupiah – fan
Small Bintang – from 20 000 Rupiah – Large from 30 000
Large bottle of water – 4000 Rupiah
Airport transfer to/from Kuta – 100 000 Rupiah
1 hour massage – 55 000 Rupiah

& a veggie burrito from Mojo’s is still 32 000 Rupiah 🙂

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24 hours in Canggu – Birthday Crash for Pax

I was to tired to drive all the way back to Kuta yesterday so we decided to stop in Canggu for a night and celebrate Paxitos b-day.

Having birthday brekkie at Canteen after two hours on the scooters from Medewi with to much time behind trucks spewing their fumes in your face.the-sidewalk-secrets-photography-cronulla-bali-indonesia-24-hours-cangu-crash-2457

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Drinks and live music at Old Mans in Canggu – this is where the hipsters hang. the-sidewalk-secrets-photography-cronulla-bali-indonesia-24-hours-cangu-crash-2479

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Thanks team Ireland for supporting 🙂 Much love!the-sidewalk-secrets-photography-cronulla-bali-indonesia-24-hours-cangu-crash-2493    the-sidewalk-secrets-photography-cronulla-bali-indonesia-24-hours-cangu-crash-2466

Cruising around in Canggu for a bit. Good food, awesome coffee and nice views. the-sidewalk-secrets-photography-cronulla-bali-indonesia-24-hours-cangu-crash-2499

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& that’s it now we’re at the airport heading for Melbourne and then Sydney. I’m glad we’ve had a few good surf sessions, time to catch up with a heap of people and yeah sampai jumpai lagi Bali!

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The rabbit fan has passed out on me for the second time today….

Hammocking and hanging out

It doesn’t take long to get used to the traveling life again, we’re spending a lot of time doing not to much which takes up a lot of time for some reason. Since we spent a lot of time here there’s a lot of familiar faces and Bali is just one of those places that people come back to and tend to stay for a long time so we’ve been pretty busy doing some catch ups with friends we haven’t seen in a while.

Surfboard parking outside room number 9 – sembilan. the-sidewalk-secrets-photography-cronulla-bali-indonesia-medewi-kuta-3434

Stopping by Maruf and his lovley wife Dewi who has a cute little warung up the street for a coffee and some food. the-sidewalk-secrets-photography-cronulla-bali-indonesia-medewi-kuta-surf-2440

Maruf does surf trips to G-land (Pax has been last time) and Red Island – much recommended. This time we don’t have enough time for it. the-sidewalk-secrets-photography-cronulla-bali-indonesia-medewi-kuta-surf-2441

Picking up our washing – now we smell good again. the-sidewalk-secrets-photography-cronulla-bali-indonesia-medewi-kuta-surf-2443

Longest left hander in Bali? Anyways so much fun!the-sidewalk-secrets-photography-cronulla-bali-indonesia-medewi-kuta-surf-2452

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Another coffee – tastes so good after surf 🙂 the-sidewalk-secrets-photography-cronulla-bali-indonesia-medewi-kuta-2433

Bintang and sunset timethe-sidewalk-secrets-photography-cronulla-bali-indonesia-medewi-kuta-surf-2448

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Bogans lost in Bali

3 days in Bali so far and we’ve been busy little bees. How crazy is the new air port? A lot of things changed here but a lot of things are still the same. We stayed the first few nights in Kuta just sorting bikes out and Pax had the very important Grand Final to watch. This morning we got up super early and made our way up to Medewi after having a quick look at the waves in Balian, and got here about eight or nine and not to many people out in the surf. Super fun 3-4 feet waves bit windy but not to bad. So much fun easy the best surf I’ve had all year 🙂 So stoked. My skin feels like it’s shrunk a bit. My sholders are sooo sore. And I’m so happy to be back 🙂

First night in Kuta, all that was left was a fan room with two singel beds, so romantic 🙂
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We found long lost traveling friend Niki to come watch the game with us. the-sidewalk-secrets-photography-cronulla-bali-indonesia-medewi-kuta-2377

Saying hello to the best ding repair in Kuta, Narukis surf shop.the-sidewalk-secrets-photography-cronulla-bali-indonesia-medewi-kuta-2369

Bali style driving on the foot path 🙂 Thank you for the photo Niki.the-sidewalk-secrets-photography-cronulla-bali-indonesia-medewi-kuta-2392

Petrol stop on our way to Medewi, not kidding we finally found petrol at the forth petrol station we tried, the first three was all out. the-sidewalk-secrets-photography-cronulla-bali-indonesia-medewi-kuta-2393

We’re staying at Medewi Beach Inn, new since we where here the last time and they even have wi-fi! 200 000 RP per night – done deal.the-sidewalk-secrets-photography-cronulla-bali-indonesia-medewi-kuta-2395

Post surf eating Pax is snaking all my Beng-bengs.the-sidewalk-secrets-photography-cronulla-bali-indonesia-medewi-kuta-2402

This just in – Medewi beach now has a shower (where I manage to drop and ding my board)the-sidewalk-secrets-photography-cronulla-bali-indonesia-medewi-kuta-2404

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Sampai jumpa nanti Sydney

the-sidewalk-secrets-photography-cronulla-sydney-airport-3Here we go finally on our way, see you later Sydney can’t wait to wake up in Bali tomorrow 🙂 We’re already at the airport in Sydney, early enough to have a few drinks. Both of us “randomly” screened for bombs and drugs as usual. And I’ve got some dollars back (the VAT) for leaving with my new surf board.  Puss Puss

Pax taking the fins off, it’s really quick and easy if you have FCS 2 fins… If you don’t you shouldn’t pull them out, you have to screw… just saying. It’s not like anyone tried that this morning, no. image

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ME HAPPY – BALI – NEXT WEEK – ADUH!

Yesterday – talking about the labor day-Pax birthday week that we’ve both have off in October. Figured we’d do a roadie maybe up north somewhere. But then I’m not sure well I ended up booking tickets to Bali instead. It’s just for a week but still bikini surf and 5 dollar massages – here I come. It’s the most expensive tickets to Bali I’ve ever booked from here and also the shortest stay with only 8 nights but we’re off next Friday and I’m so happy!! I can’t wait for that heat to hit me when I step out of the plane, waking up somewhere in noisy Kuta complaining about how much things have changed since last time. Getting a bike and driving off to find some waves somewhere. Eat Sleep Surf on repeat.