It took me quite some time to write this post, for the simple reason that I’ve been completely overwhelmed by work, as usual. Jumping from one shooting to the next, back to work and still trying to maintain a social life. This often results in the same situation: I finally find relief with a few glasses of wine (or whatever alcohol I get my hands on) and end up drunk, talking shit and regretting the rookie mistake of not eating enough, after so many years of experience.

Anyhow, let’s get back to the reason why I’m writing this post: BALI. Fun fact, the evening before I flew to Bali with my younger sister, Rubi, we organised a gathering of women sharing their experiences of self-employment. More than half of them confirmed being changed by Bali. I promised Rubi we would not come back as spiritual hippies. And I’m proud to say that we didn’t! We’re the same old freaks and workaholics.

Drinking know-how — CANGGU

https://worthcompare.com/qd8x1g328y We landed with a missing piece of luggage in Denpasar, and headed to our first stop: Canggu. There is something about the place that gave us this feeling of being home. We started off with our first smoothie bowls after the hectic drive passing by Pretty Poison. I got so used to the left-lane driving that it followed me back to Switzerland.
Anyways, the experienced rider that I am was ripping it: slaloming between cars, scooters, life and death. We enjoyed the usual Canggu experience: drinks at Old Man’s, surfing, browsing, healthy food, checking out new coffee places, eventually getting tattooed at the Deus shop/restaurant, chilling by the pool and introducing Rubi to Bintangs.

In town we connected with local businesses and traded thoughts with the young entrepreneurs. We were amazed by the positive vibe surrounding every new challenge, and the support that people show for your interests and passions. The opportunities are endless when the environment is encouraging you to pursue your ideas. There is no “that sounds challenging, good luck” as you might hear back in Europe. There, people would offer their support: “that sounds amazing, how can I help?”
“Community” in Bali is big and important – people will make you feel like you belong and integrate you into their surroundings by helping you and connecting you with others.

https://fotballsonen.com/2024/03/07/segy3tvg While there, we made friends and made a new small family of our own. Tiina is a lovely Finnish woman who found love in Bali and gave birth to the little Alessa, who Rubi and I are proudly aunts to from. She warmly opened the doors to her home and her world, introducing us to her other baby: Main Design. Managing a small family in a remote country and running a business is a challenge she gladly takes and has risen to.

Our evenings were always very busy, we would have dinners with new people we met, parties at Pretty Poison (and the secret bar), drinks with our new dear friends Monica and Dodo at the most beautiful location, La Brisa. This growing restaurant-bar-club is a piece of art that Dodo can take credit for. The whole structure is made out of old wood from destroyed boats, giving the place a nice pirate vibe.

Drinking coffee made out of poop — UBUD

Tramadol Online Mastercard We were not ready to leave Canggu yet but the morning came for us to drive to Ubud. Spectacular! This is the word I can use to describe the resort, Ayung Resort, who kindly invited Rubi and I to spend a few days. Everything was perfection, and the staff were the kindest, trying desperately to teach us Balinese while we were sipping on fancy drinks.

Tramadol Online Prices The villa was massive, the bathroom and bedroom alone being as big as my whole flat. We had our own infinity pool which we enjoyed daily. Firstly, we were welcomed with the finest champagne and the most delicious dumplings. Balinese people do know how to make a fine apero! During our stay, the staff kindly invited Rubi and I to check out their wall of fame, where faces, bodies and animals parts are sculpted with details into the rocks. This impressive walk took us to a temple where we encountered carvings of “persons practicing Kamasutra”, as one of the staff members explained to us, while nicely blushing. “Do we need more info about Kamasutra?” “No, thanks, we’re familiar” said my younger sister confidently.

https://www.jamesramsden.com/2024/03/07/6p77tz89 The next few days in paradise forced us to live like queens. I say “forced” because queens get up in the morning to go get their perfect breakfast. If it wasn’t up to my alarm, we could easily have slept till noon. Anyhow, we ate delicious food, visited the rice fields, refused to sit on the swings and get pictures like proper influencers, drank coffee made from animal poop, had intense couple massages (yes, because two ladies with the same surname, in a honeymoon suite, was obviously a couple situation).

http://countocram.com/2024/03/07/izpb1lp Our travels in Ubud were even better than expected and we are so thankful to the whole staff and the management of the resort of Ayung for having us and taking such good care of my sister and I.

Drinking more salty water than Bintang — ULUWATU

This is where a bigger part of the surfing went down! Yes, I will finally talk about physical activities, which does include drinking after all, as I can confirm I was swallowing a fair amount of salty water.

We arrived in Uluwatu and straightaway met with all the best people: Sabrina, Anna, Emily and some other people that were so awesome that I can’t remember their names. We went to check out the breathtaking sunset at Sunset Point (what a cliché) and got the drinking going. The next few days involved a few sessions of surfing in Bingin (a place whose name I still mispronounce). If you go during high tide, as a beginner, you’ll get some nice, soft waves. Plus, the beach is stunning and you’ll find great spots to chill and have breakfast.

In Uluwatu we connected with some great people, and met more friends than we expected. It ended up that, no matter where you are living and where you come from, everyone knows everybody. Which was fun. Especially when you randomly meet people you haven’t seen in a long time and you have to travel around the globe to see them on a small and remote beach. Probably most of you had that same experience in Bali.

My birthday started off with an early-bird coffee on the terrace of Single Fin, while checking out the swell. Finally, we walked down the cliff and walked our way to Secrets where we were joined by Jim Banks and his son, Harley. We had a great session and got to shoot Jim riding a double barrel all the way till Temples. The afternoon was as good as expected: espresso martinis that kept us shaking and awake all evening and night. We also visited the quiet Alchemist — a nice spot to chill, work, and enjoy drinks in peace. I will probably get in trouble for mentioning this secret cosy place.

One morning, we were picked up by the team of the Aneecha Bali Cruise to go out on the sea by catamaran to Nusa Lembongan. Once we arrived at the beach, the guests were invited to leave the boat, while we had fun flipping and jumping off into the water. Exhausted, we grabbed a deserved lunch before heading to swim with manta rays. The impressive beasts were flying around us with open mouths, which didn’t make us feel too comfortable! Once we got back on the boat we spotted some dolphins swimming around the boat and before anyone could even realise what was happening: PLUF! Rubi was already in the water sharing the waves with the fast animals. We wrapped up the trip with a little surf session and then back to the safety of beers and snacks. Thank you Joshua and the rest of the crew for that fun trip.

Finally, we are happy to say that we came back home, back to Europe, where our tiny asses belong. We do very much miss Bali and yes, we will be back soon!
Cheers again,
Nicki & Rubi

Pictures: Nicki & Rubi Antognini
Clip: Nicki, Rubi Antognini & Sabrina Schmid
Locations: Bali, Indonesia
Thanks to:
Argent Silversmith, thank you for the stunning jewellery you made for us. They never leave my fingers.
Ayung Resort, we are so grateful for the lovely time we had in your beautiful resort.
Main Design, thanks for opening your doors to two blondies and letting us into your family and trust us with your brand.
Aneecha Bali Cruise, we will come back to travel with you. Thanks for the great time.
Anna, Sabrina, Jim, Harley, Alessa, Tiina, Coco… and many other cute faces that will be missed. We love you!