Nusa

This time Bali had to be more than just a few days experience. Every time I traveled to Indonesia it was a race against the clock. This time I made sure I was going to have enough time to visit a few other islands and settle down a little in Bali. Therefore, I decreased my job percentage and took a flight to Bali with an open flight back, I found a young lady to take over my room in Zurich and I gave my plants to my roomie for babysitting – which worked out fantastically.

Landed in Denpassar, said “Selamatmalam” (good evening) to the driver of my friend Odin who came to pick me and brought me home. I love Odin’s place, he has this open space (which is very common in Indo) and owns the funniest hyperactive cat. But no time to settle down, I was joined by my gorgeous brunette, Julia, to travel to Nusa Lembongan and Nusa Penida. Our shared love for wine and travels brought us together in Zurich and even if we spend most of the time apart, she became my best traveling and drinking companion: we laugh and cry together about how our lives resemble to a YouTube fail compilation while sipping our 3rd bottle.

Arriving in Nusa Lembongan after a bumpy boat ride that gave Julia some heavy nausea while I was sleeping off the jetlag, we jumped in a tiny van that apparently knew how to bring us into the middle of the island. BINTANG – it was time to celebrate our holiday!
The island has a yellow bridge connecting to Nusa Ceningan, which resembles a Caribbean paradise. We enjoyed the food and landscape of the islands and then did the same with Nusa Penida where we cruised around on our scooter (I’m a pro now!) to the most scenic spots.

Lombok

Back in Bali, we had just one last day in Canggu together where we had 3x fish tacos 3x, a manicure, massages and happy hour all day.
With Julia gone, I enjoyed a few days in the town of Canggu with my expat friends before heading to Uluwatu to meet two Swiss friends who were traveling in Asia for 4 months at this point. I have to admit, traveling one month with those two youngsters was fun and entertaining – imagine two beautiful young alcohol-free bodies working out by the pool every morning under the burning sun – my life could be worse. We spent a few days in the paradise of Bingin and then flew to Lombok. I was very excited to discover this new island which is bigger than Bali, less touristy and Muslim (while Bali is Hindu). The insights I had heard is that Lombok is a beautiful island but people where a little more closed-minded because of the religion, let me take this assumption away: people where kind, happy to introduce visitors to their beautiful island and very helpful (trying constantly to find me a suitable husband – no luck as of yet).
In Kuta, we joined the surf coaching of Coco, who took us out in the ocean. It was my first real surf experience (which does not include white washes by the beach), it was real fun. After Coco put us built up our confidence showing us the spot and the water rules, him and his team accompanied us into the water and guided us through every step. The waves were perfect for learning and the group was inspiring. Although my paddling is weak af, I quickly got into the take-off process and once the board was under my feet, I immediately cold apply my indoor-surfing expertise in order to start doing turns. John-John, we can finally be together! I’m ready for you!

Bali

Lombok was a perfect first surf experience and I fell in love with the feeling of gliding and being in the ocean. I mean, who wouldn’t? We flew back to Bali and went on a dirt bike tour. The night before I had the worse Bali belly and there I was, 8am riding a dirt bike for the very first time. The jungle trail was a challenge: breaking with your right foot while changing gear and going up steep paths… I’M BAD AT MULTITASKING, PEOPLE!!!! Finally we took a break from those heavy crashes and then headed to the beach for some crazy fun rounds by the ocean. The ride was stunning: rice fields, villages full of decorations for their annual rituals, jungle landscapes…

A few days after, we headed to Medewi where the surf was hectic in comparison of the perfection of the Lombok waves, yet I enjoyed the beautiful landscape of the western part of Bali. This is when our little group split and I headed back to Canggu to get some personal work done – and when I say “personal work” I don’t’ mean any of that meditation and yoga, but real work on my computer accompanied by a glass of therapeutic red wine. This is also when I got the opportunity to create my own clothing and jewellery. With the help and support from my friend Monika (also owner of Label Mona) we cruised around the island in search of the best fabrics and carried everything back to her little personal factory where two locals perfectly tailored the materials into customised pieces. How cool is that? Making your own clothes!

My time in Canggu was a lot of fun with the arrival of Greta, who’s life resembles the next YouTube fail video in line after mine. We bounded over drinks and became roomates. From Canggu I joined the surf coaching excursions of Agar which opened my eyes to more spots and taught me some more about the ocean. Also, I finally managed to progress my Indonesian.
Attention: Balinese and Indonesian are two different languages. Balinese is spoken by locals mainly inland when Indonesian is spoken by all the others who came to live the Bali dream – like the American dream, did you get it? On a more serious note, locals from the surrounding islands sail to Bali as the island offers more jobs with reasonable revenue due mostly to tourism industry. Therefore, most of the “touristy” towns, locals speak Indonesian and are from Muslim culture.

Then my parents arrived, believe it or not, this is when the real drinking started. I introduced them to Bintang and the expensive life of wine drinking in Bali. Starting our time together in Bingin, Uluwatu, where we had the best fish BBQ on the beach. We continued on to direction Ubud where they could absorb the local religion and lifestyle. Ayung Art Resort was the ideal place to kick off the Balinese experience with their traditional architecture and Balinese dishes. The staff was very kind and each one of them happily shared a little part of their Balinese living with us.
Bali is a Hindu island, the only one in Indonesia. Hinduism is very similar to Buddhism, both share the belief of finding peace and balance in your inner self, there is no outside power who can help you but yourself. I admit as a non-believer, Hindu and Buddhism are very pure and healthy ways of thinking which I can relate to and where most people should take a page from their ways. They believe in sharing and co-habiting in peace. Sharing, welcoming and karma are the basics for the Balinese. They will celebrate the bad spirits daily with offerings to encourage them to keep on with their path. I could go on with all the inspiring insights I got introduced too on this beautiful religion but one small paragraph wouldn’t be enough.

After visiting temples, waterfalls and local homes in Ubud, we headed to Canggu, where at this point I call “home”, to spent just a few last weeks before flying back to serious life in Switzerland. I was back in my Bali-routine: quick surf, breakie while working from Zin, afternoon massage/manicure in Amo Spa, evening drinks in La Brisa.
For me, Bali is indeed meditational and refreshing. When I say meditation I’m not talking about those classes where a guru is walking you though mental processes – been there, tried that, it’s not for me, I’m too distracted by other things however I do find this peace while surfing. I mean, Bali is a niche for many young entrepreneurs who come together to exchange and support each other. These new and refreshing connections and insights allowed me to reflect on my personal path, my work and my goals.

I came home fully energised, ready to jump into a new decay (just turned 30) still accompanied by my good old bottle of wine. Good things shouldn’t change.

Pictures: Nicki Antognini
Words: Nicki Antognini & Julia Benn
Location: Nusa Penida, Nusa Lembongan, Lombok, Bali in Indonesia