Day 64 - Bali, Indonesia (15.03.2020)

A sign of life from Bali - Yes, we are still alive and doing well. So here is a small update away from the panic of the Corona virus on how we spent the last few days in Bali:

Since we already spent two weeks in Bali in 2017 and saw a lot of the island back then, we simply enjoyed the island and its flair (especially the delicious coffee!) and tried to avoid the overcrowded tourist attractions.

After our first Airbnb host kicked us out of his accommodation after just one night (His wife didn't want to host travelers from Southeast Asia because of the Corona virus), we were lucky to move into a complete house in Canggu.

Canggu is the 'place to be' in Bali. Here you can meet influencers, surfers, digital nomads, fitness enthusiasts, ... .

We spent the twelve nights in our house together with Taylor, an English teacher from California, and Stefanie, a yoga teacher from France.

However, our host was Stefanie's cat Cohiba, who was more of a security guard than a cuddly cat because of his size.

Since Stefanie recently completed her yoga teacher training and had not yet given an official class, we agreed to do a training session with her and got our very first yoga class for free.

We realized how small the world really is when we all celebrated Taylor's birthday together in a bar.

There we met Esat. He worked for the company Aesculap from Tuttlingen in Malaysia for 2.5 years and even knew some people from Michi's hometown.

Our most amazing experience here in Bali was when we set off in the middle of the night at 1:30 am to climb Mount Batur, an active volcano at an altitude of 1,717 meters.

The steep ascent in complete darkness was definitely not easy. However, we were rewarded with a breathtaking view just in time for the sunrise and truly enjoyed the subsequent hike along the crater rim.

Now, of course, the question of how things will continue for us due to the corona virus and the tightened entry requirements in many countries arises.

Originally, we had planned to spend a full 3 weeks in Bali and then make our way to Australia and New Zealand. However, we have abandoned these plans and wanted to do a so-called visa run to Kuala Lumpur to get a new visa for Indonesia. With that, we wanted to travel back to Bukit Lawang to spend more time and moments with the amazing people in this wonderful secluded place.

But since it is uncertain whether we can even enter Malaysia and obtain a second visa for Indonesia, we are currently weighing whether we will fly on Monday or not.

If not, we will simply wait out the time here in Bali. There are definitely worse places to go through such a situation :)

In general, it must be said that there is significantly less panic and hysteria here. The supermarkets are still well stocked and the people radiate the usual Balinese calm and serenity.

Therefore, we also do not let ourselves get unnecessarily worked up, observe the situation, and decide spontaneously.

We will definitely keep you updated here on how our journey continues.

Until then, don't drive yourself crazy, wash your hands, and above all, stay healthy! :)

Bianca and Michael

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