From surf vibes to jungle and up the mountains

Hello dear ones,

10 more days have passed and in the last week I covered some kilometers on the island😊😁😁

When I was in Bali last year, I only had time for Sideman and Ubud.

I am very impressed how different and diverse Bali is. At the beginning of last week, I went to Uluwatu beach. Absolute surf spot and the whole vibe there is just as you imagine it from movies. Uluwatu is located on a coastal beach and the sunset was truly breathtaking.

For the next 3 nights, I found accommodation in the center of Ubud for 13€ per night. After living in a quite remote and rural area the previous week, this was quite a change. Ubud is really beautiful and full of shops, small beautiful cafes, and people. But after my last week, it was also quite 'expensive'. I mostly ate in small 'warungs' (restaurants) with plastic chairs, only locals, and mostly Indonesian-speaking owners.

Most warungs are simply set up in front of people's homes, a cooking area with a gas stove and wok, bowls of pre-cooked food, and, as I said, plastic chairs and tables. The food is served on plates with a small banana leaf as a base and my request for 'tidak pedas' (not spicy) doesn't always work 😂 Well, and then I eat for usually no more than 1.50 including water. And then I'm in Ubud and I pay 2.20 for a cappuccino and think 'Wow, that's expensive' 🤣

On Tuesday, I had a beautiful afternoon with Jenni and Tommi, and it really felt good to meet friends and speak German again and spend time with people who know and understand you.

So far, I haven't felt lonely here, but it was incredibly good to meet the two and hear and share their experiences.

The next day, I went with Kadek for an hour on Bali to a river, in the middle of nowhere. They still exist, the undiscovered hidden spots that are still untouched by the tourism. We had Mie Goreng, which we ate in the middle of the river 🤣

The next few days I spent in Ubud, enjoying some European food and good coffee, even with soy milk 👍 But actually, I really like Balinese coffee - simply finely ground coffee powder with a little sugar poured into a cup with hot water. At some point, you figure out when the coffee grounds start and you don't have black teeth 😁

I'm enjoying the time, slowly getting used to not having a task, no stress, no time pressure.

On Saturday, it was time to go camping. We drove 2.5 hours to Mount Kintamani, with breaks for lunch and getting beer. Kadek had prepared everything, camping chairs, table, firewood, and grill.

We drive through a real mountain landscape, the surroundings are soooo different and a total contrast to the jungle. We drive through small mountain villages, many nurseries, and past farms. There is a lot of space for growing vegetables and mandarins here.

We arrive at 4 p.m. The view is already beautiful in the evening, and I could watch the sunset. His brother and friends joined us and the grill was fired up - I will make up for what I haven't eaten chicken in my whole life for these months 🙃🫠

We sit by the campfire and I observe the night sky, unfortunately, you can't capture it in pictures. For the first time in two weeks, I'm cold 😂 I don't know how cold it was, maybe it's also because you get used to 30 degrees. Luckily, I packed sweaters and a jacket anyway, and I was able to test my outfit - my planned volcano ascent can come, the clothes should be sufficient 😊

I got to sleep in the car, the rest slept in the tent, but still it was a short night. But it was so worth it. At 5:30, the sunrise slowly begins, I get a warm coffee and sit there for an hour watching as a new day starts and the sun rises over the mountains.

On the way back, we stop at a small warung for breakfast and I've never had such a view. There's fried rice at 7:30 in the morning, I'm just happy, grateful, and totally fulfilled.

The next few days I spent in a nice hotel near Denpasar. Well, and as it had to happen, on Sunday evening my phone started acting up. The display was showing all colors and on Monday morning nothing worked anymore.

With the help of Kadek, I looked for a repair shop that is trustworthy and not too expensive. He is working and managing when and where I can drop off my phone 😂 After some back and forth - most places didn't have time for repairs for a week or didn't have a replacement screen - he found a shop in a town 2km from my hotel that can repair it immediately. The owner will only be there at 2 p.m. so I lie by the pool in the hotel. (By the way, communication with Kadek was done through my tablet and Instagram 😂)

With an 'Uber', I then make my way there.

No owner there, just a nice employee who explains to me with hands and feet and Google Translate that the phone has to stay there for 2 days.

Well, I thought to myself, I was so smart, I brought my old phone with me in case something like this happens. I ask her to call an Uber for my return trip, which somehow works after a while.

Arriving at the hotel I thought, well, bringing the second phone was not that smart after all 🤐😶‍🌫️ If mine couldn't be repaired, then I wouldn't have access to my bank accounts with this stupid thing because the passwords are not in my head - it's much more convenient to log in with Face ID, just like phone numbers, etc. ... And yep, I forgot to make a backup on my new tablet 👌

Phew, then I realized how dependent I am on this thing...

But, no worries, at the hotel on the tablet, I received a message from Kadek that my phone is already fixed and I should pick it up.

So off again, no EC card payment possible... so the owner takes me on his scooter to the nearest ATM, all easy here 👌😂

Happy and 70€ poorer, I return. The food at the hotel is 'expensive', but there is a beautiful 'warung' across the street that can only be reached via a 4-lane hell road. But since I feel at home by now, no problem, just walk away, they will stop. It worked - adrenaline level pushed again. The owners are incredibly friendly and the food is very tasty and that for 1/3 of the price compared to the hotel.

Last night I had another after-work beer with Jenni and Tomi in Seminyak by the beach! Thank you, dear ones, for the care package and for transporting my sweater to Germany ❤️ It was nice to meet you here! Thank you for your time!

Now I'm heading towards the beach until Friday. Then I will slowly say goodbye to Bali.

Selamat sore ❤️

(Unfortunately, this page does not load some pictures in portrait mode, so you have to stretch your neck 😁)