Aling Aling Waterfall

About an hour away from our resort, we arrived somewhere in the interior. Here in Bali, you really lose track of time and space. The Balinese live in the here and now and don't plan ahead. Only when a merchant in his shop realizes that his shelf is empty, will he restock. It is said that Balinese people cannot work with foresight, which is difficult for us Germans to understand.

Two guides were waiting for us in a small village and we set off with packed backpacks and swimwear. We passed rice terraces that had just been harvested, hiked along beautiful paths lined with palm trees, passed by small settlements in a wild landscape to reach the "Blue Lagoon".

It had rained there the day before and today the sky was cloudy, so unfortunately the lagoon couldn't live up to its name. But that didn't stop us from jumping into the cool refreshing water with loud cheering. Somehow, everyone became a child again here. It's beautiful to see this carefree joy of life on their faces, and even a seventy-year-old becomes a fifteen-year-old at the sight of it.

Maybe it was the Hawaiian forgiveness ritual that we performed together the night before, or maybe it was simply the energy of Bali. Recognizing the simplicity and happiness in nature is something we've all forgotten. But here, you can find it again.

After a small lunch on banana leaves, we moved on to the next pools, where we could jump from about 5 or 10 meters. A natural slide in the waterfall also gained more and more popularity, and surprisingly many faced their fears and overcame them.

When we arrived back at the minibuses after about 6 hours, everyone was exhausted and just wanted to go back and rest.