Bali silent retreat

6 days and 6 nights without talking, no internet, 6 days for self-discovery. It was so good. I am deeply relaxed. But I have been relaxed since the beginning of January anyway:)
Just not being on the phone all the time makes such a difference. And I am someone who always has their phone with them and spends a lot of time on Instagram:)
I didn't find not talking so bad. I'm used to living alone and always take the time I need for myself and read a lot, so it wasn't such a big change. It was more about self-occupation. Not having any distractions from the outside world. No technology. Everything only in paper form. And to meditate, to have no thoughts and yet to think a lot..

When you arrive here, you are given an introduction on how everything works. In the morning at 5:30 am, there are 5 gongs as an alarm clock. Then from 6 am meditation and yoga until 8:30 am. The yoga teachers of course talk to you and give instructions. I slept in an 8-bed female dorm. Super clean, everything powered by solar energy, mosquito nets, simple wooden huts, everything is open, even the bathroom is outside.
Then at 8:30 am there was breakfast. The food here is absolutely amazing! Smoothie bowls for breakfast, fresh juices, freshly baked warm bread, so many delicious things.. and all vegetarian and mostly vegan. I didn't miss any meat here at all. And they cook everything with so many herbs and spices from their garden and immediate surroundings. Then at 11:30 am there was lunch. Always a salad bar and bread. All the vegetables are also from their garden: various salads, cucumbers, tomatoes, sprouts, Bali kohlrabi, avocado, corn, sweet potatoes, eggplants, just everything. Homemade dressings, coconut crunch as toppings, tapioca chips.
Even the tea came from the garden. There was ginger, mint, cinnamon sticks, lemongrass, turmeric, etc. Fruits were always ready in a fruit basket.
Then at 2 pm it continued with yoga and then meditation... if one wanted to... everything was voluntary.
Then at 4:30 pm there was dinner again. You feel like you're eating the whole time:) reading, meditating, taking a nap aaaand repeat:) There were plenty of books in their small library as well. Many spiritual books. I finally managed to read The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. Beautiful book.
I didn't get bored. There was some special activity every day. One day there was a walk through the rice fields, one day there was an hour of tea ceremony or discussion round, where you could also ask questions, with certain topics they tell you everything about Bali's culture or the good-looking chef Simon from Holland, who tells you everything about the great food (by the way, he will open his cooking school opposite the retreat in 6 months. Newearthcooking.com), a tour through their garden, there was a meditation labyrinth, water meditation, you could go to the hot springs with their free shuttle service..

It got dark around 7:30 pm.. at night you can see soooo many stars here. They have star gazing beds everywhere where you can lie down. There are full moon and new moon ceremonies twice a month. I was lucky and was here during the new moon. It was great to experience.
You learn a lot here. Especially why every second person on Bali is named Wayan:) There is a system here. Wayan means translated No. 1. That means the first child is always called 'No. 1', the second one 'No. 2', etc. Nowadays, it only goes up to 'No. 4'. Since only 2 children per couple are allowed (they also have a restriction here like in China, at least you only get support if you have 2 children). If a fifth child should come, it starts all over again and No. 5 is called Wayan again. Then there is always a syllable in front that indicates whether it's male or female, and then there is another middle name. This one is often taken as the main name. I didn't even know that geckos bite. Actually, they never do, only if you annoy them. And then they don't let go. They bite really hard, like crocodiles. And Ibu means mother. Many restaurants start with Ibu xxxx. 'Hello' means 'om suastiastu'. And 'thank you' means 'Terima Kashi' in Indonesian. Or just short 'Ma kashi' (Makassi). It is more polite to use the only used in Bali 'suksma'. Or even better 'matur suksma'. Now you know for a possible future Bali vacation:) Oh and 'no worries mate' means sing ken ken;) what is also often heard is 'Goodbye' 'om shanti shanti shanti om'. They are always happy about that.

It was very informative here.
I couldn't sleep at all the first 2 nights. Full insect concert here. Thousands of crickets, super loud big geckos, gnawing rats and this Balinese squirrel. They are also really loud when they start. At night it is definitely lively:) And you can see many fireflies.
Besides, it gets pretty cold. After 2 nights I caught a cold again. Either from the air conditioning in Bali or because it gets so cold at night here and the wind blows. Everything is open here and I had a window above me.
Eating was prohibited in the rooms. Simply because everything is open and food attracts mice and they in turn attract snakes... you are completely surrounded by rice fields. The area is super beautiful. From there you can see the highest mountain in Bali, Mt. Anung. When you walk along the rice fields, you can see everything growing here: coffee, cocoa, papaya, mango, coconuts (there are 7 different varieties in Bali), bananas (17 varieties grow in Bali), sweet potatoes, turmeric, everything grows here and it looks so beautiful. Lots of dragonflies buzzing around. You can see how the locals live. No trace of tourism. Their cows, which are only kept to fertilize the fields and beds, are taken for a walk on the huge property every day with a leash:) The two pigs, named Ham and Bacon, are also only kept for that:) Chickens and ducks; everything runs freely in the surroundings. The retreat completely avoids plastic. Very cool attitudes here. But I have already written enough. You can also read everything on their website.
I can highly recommend the retreat. You should stay at least 3 days. 6 days are already a small challenge. The first days are easy, after 4 days you start thinking a lot and it starts to work..

Just because of the food alone, I would come back again: p

Also the attitude that they don't tell you 'you have to live vegetarian' or 'give up meat' is great. Instead, they only show you here how easy it is and how delicious and healthy it can be to eat only from the garden. And how to cook delicious meals with it.
Great place to relax and unwind completely. Lots of positive energies:)
It felt very good. Also in terms of my attitude towards Bali. It has put the island in a better light. The people in the area are also very warm-hearted, you get a good insight into how they live here, their beautiful rituals.. just because you learn so much here.. especially about Bali's plastic problem.. they are now working very hard on that and the locals are also being educated..

Of course, I captured everything in pictures and mostly labeled the pictures again.

Now I'm off to Singapore for a few days.

And I need something tasty to snack on. There was no sugar in the retreat:p

Om shanti shanti shanti Om:)