Traveling Alone

How alone are you when you travel alone. Well, somehow you are never alone. At least, I was very rarely alone during the days I was on the road. First group trips, then hostels and a surf camp. However, I was alone during the last week in Bali. I was in a surfer town called Uluwatu. A really cool place. My accommodation was a bit outside, about a half hour walk to the town- well, the place. But it was beautiful to walk. Monkeys everywhere on the sides of the streets and winding alleyways. Actually, I was looking for the beach, but unfortunately I didn't find access - only cliffs. But the path led me to a small yoga retreat center with a restaurant. Very good food. Everything organic and vegan upon request. In the restaurant, I met the couple from my surf camp again. And again, you are actually never alone. We spent more time together. In the evenings, I went to a temple for a traditional dance performance at sunset. Since I didn't want to ride a scooter myself, one of the staff members organized a ride for me. So I could still experience riding a scooter without having to drive myself. Awesome:) The temple is at the end of a cliff and full of monkeys. The sun was slowly setting. Just before the performance, the speaker came and talked about the dance. At that time, the volcano Mt Agung was very active again and an eruption was imminent. So the presenter asked us to pray with him, that nothing happens. So we all prayed. I myself am not religious, I wasn't raised that way, and yet. The speech about life and the world by the presenter, and the joint prayer at sunset created a magical atmosphere. And well, what can I say. There was no eruption. The performance was very beautiful. Without music, only with the dancers' yells and applause. It was a beautiful show and a great day. I spent the last few days of my Bali stay in Ubud. Ubud is very spiritual and touristy at the same time. I had a whole hostel room with ten beds to myself. On the first day, I went to the Monkey Forest. Monkeys everywhere. Totally cute but you have to be careful. I had a water bottle with me, which led to a fight between two monkeys on my shoulder near the end. That was actually a bit scary. But well, I probably shouldn't have brought the water in anyway, so deserved punishment. In Ubud, I had a massage almost every day, a treat for my shoulder and back :). Since the couple went to Ubud, we went on a tour together. We went to a traditional cleansing site and to a waterfall. It was a great day and I probably wouldn't have done the tour without them. I am now more than halfway through my journey and I haven't felt lonely at all. There have always been friendly people and many new friends. I can only hope that it stays that way. And so, in a sneaky little post about traveling alone, I also managed to fit in my last days in Bali. Sneaky, huh :)