Canggu, Bali,  08 04 2023

I am in Bali now, and I have finally settled in. Settled in to the tropical climate, to the different time zone, the food and being on my own. My body starts to feel normal again and I feel excited to explore. But it was not like this from the beginning…

I had spent the 3 days in Singapore mostly waking up at 7 am and walking over to the hawker center to eat, work out and go back to the hotel. Later I would head out to eat a second breakfast and explore the city a bit. Actually I have seen most of the sights and landmarks of Merlion City, so I was not very eager to move long distances or walk in the tropical heat. I did visit Tiong Bahru though, and enjoyed the food court there, too. LOL

The shops and cafes that I used to be excited about did not trigger me this time, and there was a latent presence of my time with my ex in his city, which was not negative, but also not something I wanted to recall or revel in. 

The other night I went to China Town, which was quite empty and boring, and I passed by the local gay bars like Tantric, just to side eye them and move on. After that I took the MRT to Marina Bay, only to find out it was still in development and nothing there to see. I ended up walking all the way from the (also empty) Gardens by the Bay to the MBS, which brought up another memory, the night I had stayed there with my other ex, Wesley, when I knew he didn’t want me there and which marked the beginning of our end. Seems not many pleasant memories in Singapore! The food was still great.

The last  day I was invited (actually invited myself) to my old friend from work, Eva and her Family. She has two adorable kids/babies now and is busy with domestic life. We had pizza and wine, and a nice conversation, but it was soon time to leave them to their tasks and head back to my hotel.

The next day I headed to the airport to go shopping at the Jewel, and boarded my Scoot flight to Bali in the afternoon. 

Bali Love

I arrived tired, but excited and determined, at Denpasar Airport, and got picked up by the driver organised by the hotel. It was a long day! Still had to get a sim card and cash, so finally I got to my resort at 10pm.

What a charming, beautiful place! The Incense Impossible Beach consists of only 7 bungalows, and mine was called Frangipani. I loved it immediately, most of all the outdoor bathroom and open air shower! My home for the next 5 nights. I settled in quickly, enjoyed the nature time naked in my private “garden”, and went to bed. I had started to feel a scratching in my throat on the flight, and by now I had a pounding headache and was exhausted and knackered. I fell asleep with paracetamol and strepsils, knowing the next day would be full of events, and so I wanted to get my energy back. 

Despite my tiredness, I woke up in the middle of the night again, and eventually went outside at dawn at 7am, woken up by the call of the many roosters.

I went for a walk in the vicinity of the resort in the calm morning light, with a fresh breeze and the smell of flowers and rice in the air. It was different than I remembered, so much greener and bursting with life. Agile, athletic chickens with their chicks running around, and people sweeping the sidewalks of their homes. I did a quick trip to the nearby Binging Beach, down all the steps to the ocean, but was a bit disappointed by the environment and swimability of the water. 

Also, I wanted to get back to being the first to have brekkie at 8am! They served 3 choices of simple but lovely meals, always accompanied with fresh fruit and thick, black balinese coffee. I was excited but at the same time tired and lacking energy to do much. That day I also had my first social commitment of the week of wedding celebrations, joining the 11 girls and Aluna at her bachelorette party.

So I dressed up, got ready and walked over to their Villa, where I should join them. I felt nervous, for I had no idea what to expect, and most of all because I had not seen Aluna in over a year. What I did not know was that this kind of event revealed a lot about my personality and lifestyle, and in combination with the book “Quiet” that I’m reading at the moment, made me realize and accept who I am clearly, once more. I’m starting to get sleepy now, so I will elaborate on this more soon.

xoxo Good night, Bali