Canggu Bali, Day 1 The Full Canggu Experience in a Single Day

July 18th, I woke up and got ready for the yoga class. The class was at 8:30am so I got up at 7am so that I could get ready and get a little breakfast beforehand. I didn’t have any snacks on me and I knew I would need to eat before this exercise class so I ran to the local mart to pick up a bar and a banana. That tied me over perfectly for the class. We went to a yoga center called The Path. It had such a good vibe to it, no surprise, and we got checked in and entered the outdoor studio. They had bug spray next to the sanitizer bottles and was worried at first that it would be super buggy but it wasn’t too bad. 

I mentioned that finding Americans on my trip so far was tough, but when signing up for this class the girl's name looked all too familiar. I had Alyssa Goldberg, she was so nice and definitely seemed American, as her accent gave her away. I am getting a lot better at hearing peoples voice and guessing where they are from. 

She led a power yoga class, it was over an hour long and typically I tap out after 45 minutes but I really wanted to give this class my all. There were three main flows that we did, and we also had a long warm up and cool down. Its embarrassing that the warm up and cool down are my favorite parts. The warm up is for you to stretch and get into your body in preparation for the more intense movements during the class. And the cool down is for you to find your breath and to relax and reset your mind after the harder session. The ending usually includes about 5 silent minutes where you are in a lying down position and it feels so good to just lay there after a workout, get your breath back in order, and have the space to mediate, rest, and feel your body. It’s such a cool experience and love that the class here in Bali was one of the best I've done. The flow part of the class wasn’t as hard as I was expecting, but I did have some sweat drip onto the yoga mat. I've done some challenging workout and strength yoga classes, so I thought “power” yoga would be the same, but they turned the dial down a bit and it wasn’t as difficult as I planned, thankfully. I talked to my instructor after the class because I wanted to confirm if she was from America, LA I found out, and ask how she found herself in Bali as a yoga instructor. It was so cool to talk to her, hear her story about coming to the island, and how she got into yoga. This is one area I feel like I grew in, approaching someone with questions, whether it's a teacher or guide, and having no fear that you are interrupting them. I developed this courage when my students would talk to me after class, and although it was dipping into my free time, I never minded and I almost preferred they talked to me after class because that’s how I was able to get to know them and really feel as though I was contributing to their learning and making an impact. As soon as I experienced that for myself, I learned that people are more accepting of offering help and advice than I originally thought, and if I am ever curious about something now, I have no hesitation to walk up and ask them about it. I also sought out some advice on my yoga, as I have been hoping to have my heels down during downward dog and I just can’t seem to get it there, so I asked for some tips of exercises to help me get to that point. 

After I asked the teacher my questions and thanked her for the tips, I found my friend and we walked to a nearby shop to get some coffee. I was still pretty hot from the yoga class so I got an iced coffee and a smoothie bowl. Being in Bali, it is impossible to resist the beautiful smoothie bowls they prepare here and I wanted to treat myself (you will probably hear me say that a lot) and refuel after the class. It was a tasty stop on our way to the beach. We changed into our swimsuits in the coffee shop bathroom, and then kept on for our journey to the ocean.

The whole time we were talking and getting to know each other. My friends name that I met is Margot. It’s been so cool meeting people because never would I have stumbled on someone like her in the suburbs of Minneapolis. Being solo forces me to spark up conversation with whoever crosses my path, and it has done so many wonder things for my ability to talk to people and also learn all the different people in this world. I can proudly say that I am so happy I am traveling solo, as when you find the right hostel and destination, you really don’t feel alone. The new friends you make no longer feel new after a few minutes, and you find yourself in such fun situations chatting and learning about people. Yes, at times it gets tiring having to make small talk and meet new people each city you go, but you can always take that time for yourself if needed and no one will even notice or say anything which is also a blessing. 

We found a cozy spot at the beach, laid down our towels and planted there for the early afternoon. There was no shade on the beach so we lathered up in sunscreen and took a dip in the water to cool off. Canggu is a surf town because the water is very wavey, so I didn’t go too far out into the water, but just enough to feel the coolness on my feet and legs and wash off some of the sand that collected on my skin. I went back to my towel and read for a bit on my kindle. I think Margot got a bit bored just laying there tanning because we hadn't been at the beach for long and she was ready to go. I also wanted to see more of the city and get out of the fully exposed sun, so I followed her lead as she guided me to a juice bar she wanted to get a drink at. We walked down the beach some more and then up along a street to this restaurant that had tons of juices, smoothies, and breakfast items (literally I love every place here). We sat down for a little while she drank her juice as she told me about the smoking culture and her experience at university. 

She was on the hunt for a new dress, and I was hoping to pick up my typically souvenirs and potentially a sun hat to help with those sunny beach days. We went to a famous market called Love Anchor and I was looking for jewelry to mark my stop here, but it was early in my stay here and didn't know what I would want the piece to symbolize yet, so I waited. We ended up going to all of these really nice boutiques that appealed to the wealthy travelers because each piece costed north of $30. When you’re in a place as affordable as Bali, the last thing you want to do is drop a dime on some clothes when you could get it much cheaper at some other shop. So all we did for the rest of the afternoon was go in and out of a bunch of different shops. I enjoyed it at first because each store had its cute flare to it and I felt so inspired on what the latest fashion and accessories were. But then as time crept up on us, I was getting tired of all the shopping and walking and needed a change in pace. So, we went our separate ways for her with plans to reconnect tonight for our hopes of dinner and a massage. 

I walked back to the hostel, planning on doing some work on my laptop, when I came across a very affordable nail spot. My manicure that I got at home before coming on my trip lasted me a good five weeks, until one nail popped off in KL and that meant the rest had to go as well. I went a few days with nothing on my nails, but when I am traveling I love having them done so I didn’t want that to last too long. I found a salon that would do a gel manicure for only $13, so I sat in the nice chair as a lady meticulously painted my nails, it taking almost two hours as she was that precise with trimming and painting them. I think I got almost the exact same color I had before, a soft mix of pink and coral, and I left feeling so happy and pretty having them done. I scoped out the massage prices, so impressed with how affordable they were, thinking this might be the place I return to tonight with Margot. I saw tons of customers file in and head to the massage area while I got my nails done, thinking this was the place to come if you want a good and affordable massage. 

I went back to the hostel, finally, and worked on my phone and laptop a bit until Margot found me by the pool and showed me the dresses she found at the market. It is kite season right now and you could see them flying around in the sky which was also so precious to witness and appealed deeply to my heart as one of my favorite books is the Kite Runner. After chatting a bit more by the pool, we went back to the room to get ready for our night out. 

On our agenda was a massage and dinner. We didn’t want to leave for a massage until the sunset, which was quite early here as the rest of Asia. So, around 6:30pm we made our way to the same spa that I got my nails done at and she got a leg massage while I got a balinese massage. It’s cool that I got to experience a balinese massage, it reminded me of a thai massage but I liked this one a bit better and it felt so nice on my back as I have been hauling my backpack around so much it really started to weigh on me. 

After our $8 one hour massage, we searched for a vibey restaurant and found this lovely place just a 10 minute walk from our hostel. It is a popular spot called Penny Lane, having tons of chandeliers and lights arched above the tables with greenery spread about. It was an amazing environment, tons of other travelers there enjoying a nice dinner out, and a fancy place that it felt good to celebrate our arrival to this beautiful island. 

We shared pita bread and guacamole, it was so delicious and the guac had an extra flavoring to it that elevated its taste on the bread. Then, I got a salad for dinner and it was very fresh and filled with tons of vegetables. Because I had a relatively healthy dinner, I needed a little something to cleanse the palette, a dessert some would theorize. Clear Cafe was on the way back from the restaurant, the dinner place I had the night before with the immaculate strawberry milkshake, so we made a pit stop and I ordered it for my post meal dessert that night. Too many treats for myself, but I keep telling myself that Bali is my dream destination and I am finally here so I shouldn't cheat myself out on the experience because I am trying to save money or eat super healthy. Now is the time to enjoy every pleasure of being here, of living out my dream to travel here, and to experience as much as I can with zero regard to cost. Money will hopefully mean nothing to me in the future and the few extra dollars I spend in Bali to create more memories will be worthwhile in the long run.

That capped off my night, a self care day exploring the city, and my first full day on my dream vacation. To think, I have been longing to visit this island since I was in middle school and first discovered it on “balilife” instagram, to find myself here experiencing it to the fullest. I know my younger self would be so proud of me. So happy that I did all I could to get to the point that allowed me to be here. Cramming in four CPA exams during my last year at college, teaching a class to earn the money to come here, and being relentless to plan and commit myself to a trip of this size. To say I have grown in my four years at university is an understatement. I have found myself and who I was meant to be. I channel my courage and take risks when I have a good gut feeling that what I am about to endure will be worthwhile or make me a better person by the end of it. I am so happy with all I have done to get myself here, and so thankful the cards aligned that I could make my dreams come true. Now that I made it to my dream destination, does that mean I have to choose a new one? Bali has lived up to my greatest expectations, and I still have so much more of the island to explore. These next few weeks will be beyond a blessing and my biggest dreams come true.