Canggu to Ubud, Staying in Bali, a New City means New Sights

July 21st, my last day in Canggu and making the trek up to Ubud with Lisa. I wanted to have the morning in the city, although I didn’t make it to the cafe I was hoping for because it was a bit of a distance away, I just went back to the cafe from yesterday and got a new item. I had that heavy french toast the day prior and it was amazing don’t get me wrong, but I needed something savory because I know that leaves me feeling loads better. 

I got the tofu scramble and as a compromise I got a cinnamon roll to go. I ended up facetiming my parents and grandparents while waiting for my food to arrive and while I ate. It was great to catch up with them, hear about their Minnesota summer, and tell them about my love for Bali. I am so happy that I am enjoying this island as much as I hoped I would. I think one thing that's different from what I imagined is that I am living on the island more than I am vacationing here. The photos I studied of "Bali" and imagined would make up my trip, photos of pool full of petals with a fruit platter floating on the water, swinging with a flowy dress over a rice paddy, or me posing between the famous temple gate with the mountain in the background. In Canggu, I walked on the broken sidewalks, worked on my laptop at cafes, and chilled with new friends I made. I did check off a few things on my bucket list, visiting Bali and surfing, and I am so happy to be able to now say that I learned how to surf in Bali.

One other observation I made is that I thought visiting Bali was an unachievable trip. It was halfway around the world, just an island I daydreamed about but never thought could be a reality. I used to say I would finally make it here for my honeymoon, thinking I would have to wait that long in my life to make that dream come true. But, I found some free time in this season of my life that I could not pass up the opportunity to finally see it. My whole Asia trip was centered around visiting this island and I'm glad to say it has lived up to my biggest dreams and I am already imagining the day I can return and bring loved ones with me.

I walked back from breakfast around 9:30am and when I got back I checked out and found Lisa because I knew she would want to get to Ubud early and beat the traffic. In the car, I did my little scrapbook because I wanted to paste in the Canggu mementos and showed her what I had done so far. We talked a bit longer but she mentioned that she gets car sick easily so she looked forward while I read my book. I thought the drive would’ve been longer but because it was early enough the traffic wasn’t as bad as people warned us about so just like that we were there. 

I checked into my hostel but my room wasn’t ready so I went to a local cafe to get some coffee. I didn’t get any at my breakfast place in Canggu and I found this cute cafe on my street that had a few levels and an open door concept. It was such a beautiful view and I got to sit on a couch and enjoy my coffee and journal. I did that for a good amount of time because I switched between enjoying the view and reflecting in words on my lovely first stop in Bali. 

I went back to my hostel and checked in, there was a girl laying in the bed next to mine while the front desk worker showed me the room and pointed out the key information. I unpacked a bit and it was amazing because the bed was a full size, not the typical tight-squeeze twin I’ve been sleeping in the past three weeks. This was an upgrade I wanted to relish. I have been staying at some nicer hostels and it’s been amazing being able to be comfortable and enjoy the perks of the social environment of a hostel. 

I went down to the pool area to read my book and chill. I wanted to just hang around for the day because I felt like I needed a chill day. I was doing so much in Canggu and felt like I never let my mind settle while I was there. I keep forgetting that I can make this a vacation and not just pure sightseeing travel. I should and need to take rest days. My soul was wanting to read my book so I would let it. My hostel has free massages, so I went to go sign up for mine, it was booked until an hour from then which didn't matter as I planned to read poolside anyways. 

When I searched for a spot by the pool, it was pretty crowded but there was a nice girl that had some room by here, and she looked slightly familiar so I thought it was a good bet. She made some room for me and sparked the conversation we would continue to have for the next hour. She happened to be the same girl that was in my hostel room at the bed right next to mine. She was the same age as me and that helped us connect instantly! A worker from the hostel came by during the middle of our chat to invite us to family dinner at the hostel that night in which we both agreed to, I thought it would be a good thing to do to get to meet more people even though I just wanted to try one of the amazing vegan places in town. The worker also chatted with us for a while, he mentioned that he loves foreigners and has many friends from different countries, I think just like many others feel about wanting to leave and explore other places, he longed to live outside of Indonesia.

Just like that it was time for my massage. It was a quick 15 minute massage but it felt so good to even have a bit of time to work through the many knots that take over my neck, back, and shoulders. After my massage, Liv was gone from our spot by the pool so I did get to read a little bit until my hunger started to take over. 

Next to my hostel is an amazing smoothie bowl place where the bowls look like art. I knew I would for sure make a stop, and it seemed like the perfect snack to tie me over until family dinner at 7pm. I wanted to keep reading so I brought my kindle and read as I devoured my beautiful bowl. The time approached seven quicker than I thought, I returned to my room to drop off all my stuff and then went down with Liv and her friend Freya that was just resting before. 

We got our bbq food, there was actually a lot there that I could eat: corn, rice, veggies, potatoes, and a veggie burger. I was quite full and happy that I just opted in for the meal. We talked the whole time, and I got to meet Freya who was really nice. They invited me to join them for the jewelry making class they booked for the next day. It was something I considered doing while here knowing it was a popular attraction, so as soon as I got the invitation, I thought it was a sign that I make this ring to signify my time in Bali with a real silver that would last me a lifetime. 

We chatted throughout the night, a few other UKers joined us in conversation until about 10:30pm when we all called it a night because we were all so tired from our adventurous time so far in Bali.