Travel Day, Wrap Up Singapore and Head to Dream Destination... BALI

I am leaving Singapore today, and just in time I made a sweet friend as I checked out of my hostel. We went to get coffee together and talked for over an hour. She is from Marseille, France and although we only had a few moments to chat, I still hope to reach out to her and potentially see her if I ever find myself in the area! I am so grateful for social media because that means I can keep in touch with the people I meet on this trip, and who knows, we might be in the same city again and can reconnect! I have really enjoyed meeting new people, having these international connections and learning more about the people around this world. I hope to continue meeting new people, always keeping my door open and inviting in friendship, and I also hope to have the courage to speak up when the person seems nice or I am desperate for a bit of friendship myself. The momentary difficulty of instigating a conversation is worth a day of companionship. 

Today was kind of a reset and travel day. The flight was right in the middle of the day so I couldn’t do much in Singapore nor in Bali when I got there. I really didn’t mind because as you can probably tell I got so behind on my blog posts and journaling that it felt so good to take the time to catch up. I need these travel days to slow down my pace because I can’t be go-go all the time otherwise I will just burn myself out. Plus, I get so much joy from writing so it makes me happy to be able to do that, especially when it comes to documenting this trip, stories I know I will treasure having 50 years from now when I look back on my youthful life and reread the tales and travels I went on. 

I left for the airport four hours before my flight, knowing I was taking public transport and my gate being in a farther terminal and had to bus over to it. My hostel receptionist gave me some airport advice and when I told her I was in terminal 4, she said that's where all the cheap flights are so that's why its harder to get to because they don't want to do that to the nicer airlines. Lol of course I would book the cheapest flight and I guess it made sense but tough in the moment to be exposed of my frugalness). In addition, I wanted to see the famous jewel which has the insanely cool waterfall in the airport. So with my backpack strapped on me and the weight pulling me to the ground, I muscled up and walked the 15 minutes to see this waterfall and then back to my terminal. I didn't stay long to admire the waterfall, but I got to wonder for one last time at the advancement and futuristic look and feel that is Singapore. I got through security quickly, which was quite seamless because they had lots of lines and a good customs process because every flight is an international one out of this airport. I headed straight for the food court as it was about 2pm and I was ready for a meal to tie me over until Bali. I was hoping that I could find something vegan, thankfully Singapore attracts a lot of Hindu vegetarians, so as these restaurants appealed to them, little did they know they also pulled me in. I was almost getting to the end of the line and not having found anything until I passed a Vietnamese Restaurant with vegan pho. If you remember, Vietnamese food has become one of my new favorite cuisines so I was elated for this discovery. I got a filling meal, the soup dish with a spring roll. They had this sweet chili sauce to go with my dish and I think I went up 5 different times to refill my little dipping bowl. I enjoyed it so much and it was one of my favorite meals in a Singapore.

I also had some Singapore dollars to use up so I treated myself to a coffee, it was this huge cup and I wasn’t planning on having that much caffeine this late in the day, but it was a nice sip while I waited for my flight. I went to my gate when it was time, and everything went smoothly with the boarding, takeoff, flight, and landing. I had the window seat and one plus was I got to watch the beautiful sunset. I was excited to say goodbye to the big cities and hello to island time. 

I already knew when planning this trip I wanted plenty of beach time, deep to my core, but also I didn’t want to come all this way and miss these really cool cities like the bustling Bangkok or the hustling Ho Chi Minh City, and for that fact the spectacular Singapore. But, upon reflection, when I am most happy on this trip, its when I am near the ocean. Don’t get me wrong, I am so happy that I visited them and got to experience those cities and their culture, but I am truly so excited to be on island time here on out. I am feeling ready to slow down, to waste my days away on a beach staring at the bluest of water, and to have the time and space to tap into my creative side. I think this will be the biggest blessing of my summer- to have this time to relax as I won’t have an opportunity like this once I start working. 

When I got to Bali, I got a cab and with the traffic and poor roads, it took almost an hour to get to my hostel. Once I did, I checked in and obsessed over the place because it's the perfect chill vibe, so cute, and the most comfortable bed and living space. I wish I was staying at this hostel longer than four nights, but now I know what to look for when I book places in the future. This place and Krabi were my favorite hostels so far, channeling those going forward in my future stays. 

I immediately left to grab dinner. There are so many vegan cafes in the area and its so amazing to walk just a few minutes and be by one. I went to Clear Cafe and got an amazing vegan burger and a strawberry milkshake for dessert. I almost folded when I took my first sip of the vegan milkshake it was so good. I wrote down the ingredients with hopes I can recreate it at home. 

I went back to my hostel to get some sleep and I met someone who was also getting ready for bed. She mentioned that she wanted to do a yoga class in the morning, same as me, so we went out in the lobby area and booked a class together! We chatted as well and got to know each other. How amazing that within an hour of being in Bali I made my first friend and will have someone to hang with tomorrow. I had a good feeling about this place and my first few hours, although not entirely eventful, have confirmed those suspicions.