The first week we stayed in Bali was *packed*. We didn't intend to go so hard when we first scheduled it but we realized that to fully explore Bali we would want to get a sense of a few locations before settling on a place to stay.

We’re here for two months so there was no need to rush but there was an excitement that made us want to take full advantage of the island.

After a relaxing spa day, we sat down and did some googling to figure out where we might want to stay. That first week, we set out to actually visit four major locations in Bali: Seminyak (where we were already staying), Canggu, Ubud and Sanur.

Starting on the left-most and going clockwise, that’s Canggu, Ubud, Sanur and Seminyak

We first traveled to the land of the monkey and spiritual healers. We had already read a lot about this place even before the journey but we had to see it for itself. In general, tourist destinations have a lot of unwanted factors. Frequent hawking, gawking and crowds being the chief annoyances. While Ubud has a lot of tourism, it was nice to see that the city retains an identity. People here are super nice and want visitors to have a pleasant stay so the whole town still has a quiet dignity. We visited a bunch of villas and guest houses that first day and in each one you get a feeling of being secluded yet connected with the broader city. Each house has a prominent outdoor temple at the entrance and the vibe of the region was laid back, peaceful and full of curiosities. 

We effectively stayed at Seminyak the whole first week but it took us a few days to really explore the place. Initially we stayed in the small part of town (petitenget) but after a few days we ventured to the beach and explored the restaurants on the main road. It’s primarily a tourist area, so it kind of felt like we got a taste of Australia 🤷‍♂️ the place wasn’t for us but it has great food and was a good preview for what was to come.

It also had the famous Potato Head Beach Club. Really chill day (but only for a day)

First thing we learnt is a lot of locals don’t really like Canggu. I got the sense they don’t think it’s really Bali. Personally I think it’s sort of like opium to the rest of Bali’s gusgusse payasa (a sweet drink with poppy seeds). Someone took the Bali vibe and turnt it up to 11. Oh and they infused the energy and folly of youth (remember what THAT was like!?). In any case, it’s a vibe Nritya and I struggle with. Had great boba though! 

A retirement community masquerading as a beach. It might just be for us. The day we visited, we got some craft beer and coffee and it felt right. The town itself is tiny, really only one main road. It had character though. The beachfront was fantastic and was the only beach with a walking path/boardwalk. It also had exercise equipment right on the sand! 

In the end, we chose to stay at Ubud for ten days and then spend the rest of the time at Sanur (with a resort stay at the end to cap off the travel). Finding Airbnbs that we liked was time consuming enough and moving tedious enough that we wanted to limit the number of times we did that.  More about each location later!