Traveling and transporting yourself deep into nature, alone, every once in a while is an absolute must for me. I live close to the beach in the south of Bali, Uluwatu — a beautiful spot. And I do my best to walk to the beach most days, which makes me feel great, every time. However, hopping on the motorbike and driving deep into Bali’s hills, jungles, rice fields, mountains or waterfalls, profoundly inspires me.
I call this “Forest & Nature Therapy.” It feels like a brain dump! On the one hand, you can feel all negative thoughts and worries slip away, and on the other hand, fresh, exciting, and creative new ideas ping the mind. Dump the bad and open your mind to receive good energy, and get inspired! Nature Trips make that happen — it works for me every time.
It’s best to make it a habit and mission to go deep into nature at least once a week, especially if you live in Bali. I’ve done that for the last two years while living in Bali, but I had a period of around three months where I was working too much and forgot myself and my wellbeing. That time didn’t end well. I wound up having two full-on vertigo attacks due to stressing and overworking myself.
Once I recovered, I began to slow down, be kinder to myself and get back to my Nature Therapy Trips.
A Day or Two is all it takes — Clear your Mind, Re-Balance and Re-Set Yourself to be a new Fresh, Creative, and Productive You!
Where did my trip take me in Bali this time? You know, I left my home last Wednesday afternoon around 4 pm, not knowing where I was going, I just drove, for 2 days, and this is what happened.
Tabanan – Central Bali
I ended up stopping around 6 pm, just before sunset, and by chance, I found this lovely little hotel tucked away, off a small road in the middle of endless rice fields. The hotel’s name is Umasari Rice Terrace Villa and it’s a must visit if you are in Bali. Such a peaceful refreshing retreat style hotel.
The super friendly staff served me a great dinner on the terrace of my wooden Joglo room, which guaranteed a good night’s sleep. The following day, I woke early to the sound of heavy rain. It’s pretty unusual for it to rain in Bali in the summertime; typically, it’s the loveliest time of year. But, that day it poured cats and dogs for hours!
I’d planned to hop on my bike early and drive further north, however, for now, I was stuck. Eventually, the rain lightened up, and I went for an uplifting power-walk in the stunning and vast rice fields.
The outcome? I felt great, refreshed, motivated and ready to go! But first when I arrived back in my room, I finished another article — success! After that, I hopped onto my bike and drove north, heading for the stunning Singaraja area.
Singaraja – North Bali
The drive up through the large Tabanan region, Bedugul and the Twin Lakes, was hard as nails. The rain kept coming and going, it got colder and colder, and I only had shorts with me (at least I had my leather jacket)! Next, I ascended into the clouds, it seemed, as the fog was so heavy I could barely see anything.
Then comes the stunning part, at precisely 5 pm, as the sun was slowly setting and reflecting its golden brilliance on the ocean in front of me, I stopped and marveled at the beauty surrounding me. I believe the rugged, mountainous region in the north of Bali is even more incredible than the south, but come and see for yourself, you must!
After enjoying the moment and positive energy received, I continued down the steep and winding road leading to Singaraja, and Lovina, where again, by chance, I checked into another superb small hotel called Hotel Shri Ganesh ran by a lovely Balinese couple, Kadek & Made. Their hotel also boasts a lovely local restaurant, and both the hotel and restaurant are great value for money, and bang on the beach. I can highly recommend staying and eating at this excellent hotel, and the owners are GREAT HOSTS!
Kintamani – East Central Bali
The following morning I decided to take a wild motorbike ride up and down treacherous tiny winding roads, and when I say treacherous, I mean it! You suddenly face such steep drop offs; you start to worry if your brakes will hold up! They did, thankfully!
My wild ride took me to the Bangli Region in Kintamani, where the famous active volcano Mount Batur is located. An impressive mountain range surrounds Mt. Batur and Lake Batur, formed hundreds of years ago after a massive eruption of what was then a much bigger volcano. Kintamani is one of the most beautiful areas I’ve seen in my life! I frequently go there to hike Mount Batur and get my nature fix.
It takes around 1.5 hours to hike, is a great challenge and adventure, and once you reach the summit, you’ll feel ecstatic! The view is stunning and you’ll be immersed in absolute pleasure and an immense sense of freedom — that’s being on top of the World!
To Re-Cap.
Bali is a wild ride, full of adventures, opportunities and challenges — but a fantastic place to be. However, you must have your animal spirit developed to survive and thrive here. If not, you won’t succeed or be happy — it’s not easy to live in Bali or anywhere you aren’t accustomed to unless you can adapt to the culture and go with the flow, understand how things work, and above all, contribute to it!
You can’t just jaunt in and use it; you have to learn and give back. But, I can say Bali is the best place I’ve lived in my time, and I’ve been all over the world, yet Bali is the top of the top!
Come, explore, learn the culture, and live the best life you could ever imagine!
Thanks for reading.
Rob
