As I slowly spread my belongings out across my room and find my favourite hang out spaces amongst the guesthouse I am staying an the yoga shala where I am learning all things yoga, I begin to feel more and more at home.
Life in Bali is turning out to be a busy, yet relaxing one. Each morning, we get up at either 6am or 7:30am for a morning yoga practice. We’ve been split into 2 groups so that there is more space and I have grown to love my morning sleep in during my 7:30am class and my extended break after my 6am class. Regardless of which class I’m in breakfast immediately follows. For me, this usually consists of rice pudding or oatmeal porridge, topped with banana and coconut milk, with a fresh fruit plate the colours of the rainbow, and tea or coffee. Mmm! Each morning following breakfast, we meditate. This is has easily become the most difficult part of my day. Although I was meditating regularly before leaving for Bali, I generally did it lying down and only for 10 minutes. These meditations are seated meditations for 25-30 minutes. Often, I leave the meditation with my back screaming at me to return to a slouch and perhaps a numb leg or two. Yikes!
Following meditation, we have 3 sessions with a lunch break after the first one. We learn anything from different yoga postures, to anatomy, to yogic philosophy. Lunch breaks are a highlight within there, as they usually mean a walk in the sun to Crate, which is an Australian owned, hole in the wall (literally) restaurant that serves up some of the best coffee intown and breakfast plates the size of my head until they close in the afternoon. It’s either that or a quick bite at Serenity followed by a swim in the pool and a lounge in the sun. Either way, I’m content. Our day ends at 6:45pm and my evenings seem to go by way too quickly, although they usually only consist of eating dinner, socializing and reading before bed.
Life in Bali is hot and sweaty. I’m nearly certain that I haven’t stopped sweating since I got to Bali, and I seem to be living with a consisent sheen of sweat across my entire body. Although the heat makes me feel lethargic at times, I’m not complaining. I spend as much free time in the sun as I can, making up for all the Vitamin D I missed out throughout our Canadian winter! Although it took me a few days, I think I have finally adjusted to being in Bali. By this I mean that I have become accustomed to not drinking tap water and to throwing my toilet paper in the rubbish bin next to the toilet and not in the toilet. For the first few days here, I couldn’t help but laugh at myself because I would be consciously thinking about throwing toilet paper in the bin and then the next thing I knew I was turning around to flush and there was the toilet paper! I felt frustrated with myself because when I returned from South America, I was so trained to throw my used paper in the bin that I was doing it at home for the first week that I was back. Knowing this, I can’t help marvel in the wonder that is the human brain and how easily it adapts.
The town that I am staying, Canggu is a tiny surf town right on the coast. The closest ATM is 20 minutes walking up the beach to another small area called Echo Beach. Temples line the beach, and when the tide goes out, the beach is, unfortunately, littered with garbage from the locals. This doesn’t keep the surfers out though and at any given time of the day, one can easily find at least 50 people in the water waiting to catch waves. Canggu is a pretty small little town, and because there are no sidewalks on the road, I feel as though I’m taking my life in my own hands each time I step out for a meal. Nevertheless, the food is worth it. For such a small town, there is a surpisingly impressive number of really good restaurants offering vegan and gluten free alternatives, as well as raw options. Between eating at Crate, Betelnut and Avocado, my stomach has been a happy camper! While wandering the streets and beaches of Canggu it is common to encounter more than a few dogs, most of which seem to be just cute and harmless… especially when youu’re with my new dog-loving friend, Chelsey!
