Eat Pray Love in Bali

(Gado Gado)

We've been on this journey for about four and a half months and its been a journey of self exploration, learning more about who we are and about the world. Each country has taught us something new, sometimes through trying experiences, and sometimes in moments of pure bliss. Bali thus far has encompassed eating, praying, and loving ourselves (in the form of self love).

First I want to talk about the food. Bali offers an array of raw vegan and vegetarian treats; smoothie bowls, gluten free options, superfood salads, and dairy free ice cream made with sol? What is even better is the local Indonesian eats. Being vegetarians limits our ability to try everything, but we've found some incredible dishes. The top favorite so far is Gado Gado which is basically a salad with without being tossed and all of the ingredients separated on the plate. Its made up of cooked cabbage and other mixed vegetables, boiled egg, tofu, tempeh, and a creamy peanut sauce to go over it all.

The last post talked about yoga a little bit, but we try to take yoga if its offered. Meditation has helped through the good and bad times, and I've found a true sense of connection with myself and others through it. Sometimes it can be energizing and other times reduce stress.

Last but not least, self love. Taking time everyday to get exercise, swim in the ocean, feed our bodies nutritious food, journal, and read is so important. You have to love yourself before you can truly love others.

Gili Trawangan

From our hotel near Denpasar International Airport we took an hour mini bus ride to Padang Bai to catch the fast boat to the miniature island of Gili Trawagan. The ferry station was busy and we waited a while for our fast boat to arrive. The boat ride was about an hour and pretty bumpy and hot. When we first arrived on the beach along the strip of bars and restaurants we weren't entirely sure what we had gotten ourselves into. Our first impression was that it was a party destination; which is somewhat true, but never judge a book by its cover.

We absolutely LOVE these islands and frequently feel like we're in a fairy tale. Gili Trawagan is only six square miles and you can bike around the entire thing in about thirty minutes. We run almost everyday and we can get around the whole thing in 4.36 miles according to our Nike Run app. They don't have cars, only bikes and horse drawn carriages (which we don't ride because we feel bad for the horses), baby goats, butterflies, kittens, chickens and their chicks, calves, delicious vegetarian food, and yoga galore. Since we've been here we've taken classes at Gili Yoga and The Yoga Place. Our favorite is The Yoga Place, they have a great hatha yoga class and The Garden Café restaurant is delicious. Fresh salads, smoothies, sandwiches, veggie burger, chia cups, its basically a vegetarians dream.

A great yoga class, followed by mouth watering food, a $7 massage, and swimming n turquoise water...life is good on Gili Trawangan.

The locals are truly lovely people. Seeing their smiling faces everyday is uplifting. Each morning when we watch the sunrise there are the same amount of locals watching the sunrise as tourists. To live somewhere and still appreciate a sunrise everyday is pretty special. In our everyday lives we tend to forget to stop and notice these natural beautiful wonders and miracles of our home, so to see that was refreshing and a great reminder to stop and smell the flowers.

Farewell Thailand

The trek from Phuket to Bali was relatively painless twelve hours. We flew with Malindo Air, and it was amazing. They gave us a meal, pillows, blankets, and they even played movies; not to mention it smelled like a new car inside the airplane. Phuket and all of Thailand will always hold a special place in our hearts, it was our home base in SE Asia, but after a couple of weeks we are ready for another adventure. When we arrived at the Denpasar International Airport in Bali we couldn't find our hotel shuttle due to the massive crowd that was swarming the arrivals gate (apparently someone famous was showing up). The cab ride was expensive for going such a short distance, 150,000 rupiah, which is roughly $11.00 USD to go less than 3km. We arrived at the Radiant Hotel and Spa exhausted and ready for bed.

The next day we had our first hospital visit of the trip. You have to admit nearly five months without any major injuries or catastrophes is pretty impressive. Haley has Grave's Disease and she couldn't get her heart rate down. A number of things could have caused it but the doctors chalked it up to caffeine and a vitamin deficiency. If you're ever in Bali near the airport the staff at BIMC is amazing. They see you very quickly and are knowledgeable and kind. A quick ECG and a prescription for vitamin B12 later we were back at the hotel.  We decided to stay an extra night in Bali before heading to Gili Trawagan just in case anything happened. It turned out to be a lovely evening spent in the hotel spa getting a sauna, soak, massage, facial, and body scrub for $20 USD. If you are ever flying out of Bali and need accommodations near the airport stay at the Radiant Hotel & Spa, and do take advantage of their great spa!