So the first half of the week I was in Kuta. Then on Thursday I finally made it to Canggu, Bali’s hotspot for digital nomads, influencers and rich white people. To be honest I was very excited to get here. Yesterday I recognized a spa that I saw on a famous influencer’s story and I was hit by a bolt of disbelief that I was actually here in Canggu.
I am staying at VillaRa which is the coolest villa ever. There are only four rooms that are spacious and have very nice half outdoor bathrooms. The pool is so pretty and scenic and there is a gym right next to the pool which has been great for maintaining a workout routine. It’s easy to do yoga and workout when the gym is so accessible and so pretty.
This week I had the pleasure of doing two recovery sessions. One at Body Factory Bali on Saturday (half off days) and one unexpected one on Friday. This was the courtesy of our very nice Airbnb owner. The villa had some issues and there was no water from Thursday night so on Friday morning she booked a day pass for us at Amo Spa. It had all the recovery tools – ice bath, sauna, steam room and jacuzzi and I spent 3 hours there doing another day of recovery.
Other than that, I have been exploring the cafes in Canggu which are much nicer than Kuta. I ticked off Cafe Vida, Moana (very bad), The Machinery (my favorite yet), and an unexpected discovery – Greek Santorini Restaurant. Though all of Canggu is really pretty, every time I drive past these nice cafes and cool hip bars, I have been feeling a lot of anger and resentment against the rich white owners. The Balinese people have basically been demoted to second class citizens in their own country while these foreigners come in here with huge amounts of money and take over their lands for villas and Airbnbs. I am equally guilty for doing the same so I am wondering what the solution could be here – or if there could be a solution at all or is Bali destined to be another colonized colony of the rich white society?
Being in this quiet space – VillaRa – has done wonders for my mental health too. I am happier and can concentrate better on work. This week has been the most productive of all the time in Bali. I’ve ultimately realized that if I spend a little more on good accommodation it helps with staying in a good routine.
Lastly, of course – an update on surf progression – I have surfed only once in Canggu because the waves have not been too good. That one day though I caught 5 very good waves and had the best stability I have ever had yet. I have definitely gone from being a complete beginner to an intermediate surfer now.
Next week I head off to Ubud. Can’t wait to finally see the real Bali.