Excerpt from a previous Wanderlust Scarves Post.
Bali has long been on our travel destination list. In January of 2019 we finally made the journey. Bali is an island and province of Indonesia. The island of Bali is home to the majority of the Hindu population of Indonesia, with about 84% of the population being Hindu. Bali is a popular destination for travellers looking for tranquility, beaches and yoga. However, I think most people will be surprised by the hustle and bustle of the main city of Denpasar and the crazy busy atmosphere. Of course once you are off the beaten path you will find tranquility, beaches and yoga, but we loved the friendly people, the shopping and the beautiful moss covered temples.
We flew in to the main city of Denpasar, and were immediately hit by the hot, humid air when we stepped off the plane.
Flying in to Denpasar Bali
For the first half of our trip we were spending almost a week in Ubud. We had arranged pick up at the airport through my hotel, (We are past figuring out buses and public transport after a flight) and were whisked away to the wonderful town of Ubud. Located inland about 30 miles from the airport, Ubud is the cultural centre of Bali. Ubud is a shoppers paradise, so of course we loved it. On this visit Heidi was on the hunt for scarves and sarongs, but all of the handicrafts, jewelry, and artwork are incredible.
The market is jam packed with goods and in front every other booth is a burning offering to the gods for luck, giving the market an overwhelming smell of incense. The choice of goods was amazing! Heidi had to pull herself away from the jewelry vendors to start the scarf search. Much fun was had choosing the sarongs and negotiating with the lovely ladies at the market.
Bargaining is always a part of the market experience and something worth working on improving. You want to be nice but you also don’t want to get taken advantage of either.
Owl Carvings at the Ubud Art Market
A smile and eye contact goes a long way, as does keeping in mind that the vendors are making a living and a dollar or two makes more difference to their lives than to ours.
The favourite scarves we brought home from Bali are definitely the cotton Batik. We came upon the shop one day and fell in love with the beautiful, indigo blue scarves. Handmade locally in the traditional Balinese way. Hearing the store owner, Kadek talk about what it means to keep the traditions alive, what it means to the local economy and the villages. It means a lot when I find scarves with a story.
After shopping the village we were always a hot mess, Bali is hot and humid. Our routine was to go back to the hotel for a lovely swim in the gorgeous pool overlooking the jungle. The pool was an infinity pool, complete with statues and little fountains. It was heavenly.
One day Heidi was languishing in the cool water and pulled herself up to glance over the edge of the pool
Overlooking the Jungle from the pool at the Kayon Resort
and down in to the jungle (always looking for monkeys), imagine her surprise when a huge cloud of dragonflies rose up and filled the air right there in front of her!! It was like a scene from a Julia Roberts movie.
We took it as a sign that we were in the right place at the moment, that we were where we were meant to be, doing what we were meant to be doing.
We can’t wait to start planning the Tonbo Luxury Tour adventure to Bali! Sign up for our newsletter to be sure to be in the loop for all our upcoming adventures.
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