Travel to Bali in a post-pandemic world
In early June i travelled to Bali. After a couple of years of being closed, I wanted to see for myself whether it would be feasible to run a retreat in October. I’m delighted to let you know that Bali is ready to receive us again. Journey along with me. The Bali Retreat will run from 8-13 October and I’m looking forward to facilitating a graceful and fun experience.
Scoping a Bali Retreat: Day 1, Travel
Arriving at Melbourne airport, I follow the surfboards and mullets to the Jetstar Counter. It feels exciting to be holding a passport again. I’m travelling to Bali, so that you don’t have to (yet!) to suss things out for potential Seed Yoga Retreat in October. I’ll document my findings like an explorer heading into the unknown. Come, journey with me…
Pre-Flight: Preparation to fly to Bali took a little longer than pre-pandemic. You’ll need an International Vaccine Certificate, easily downloadable via Medicare, the Indonesian contact tracing app on your phone, and evidence of travel insurance with Covid cover. Customs declarations are now completed online. PCR tests are no longer required. Obviously this information changes almost week to week. Interestingly, none of these requirements (except the IVC) were checked by officials at either airport.
Melbourne Airport: is quiet. I had hoped to pick up a Rolex and Burberry Trench on my way to Gate 14A; sadly the luxury duty free shops have closed. There was only one coffee stand open. Melbournians stood in an impossibly long queue to get one last caffeine fix before boarding. There will be no single origin Colombian piccolo lattes where we’re going.
The Flight: Airline food is still $h!t. Good and somehow comforting to know some things never change. The flight took 5.5 hours. Easy.
Arriving in Bali: You can feel the warmth as you move through the metal intestine that takes you from plane to terminal. There’s a distinctive smell of incense and frangipani, with a basenote of rotting fruit that lets you know you’ve arrived. Om Swasiastu.
Clearing customs took maybe 30 minutes. Waiting to be processed, I spotted passports from Singapore, Germany, Japan and the UK. I chatted with a Malaysian family and a surfer from South Africa. It’s seems the world is heading back to Bali. You’ll need to purchase a Visa on Arrival. $53, cash only.
Squinting in the sun as I exited the airport, (I’d left behind a blast of arctic weather)I received the warmest of welcomes from Ayu who helps me with retreats. When I saw this sign at the airport amongst all the other boring name boards, it gave me the biggest smile The Balinese are genuinely excited to welcome us back. I’ve already had a swim and I have a jet lag massage booked for the princessly (new word, because it seems I am one) sum of $13. And because 5 hours on a plane is a ’new’ experience, I need to chill. Life is grand.Bali
Scoping a Bali Retreat: Day 2, the Villa
If you are brave and maybe foolhardy (me!), the best way to get around Bali is on the back of a motorbike. We all need a little post- pandemic adolescent risk taking right? Gede is my guide. We manoeuvre past a gridlock of cars and sail through Canggu to the retreat villa. Along with the tourists, traffic is back, baby.
We arrive to a hive of activity: The villa complex is a series of interlocking properties. Two have been entirely closed through the pandemic. Two have been open and used for domestic tourists, mostly from Jakarta. Like us, Indonesians have used travel bans to explore their own backyard.
There was a small army of workers scrubbing umbrellas and pool chairs, painting building trims and renovating disused rooms. Was all this to impress me?
The villa will be fully booked from July onwards and it was clear the team were throwing every effort into ensure the joint will be tickety boo.
Ayu, the Villa Manager, tells me that staff were placed on half pay for nearly two years. She managed to keep around half of her people, but some returned to their campong (villages) to be with extended family. Four new team members started the previous week and were being trained in the special art of keeping tourists happy.
Ayu smiles as she tells me this, but it’s clear that times have been tough. Bali is almost entirely run on tourist dollars and the Balinese people are the worker bees. Apparently 85% of businesses are owned by people who live outside of Bali. The rest are micro- businesses: small market shops, watch sellers and coconut stands. I draw my own conclusions.
This villa is seven years old. It is owned by a French consortium and the architecture is a stunning blend of traditional Balinese design with chic French touches in the art, decor and furnishings. It’s in good nick. I’m confident it will once again be perfect for our yoga retreat, whew! I needed to see this with my own eyes.
I continue my tour and tick off the four sparkling pools, the tranquil frangipani garden and the outdoor yoga space. Yep, this will work. Rice field, tick. Poolside pergolas to curl up with a good book or a friend, tick. Beautiful staff who will go the extra mile to make sure we have a fabulous time, tick
Ayu sends me home with a batch of homemade Jamu. It’s a delicious traditional elixir of tumeric, lemon, ginger and magic. It apparently cures everything, and as I enjoy a glass back at my hotel watching the sunset, this feels true.
Scoping a Bali Retreat, Day 3: The Yoga of Shopping
Ritzy, glitzy Seminyak is a ghost town. Most of the shops are boarded up and the once vibrant cafes and groovy beachside bars are closed. Kuta is not my jam, so I didn’t go there, but word on the street is that it’s also very quiet.
Canguu on the other hand is jumping. There’s a vegan restaurant on every corner, buzzing with people high on green juice and sunshine. There’s no shortage of avocado toast and burritos; they certainly know their market. Clothing stores are doing a fine trade and I saw plenty of designer bag, jewellery and shoe shops. Tattoo parlours are full; which is just as well, as it will be mandatory for you to get ‘namaste’ tattooed on your left ankle as a retreat team bonding experience.
My friend Linda Courtney put me on to The Bali Tailor a few years back. They make on-trend leather jackets, shoes and linen clothing. I hit pay-dirt when I arrived at the Canggu store. Leo the owner was there; we quickly bond, as only two small business owners both affected by the pandemic can. We traded war stories and became new best friends as he measured me up for a biker jacket in buttery soft black leather. Just $300. It will be made to order and delivered to my hotel in a couple of days. I tell him about the October Yoga Retreat and we agree that he’ll send staff and samples so that you can have something tailor made too. Epic! We high five as I leave.
Next stop, Monsieur Blonde. I’m always complimented on my ear rings and necklaces. This is where they’re from. Gorgeous French designed, Bali made pieces. Gold on brass, affordable and fabulous. The staff treat me like an old friend and I spend a happy hour trying on ring stacks and deciding on the perfect new bracelet. I’m in heaven.
My other favourite store is Bungalow Living, also in Canguu. Homeware with flair, made by artisans here on the island of the gods. Cushions, candle holders, basket weaves and art. All at bargain prices. I moved house recently and found a few perfect little things here for my new nest.
And of course, yoga pants! Divine Godess, We’re and Lula and Soul are Bali brands with cute designs. Market stalls along the side of the road have many designs too, they’ll look perfect with a Bintang singlet. Or not
When we retreat together in October, you can visit these places, discover your own, or simply stay by the pool and chill.
I expect that Bali will continue to open up as tourists return to this magical place.
Scoping a Bali Retreat, Day 4: Culture
There is no word in Balinese for ‘artist’ because it’s simply assumed that everyone is one. You see this artistry in flower shaped pebbles set in the concrete footpaths, the marigolds tucked behind the Ganesh’s stone ears, carefully arranged market fruit and in the graceful way women wear their kebaya. Artisans pass down their craft to sons (maybe less so now) and villages are famous for perfecting a single sculpture design. My favourite is a small village near Turta Empul, that only carve an exquisite wooden eagle, the garuda. There’s a silversmith village, a stonemason’s village and painters in Ubud.
Bali is a tiny green island jewel of just 4 million people in a vast, mostly Muslim Indonesian nation of 275 million. The culture is Hindu, but mixed with animism and a spot of ancestor worship. The spirit world is said to feel as real to the Balinese as the material plane.
There’s a clear culture of gratitude and happiness here. Even the old guy planting rice, who’s seen it all before, greets me with a magnificent toothless smile. Despite bombings, volcanos, pandemic and other stories we know far too well, the Balinese have continued to trust life and show up for each other and for us with an open heart.
It feels yogic here. You won’t see the Balinese doing Warrior 2, they leave that to us, the crazy tourists. Their practice is the bhakti path of devotion: As you walk the streets, there are canang sari, daily offerings of fruit, flowers (and sometimes ciggies) to the gods. Incense carries prayers skyward. Balians, traditional healers, are more important than western doctors, as a sickness of spirit must be attended to.
Every home has a temple and there are so many ceremonies, that the women joke that they are either cleaning up after the last one, or preparing for the next!
At my hotel, the Gayatri Mantra plays on loop all day. It’s the chant that reminds us of our own capacity for growth, illumination and for finding joy in all of life.
Newborn babies here are considered to be tiny gods. Their feet do not touch the ground until 105 days after birth. Their placenta is planted by the front door, an energetic umbilical cord to keep the growing child connected to family and home.
Family and the collective are key. Firstborn girls are named Putu, the next child born is Made, then Comang. Ketut is child number four. There are some name variation - Wyoman, Kadec, Gede for instance - but they all follows this naming convention. So far on this trip I’ve met five smiling Putus!
I’ve heard it said that the earth has seven energetic centres, called chakras. Anaharta, the heart chakra is located at Mount Agung, Bali’s active volcano. (Uluru is said to be the base chakra, Mulhadara). I’m not completely sure about this, but I can certainly feel the heart qualities of compassion, kindness and care in the Balinese people I’ve met along the way.
It’s this sprinkle of magic that keeps me coming back to beautiful Bali and which creates the perfect backdrop for our yoga retreat in October.