My life recently has been way too good to be true, and I think it hit a serious high note a few weeks ago when I was able to turn 23 in Bali. I have to be honest, I usually don’t put many expectations on places, or holidays, especially birthdays, but this time I did and I set the bar high. How could I not? I was about to be in Bali, Indonesia with some of my best friends! Thankfully Bali went above any beyond and I had the greatest birthday week of my entire life.
The week started in Seminyak, a city full of endless shopping, beautiful resorts, and gorgeous beaches just along the western coast of the island. Because we were there to celebrate my birthday, my friends and I decided to splurge a bit and rented a villa for the four nights they would be with me and we lived like queens. It was so nice to be able to go explore the town all day, spend time walking the beach and then come back to our quiet villa and jump into our private pool. For me, it was a great break from the hostels that I had and would be staying in for the rest of my time. Although, to be fair, the hostel I stayed in after Chelsea, Hailey and Ashley left, was one of the greatest I’ve ever stayed in. Anyway, the day before my birthday, the girls did a day trip up to Ubud while I stayed behind and had the day to myself because I was going to Ubud after they left. When they got back, they had talked with their driver who had told them about a sunrise trek to the top of Bali’s highest active volcano. So, because I have amazing and adventurous friends, they decided as my gift to bring me on this trek to start my birthday off in unforgettable fashion. We woke up at 1.30 to drive to the base of the volcano and then hiked for about 2.5 hours up the volcano. The trek was definitely more challenging than we anticipated but I LOVED every second of it and kept thinking about the fact this was exactly how I wanted to be starting my birthday. When we got to the top, we were able to sit and relax before witnessing one of the most beautiful and breathtaking experiences of my life. As the sun would start to rise we were able to see the world just starting to slowly appear. I do not know how I will ever top that birthday experience, but I don’t think I even want to. I was able to spend the rest of my birthday being exactly where I wanted to be, surrounded by people I love being with. I really couldn’t have asked for more. The rest of the time spent in Seminyak was on the beach enjoying every second before I had to say goodbye to my visitors for the last time.
After Chelsea, Hailey and Ashley left, my friend from teaching, Lauren, and I went up to Ubud to finish out this week in the coolest place. Ubud was a very different vibe than Seminyak, a much more cultural and authentic feeling. While we were there we were able to visit one of the most stunning and cool rice terraces, see some amazing Hindu temples, learn about the Balinese Hindu religion, and befriend some of the kindest local people.
Even if I had sat in on a beach all day or next to a rice paddy, I don’t think Bali would have been able to let me down. I left that island trying to come up with all the different scenarios that would enable me to revisit and possibly make it s a semi-permanent home, but mainly I left just counting my blessings that it happened and jealous of Aussies for living close enough that they could make it a regular holiday.
The week started in Seminyak, a city full of endless shopping, beautiful resorts, and gorgeous beaches just along the western coast of the island. Because we were there to celebrate my birthday, my friends and I decided to splurge a bit and rented a villa for the four nights they would be with me and we lived like queens. It was so nice to be able to go explore the town all day, spend time walking the beach and then come back to our quiet villa and jump into our private pool. For me, it was a great break from the hostels that I had and would be staying in for the rest of my time. Although, to be fair, the hostel I stayed in after Chelsea, Hailey and Ashley left, was one of the greatest I’ve ever stayed in. Anyway, the day before my birthday, the girls did a day trip up to Ubud while I stayed behind and had the day to myself because I was going to Ubud after they left. When they got back, they had talked with their driver who had told them about a sunrise trek to the top of Bali’s highest active volcano. So, because I have amazing and adventurous friends, they decided as my gift to bring me on this trek to start my birthday off in unforgettable fashion. We woke up at 1.30 to drive to the base of the volcano and then hiked for about 2.5 hours up the volcano. The trek was definitely more challenging than we anticipated but I LOVED every second of it and kept thinking about the fact this was exactly how I wanted to be starting my birthday. When we got to the top, we were able to sit and relax before witnessing one of the most beautiful and breathtaking experiences of my life. As the sun would start to rise we were able to see the world just starting to slowly appear. I do not know how I will ever top that birthday experience, but I don’t think I even want to. I was able to spend the rest of my birthday being exactly where I wanted to be, surrounded by people I love being with. I really couldn’t have asked for more. The rest of the time spent in Seminyak was on the beach enjoying every second before I had to say goodbye to my visitors for the last time.
After Chelsea, Hailey and Ashley left, my friend from teaching, Lauren, and I went up to Ubud to finish out this week in the coolest place. Ubud was a very different vibe than Seminyak, a much more cultural and authentic feeling. While we were there we were able to visit one of the most stunning and cool rice terraces, see some amazing Hindu temples, learn about the Balinese Hindu religion, and befriend some of the kindest local people.
Even if I had sat in on a beach all day or next to a rice paddy, I don’t think Bali would have been able to let me down. I left that island trying to come up with all the different scenarios that would enable me to revisit and possibly make it s a semi-permanent home, but mainly I left just counting my blessings that it happened and jealous of Aussies for living close enough that they could make it a regular holiday.