Sunday, February 26, 2017

#100: Do Yoga in Bali


Bali has for sure been one of my favorite places I have visited so far. Everyone speaks English and is really friendly. The island is dependent on tourism so everyone goes out of their way to make you feel welcome and relaxed. Every part of the island has its own quirks and charm. During my stay I spend my first week in Ubud and my second week in Lovina. 


Ubud became popular because of the Eat, Pray, Love book by Elizabeth Gilbert that every millennial has read and become inspired by. Since this books release, tourism has boomed in the city. But despite this, many things are still uninterrupted such as the daily offerings of flowers and incense that cover the streets. 
Ubud has become know as a yoga haven with endless shops and classes that devoted yogis can wander between. For people who do not have the flexibility and body control for yoga such as myself, it is a great place to learn the basics as the whole city automatically makes you feel more centered.  I opted to do yoga on the front porch of my guesthouse every morning because I didn't want anyone else to see how bad at yoga I really am. Every morning I would be given fresh tea and fruit on my porch table then I would spend a bit of time trying to master basic yoga skills while watching a family tend to its rice field.

There are many other classes that you can take through out the island for your varied interested. I did a jewelry making class where we made our own silver rings which I would highly recommend. I also did a cooking class where I was taken to a locals house and he taught me traditional Balinese delicacies.








In Lovina, I spent hours at the beach and by the pool reading and relaxing as I was the only guest in my hotel. I rented a motor bike and only got into one accident in which I slowly ran into a tree. Thankfully the bike was able to zoom away unharmed. I did a 3 day scuba diving course in which I was able to a get a new certification as well as do unbelievable things such as night diving and shipwreck diving. My last morning I was woken up at 4 to go on a boat and chase dolphins across the ocean which was an amazing way to end my vacation.









                                                                                Overall Bali was exactly what I had hoped it would be and more. It was easier to get around than I expected and hiring a driver was beyond simple. There is no wondering about how this little island in the middle of Indonesia became one of the most popular destinations in the world. 


Wednesday, February 1, 2017

#142: Explore a shipwreck




Above is the video to my amazing scuba diving experience in Lovina, Bali. This was for my advanced scuba certification. For this we went on 5 different dives on the island. This includes a navigation, shipwrecks, night and deep water dives. It was amazing to go on all these different dives because each dive was unique and made me feel more confident in my diving. 

When you are doing a deep dive while scuba diving you are under so much pressure that it is almost impossible to crush an egg. When it does break the eggs will hold their form which is really entertaining to watch the fish try and eat it. 

The night dive was a little nerve racking at times. All my dives were done with just me and the instructor and so for the night dive that meant there were less people around. We were not connected to each other so that made it so you had to know where the other person was at all times, otherwise you would lose them in the pitch darkness. The ocean at night makes strange sounds that can really throw you off guard considering you can't see your surroundings. I was even more concerned to realize halfway through my dive we were in an area with a lot of large eels. The only thing I am truly scared of it water snakes so that was quite startling to see one slithering past out of the corner of my
eye. Of course my guide failed to mention that before the dive started. There were also random statutes in the water that at first I thought was a floating body which caused me to scream and lose quite a bit of my air supply. But despite all that, it was an amazing dive that really showed a part of the world that we don't usually get to see other than on David Attenborough documentaries.