Bali 2.0

I am SO thankful I got to visit Bali again!  I decided to go on another yoga retreat, and everything aligned perfectly.  

One Saturday I decided to take a yoga class and dance class back to back.  Dance was first, and I was met by a young fiery exotic presence (the teacher).  I met Nikki Baksh for the first time and I was impressed.  Dance was so wild, so good, so free, and next up was hot yoga to stretch it all out.  Little did I know Nikki was also the yoga teacher!  WOAH.  This hip hop infused beauty with yoga talk and feels.  I think I have met who I've always wanted to be!  

After class Nikki mentioned she had two spots left on her Bali retreat.....  I was OVERDUE for a proper vacation, and little did I also know this Bali retreat would be just that.  

9 random souls met at Hotel Komune in Bali, Feb 15th, 2018. All strangers, yet all friends of Nikki. The week was set with excursions, a cooking class, sunrise hike, holy water temple visit. Umm yes, please. Yoga was held at an outside shala, where the deck overlooked the ocean waves. Every morning class was filled with incense and a nice breeze. Namaste for real.

#Rutherforddoesyoga too :)

Between yoga we lounged at the pool, and with 3 meals a day included (with a juice) we did not miss one. One of my favorites was the super club sandwich!

The excursions were spectacular.  My favorite was the sunrise hike of Mount Batur!  I've never done anything like that!  We left the hotel at 3am, and it was a two hour hike up - one way!  I must say it was pretty tough, but totally worth it.  The way up we all had flashlights so all you saw was a twinkling line of stars moving up the mountain.  When the sun came up, the monkeys came out to play, or take our food rather. 

Visiting Tirta Empul was also very special.  It's a holy water temple.  I went the first time I was in Bali but this time we actually submerged ourselves in the water for the water blessings! 

   

We also visited this coffee plantation in Ubud that makes coffee from cat poop?  Some tried it, but I'm good.  I already have a cat and am way too familiar with their litter box situation.  Ugh.  But at this coffee plantation was this really cool swing!  The surroundings were lush green rice patties and the swing went SO high.  It was cool.  You were strapped in, but with how hard the guys were pushing you my butt would almost slide off the swing every push!  Talk about exhilarating.

   

Bali is a special place.  I highly recommend Hotel Komune if you're looking for a place to stay in Bali.  It's not close to the hot spots like Kuta or Seminyak.  But is a nice chill place where you feel like a local, there's great surfing, and great accommodations and food for a reasonable price.  Oh and did I mention its on a black sand beach!!  They have two pools and two restaurants, and a cute surf shack with snacks.  The staff is also exceptionally nice.

HAPPY AND SAFE TRAVELING! :)

Reflections

Safety in solace
Piercing privacy
Calms the cold

Warming the heart
Crazies the cautious
Fueling fire

Loving Life
Sweetens the sour
Illuminating love

Nine Days Until Bali!

I never thought I would be this excited to visit Bali again!  My first trip to Bali was three and a half years ago when I decided to quit my job and travel the world!  I had no plans other than to not come back.

I came home after 3 months.

Bali was actually the last stop on my Southeast Asia tour, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia and then Bali.  By the end, I was tired.  Tired of what exactly I wasn't sure.  But I knew I needed a new direction.  I needed to go home, get back to work, make a plan, and execute on it.  I had a house in Bali paid for the month and I left one week early to fly back to the states.  My original experience of Bali sounds sour, but I was in such a transitional space it took away from the beauty I did see but didn't register at that time.  Fast forward and it's interesting to see yourself grow.  :)  Now I'm living my BEST life in NYC and thankful I get another chance to experience Bali!

The universe aligned me to retreat with a bad ass human, a bomb ass dancer and energetic yoga teacher who stopped me in my tracks the first time I met her.  Stay tuned, no doubt our combined vibrations of 5,000 gazillion will make for a magical trip.  !!!!!