Early Exit EXPLORER

I’m officially a month into my time in Bali, and somehow, I’m still finding new ways to surprise myself. This time, I decided to do something completely random: I took a solo trip to Uluwatu.

Since arriving in Bali, I’ve had so many people tell me the same thing: “Bali is amazing, but Bali isn’t the only beautiful place in Indonesia. You have to go explore.” I kept hearing about places like Uluwatu, especially how beautiful the beaches are, how peaceful the area feels, and how different it is from the constant movement and energy around the more crowded parts of Bali.

Eventually, I decided to stop talking about it and just go.

So, I randomly rented a bike, packed a few things, and hit the road toward Uluwatu. I honestly didn’t have a big plan. I just wanted to get away for a couple of days and see what I could find. Looking back, I’m really glad I did.

Uluwatu was exactly what everyone told me it would be: peaceful, beautiful, and a completely different experience from the busier side of Bali. Sometimes you don’t realize how much noise and movement you’ve been surrounded by until you finally get somewhere quiet.

The first thing I did after arriving was head to a beach about seven minutes from my villa called Dreamland Beach.

And wow.

Dreamland was absolutely beautiful. The water looked incredible, the scenery was amazing, and at times it almost felt like I had stumbled across a private beach. The waves were huge, and it was immediately obvious why this area is so popular with surfers. I’m still working my way toward learning how to surf, but just watching the waves roll in was enough to make me want to give it a try even more.

I spent a few hours there just enjoying the atmosphere, taking in the views, and reminding myself that this is actually my life right now. A year ago, I never would have imagined randomly renting a motorcycle, driving through another part of Indonesia, and spending my weekend exploring beautiful beaches by myself.

After spending some time at Dreamland, I finally checked into my villa. The villa itself was really nice, but there was something about it that made me stop for a second and think about how far I’ve come.

It was a three bedroom villa with a private pool.

And honestly, that was one of those moments where I had to sit back and appreciate my accomplishments. I never would have imagined that I would be living this kind of lifestyle, especially while traveling around the world. It’s easy to get caught up in the next destination, the next experience, or the next thing you want to accomplish, but sometimes you have to stop and realize, “Wait… I actually made it here.”

The next day, I headed out to Melasti Beach, another incredible place that looked like it belonged on a postcard. The cliffs, the water, and the overall scenery were amazing. Everywhere I looked, there was something beautiful to take in.

This weekend was more than just another beach trip, though. It was my first real solo trip within the country I’m currently living in, and I think that made it even more meaningful.

Everyone was right. Uluwatu really is an amazing experience.

I think one of the things I enjoyed most was the peace. Bali can be exciting, social, and full of things happening all the time, but sometimes you need the opposite. Sometimes you need to slow down, get away from the crowds, and just enjoy being somewhere without constantly having somewhere else to be.

Uluwatu gave me that.

It was a reminder that traveling isn’t always about having a packed itinerary or checking off a list of tourist attractions. Sometimes the best experiences happen when you randomly decide to rent a bike, pick a destination, and see where the road takes you.

And this definitely won’t be my last trip around Indonesia. If anything, this weekend made me realize just how much more there is to explore.

And Then There Was One Random Night Out…

On a completely unrelated note, I have to mention something that happened on one of my random nights out in Bali.

After being here for a while, I finally met some Americans.

But not just any Americans.

One was from California, and the other was from Detroit but had also lived in Las Vegas  which, of course, caught my attention because that’s where I’m from.

It’s funny how traveling can make you feel like you’re so far away from home, but then you randomly meet someone who shares a connection with you, and suddenly you have something to talk about.

Once we realized we had those connections, the night completely took off. We ended up partying, hanging out, and staying up all night. It got to the point where one of them actually fell asleep in the restaurant.

And somehow, after sleeping for a little while, she woke up and went right back to eating her food like nothing happened.

Honestly, I couldn’t even be mad at that. 😂

That’s one of the things I’m starting to love about traveling. You never really know who you’re going to meet or what kind of random memories you’re going to make.

One weekend I’m riding a bike through Uluwatu and exploring beautiful beaches by myself. Another night I’m staying up until sunrise with people I just met who happen to have connections to places I know back home.

This is exactly the kind of life I hoped I would experience when I decided to leave everything behind and travel.

And I’m only a month into Bali.

If this is what the rest of Indonesia has waiting for me, I have a feeling this is only the beginning.