BALI
In 2024, the call to travel abroad was strong, and it was the sacred land of Bali that became the experience that changed the trajectory of my creative journey. A transformation took place within me on this adventure.
I truly hold Bali in my heart as a special and momentous land for my life journey.
Tegallalang rice terrace, Bali
As I travelled Bali, I began to realise and see the ancient traditions that supported some of the people of this land.
I noticed they were based in order, structure and routine. A simple and inherent connection to the Earth was present and it was a daily practice to be with Her. She nourished them, and Her life was important to them.
Mt Batur Region, Bali
the generational tree.
grandfather and grandson work the land.
My journey in Bali was day by day, hour by hour, minute by minute. I would rise in the morning and listen in to where the best of the day would lead. A new place? I would ask myself every day. Some times it would be a new place, some times a new experience in the same place. And some times it was simply healing or resting in the same place, with the variety of experiences happening on the inner planes of my conscious awareness.
The journey before finally getting to the mountains of Bali (I had been waiting for this moment for some time) had taken me deep into the ocean; diving with Manta Rays and a plethora of fish species and underwater life, reminding me of the wonderful world beneath the sea that our friends of the ocean call home. It had taken me to a beautiful and sacred wedding gathering on an ancient island, where I had the task of photography and filming to help document and remember the occasion for some dear friends. It had tested me with a week of illness, where I was forced to find a place to rest, and formulate a plan for my recovery. And after getting myself some wheels (a motorbike) and strapping my gear bags on to the back, I was finally ready to visit the Northern regions of Bali, and I was eager to find some fresh water, the rivers, waterfalls, and trees, and birds, and the sound of a clear and pure place.
My technique for finding a place to stay involved visiting an accommodation app like Air BnB or Trivago. Some times it would be on the morning of… other times it would be approaching the evening of! A great place to start, huh… Rocket science! I would look at the map, and get little hints on places to stay using my intuition. At the time, budget was a consideration, and I was able to find very hospitable places to sleep for an average of $18-28nzd per night. It turned out the places I stayed were of high importance to the transformative journey I was on whilst travelling Bali. The place itself - the location, surroundings, people and past times, and the timing of when I went there all played a role in setting forth the appropriate constellations and conditions for my spiritual growth and experience during the trip. I was meeting the right people at the right moments, and using intuition and divine guidance to steer the rhythm and pace of my trip. It wasn’t always easy - at times I would spend what seemed like hours going back and forth on a map, in and out of accommodation options, only to find the selected option had an error with booking, or was “full”… clearly not the place I was meant to be!
However, I like this style of travel. To me, it is presence when travelling - to be on the pulse of your trip; your experience, and completely in the moment. The rate at which I was experiencing change within me meant planning too far ahead would likely create an outdated solution by the time it happened! So the day by day, minute by minute approach worked well for me as a solo traveller on this journey.
I finally arrived in the mountains. Ahh, the air was fresh, the views were vast, and I was reminded of my love for high places. For fresh, pure air, and for vastness. A smirk on my face, I had made it.
The adventure into the crator had begun.
At the time, I didn’t know it yet, but I was gazing into a large, ancient crator of Bali’s biggest mountain volcano, known as Mt Batur. This region is made up of two mountains, each within the actual crator of what was once a much larger mountain. The interesting thing about this revelation, was I had been drawn to visit Mt Batur instead of the (currently) taller and bigger, Mt Agung. At 9,944 feet or 3,031m in elevation at the summit, Agung is a big mountain, especially given its location on the relatively small island of Bali. Most travellers tend to visit Mt Agung as the biggest and more well-known mountain on Bali. I myself, thought I was heading there, until the day by day approach and a few swipes of a map took me to Mt Batur.
Mt Batur, Bali
Now there was one day, when I had left my accomodation on the rim of the crator. It was here at this location that I experienced the deepest revelations on my journey in Bali. It was as though all the moments leading up to this poignant, almost romantic moment, on the crator of Batur, had prepared me for what became a truly transformational 4 days “on the crator”. At some point in the future, I will share more about my days spent in the room of a local homestay, waking with the sunrise beyond the mountains and ‘trying’ to sleep in the evenings next to what appeared to be the regions most popular locals meeting dinner bar. Seriously, overhearing the night-time activities of the place next door to where I was staying (which is still a mystery to me what it even was), led me to come to the conclusion that some fully grown, adult Balinese people were similar to what I would call an excitable group of young American high school students in the 60s or 70s preparing for their junior prom - down to the dances, giggling, romance and all! The juxtaposition of my stay and the journey I was on brings me a hearty laugh to this day.
Canguu, bali
I met this man on the first morning of my first day in Bali. It was dawn, about 530am. He was beating the rush of the day and collecting cardboard on the side of the street.
This is a handpan track I recorded myself playing with my phone in a music shop, one day in Ubud.
ELATED
AND ELEVATED
Take a journey that reminds you life is what you make it, and life is also how you respond to situations every, single, second.