Bali

In the Summer of 2017 I went to Bali. But let me back up about 6/7 months prior. I was lost, I wanted something more. I wanted to be a part of something more. I wanted to be around people that looked like me. I wanted to travel again. I hadn’t done a big trip since 2012 and I was itching for something more. Something new.

In came Travel Noire and their travel experiences. One morning in December, I pulled the trigger and booked a group trip to a place clear across the world and with people I had never met. I was heading to Bali for 7 days! I had no idea about traveling that far of a distance, and I didn’t know what I should pay either. I had to book my flight on my own and I was so lost! Luckily my itinerary had been set and I would eventually be put in a Facebook group to meet my fellow travelers. It was crazy! It was a leap of faith truly. But I knew I needed it. I knew I needed to go and get out of my comfort zone again and really start to travel again. It was time.

So I eventually booked my flights (mind you… it was way more than it should have been and now, I know better ;) ) I had booked the trip around my birthday as a gift to myself. To bring in what would be one of my most memorable birthdays.

24 hours of flight time. Can you believe it? One of the flights was 15/16 hours! My first flight was over 10 hours and here I was… going at it alone. No one was on my route that I was meeting up with, but a few people would land right around the same time as me.

When we arrived, we made it to our very very beautiful hotel, then headed to dinner. We learned how to cook traditional Balinese cuisine, made our own aloe and lotions through a Botanical class, went fishing, hit up the monkey zoo, walked through rice paddy fields (fell in one too), a massage, learned how to surf, had an 8-course meal, a wonderful last nights dinner where they celebrated my birthday, and a hotel who celebrated in the morning, and shopped in the local markets! It. was a trip to remember. With people who looked like me and people who I made lifelong relationships with.

The coolest thing I think was being able to celebrate my birthday in 3 different time zones!! As I was coming back from a place that was 12 hours ahead and crossed multiple time zones. It was pretty cool! Not many people can say they celebrated their birthday in 3 different time zones. Granted I was on a flight all day, but waking up in Bali and ending the day at home was priceless.