Bali, 2018
For a Southeast Asian destination which boasted of a hippie lifestyle, I was, as always, very apprehensive to go to Bali. In my head, why bother going somewhere with the same beaches {even Batangas and basically PH beaches were much prettier}. That is of course until Instagram overflowed with Bali photos which showed how chill and very laidback but with style Bali life was. I know that most beach life tends to involve having a cocktail in hand but wow, Bali had so much unique taste I found myself just really falling in love with the place every day.
Snaps from Bali
Bikini Top: Eighth Mermaid, Skirt: Seek the Uniq, Earrings: Lily Jewelry
No sooner than when we found ourselves amongst a thick crowd in the Immigration Lines in the Ngurah Rai airport that I understood the fascination towards what it meant to be chill. Life in Bali was truly chill, nothing to rush for, no rushing crowds, unharried, unhurried folks who listened to Bocobo and Com Truise, floating through the day with a coconut cocktail or a cup of fantastic tasting coffee. In the evening, we rather found ourselves in the trenches of Mexican pockets of Bali like Motel Mexicola and La Plancha. Life made sense with La Bamba in the background and life is amazing.
This is not a travel post except a rather cryptic dreamy one -- so let me just share with you my favorite spots in Bali. If you must know, Bali is like this one big island with different big spots, kinda like Metro Manila and each area is about the size of an NCR city. We stayed in the Seminyak area, where the party area is with clubs like Motel Mexicola, and La Favela.
Coffee shop is a thing in Bali, at least in Seminyak where I and my friends stayed for the most part of our trip. My favorite thing to do in the morning was wake up to the thought that I could spend hours upon hours people watching at the Revolver Espresso coffee shop. Afterwards, I'd come up to their shopping area to get some of their cool merch, Soundhound their coffee shop soundtrack and rest my weary mind while reading a book and catch up with my best friends.
Revolver Espresso, Jl. Kayu Aya Gang 51, Seminyak, Kuta, Seminyak, Kuta, Kabupaten Badung, Bali 80361, Indonesia, +62 851-0088-4968, IG: @revolverespresso
Kynd Community, Jl. Petitenget No.12X, Kerobokan Kelod, Kuta Utara, Kabupaten Badung, Bali 80361, Indonesia, +62 859-3112-0209, IG: @kyndcommunity
Coffee Cartel Bali, Jl. Lb. Sari No.8, Kerobokan Kelod, Kuta Utara, Kabupaten Badung, Bali 80361, Indonesia, +62 821-4525-1005, IG: @coffeecartelbali
Motel Mexicola, Jalan Kayu Jati No. 9X, Kerobokan Kelod, Kuta Utara, Kerobokan Kelod, Kuta Utara, Kabupaten Badung, Bali 80361, Indonesia, +62 361 736688, IG: @motelmexicola, Book online
Potato Head Club, Jalan Petitenget No.51B, Kerobokan Kelod, Kuta Utara, Kerobokan Kelod, Kuta Utara, Kabupaten Badung, Bali 80361, Indonesia, +62 361 4737979, IG: @potatoheadbali Book online
La Plancha, Jalan Mesari Beach, Seminyak, Kuta, Seminyak, Kuta, Kabupaten Badung, Bali 80361, Indonesia, +62 878-6141-6310, IG: @laplanchabali
And because I am so much in love with Bali, please check out my Spotify playlist for Bali State of Mind: