An Accidental 52 Hours of Fasting - Adventure Year Week 15

Well, I can now add a 52 Hour Fast into my personal history of odd things that I've experienced.  I'm still trying to figure out what caused a persistent lack of hunger?  I'd love to say it was a personal strike for Climate Change, but it wasn't actually planned out like that.

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I came back from Bali to Shanghai, tried a mooncake around 1pm on Tuesday that had been gifted to us by a guest, and then crashed for a mid-day nap, still not really feeling here or there from the half-sleep state of an overnight flight.  While there is no time difference between Bali and Shanghai, I still experienced the kind of jet-lag that comes from only getting 3 scattered hours of sleep between two overnight flights connecting in Hong Kong.

Over the course of 24 hours, I just hadn't slept enough, so I was bound to crash.  When I woke up, I wasn't hungry and it was dark, so I tried to go back to sleep but ended up awake most of the night, and then asleep most of the next morning.  Why is travel so brutal to the body?  Thank goodness I didn't have a commitment to anyone during the time when I crashed hard.

24 HOURS

By the time I woke up again, around 1pm on Wednesday, I still felt between places, but I finally felt as though I got the full amount of sleep I needed and that my biological clock had been reset in some way.  I still just wasn't hungry at all.  I can't remember a time when I didn't feel hungry or even thirsty at least once over a 24hr period.

Since I had already accidentally fasted for 24 hours, a part me was just mildly curious how long this lack-of-hunger would last?  I did a little research and found out that it's really not that harmful for a few days, but to make sure that I was still getting water to support all the normal movements of fluids.  I also wasn't exerting myself or going anywhere, so I wasn't burning a ton of calories.  I was just working on my computer and phone, doing some research and writing.

My body mostly felt the same for the first 24-36 hours.  My kidneys hurt for a little bit, and that was my reminder that I needed to drink some water.  I got a minor headache, and again, it was a reminder to drink more water.  I did a bit of yoga and stretching because I felt some tension building in parts of my body- which could have been not enough water as well- but the yoga and stretching helped.  I got a full night of sleep, and everything seemed fairly normal otherwise.

40 HOURS

By the time I woke on Thursday, I was fascinated that I still did not have an appetite.  My routine for the last decade or more has been wake-up, have coffee, and have something to eat.  Somehow, I just didn't feel like doing that.  It had been over 40 hours.  Was there something mysterious in the mooncake I ate that suppressed my appetite for this long?  Was I having an Alice in Wonderland mysterious "eat me" cake moment?  I looked at the box for clues, but good luck trying to read ingredients written in Chinese characters in black ink on a navy box with Google Translate!

Thursday I was still in a curious observation mode, but also realizing that I should probably just eat something that day even if I wasn't hungry.  This wasn't a hunger strike, and I didn't feel too sick to eat, and I didn't need to put my body through stress just to see what it would feel like.  Yet, I was still a little fascinated to observe how my body would respond and I wanted to see if anything would trigger my hunger again.

I started to feel my brain metabolize differently, and a sense of my digestive system working in different ways.  I could tell that this was a different metabolic process, because it felt different internally, like different movements of energy in the body.  I've never done a keto diet, but based on what other people have said about their experience, this is probably the same thing that people experience when they enter into ketosis and metabolize their own fat.

I carefully monitored my mental and emotional state during this process to make sure that I wasn't experiencing depression or altered mood during this time.  I know that when hormones shift and move in different ways, so can mood and emotion.  I did notice that I didn't feel as capable of multitasking while I was likely in ketosis.  My mind became very one-track minded.  I really only focused on one thing at a time, where normally, I'm a very multi-passionate and multi-tasking person.  I had more fixations than usual, but not with emotions attached to them, just spent more time wrestling with things rather than finding solutions and moving on.

I do feel like my body started converting its own fat storage into energy and calories after about 36 hours.  Apparently that's how long mooncake can feed your body before it actually has to put in some of its own work!  Another interesting observation was an increase of mucus in my ears and an increased density of vaginal fluid (too much info?)  It felt like a reverse hydration process happening in the body, like my body collecting mucus and sending it where it needed to go.  Can the lymphatic system work in reverse?  I don't think it can, but it was a little weird to feel fluids moving into my ear canal.

48 HOURS

By 48 hours, even though I still didn't feel hungry, I started to think I should probably eat something just because I wasn't trying to set any world records and my body might appreciate it.  Now, because it was taking longer for me to make decisions, and I was getting fixated on things more easily, it also took me forever to decide what I would eat to break my fast.

I've never spent 3 hours deciding what to eat... ok, I take that back... I'm sure my husband and I have debated for 3 hours over what we'd have for dinner at some point in our marriage.  However, I'm normally a very intuitive eater when I'm dining solo and don't need to accommodate anyone else.  I usually have a specific craving,  and that's what I go for.  Without any cravings or hunger, choosing food options seemed like I was just reading the news, and it all seemed about as interesting as eating paper.  I asked for people to send me food inspiration on facebook, hoping food photos would trigger my brain to crave something.

A photo of taco salad casserole was shared by a friend.  Ah yes, one of my family favorites.  Yet, a good taco salad is hard to come by in Shanghai.  I thought of my family's taco salad that would be very difficult to replicate here in Shanghai.  I thought of my favorite vegan taco salad in NYC at By Chloe.  Then I thought of the jackfruit taco salad I came to love at Peloton Super Shop in Bali.  No other food photos inspired me... but taco salad has many layers of joy and family reunions entwined into it.  The thought of it made me happy and just a tiny bit encouraged to eat.

Unfortunately, I hadn't found a favorite taco salad spot in Shanghai yet, but I did know of a place called Pete's Tex Mex that came as close to the flavors as I'd found.  I also remembered that they delivered via the Sherpa app once to our apartment before, which was important since I didn't have much physical energy at the 50 hour mark of fasting to commute to another neighborhood.  I did not end up ordering a taco salad- for fear of disappointment- but I did order some enchiladas and bean dip that I knew would fare well a second day if I just couldn't eat much the first day.

52 HOURS

I went back into my work and almost forgot that I'd placed the order, until a knock came on the apartment door.  My first thought was not food, but that I was happy I didn't screw up the apartment address in the app for the delivery person.  After I paid with cash and laid everything on the table, I looked at my clock and realized I'd been fasting for 52 hours.  From Tuesday around 1pm to Thursday around 5pm.  I said a little prayer of gratitude, then I had my first bite.

It wasn't a mind-blowing first bite.  It wasn't like the first bite after a medical or religious fast where you are battling cravings during the fast and your brain lights up with joy to satisfy a craving.  I still wasn't actually hungry- I was just eating something to avoid being mean to my body.  I could only eat about a third of the enchilada I ordered and half of the dip and chips before I felt too full.  But I was happy that everything tasted just as I'd remembered and close enough to that taco salad flavor I was looking for even without it being actual taco salad.  Ordering Tex-Mex in a city where nearly all of the ingredients need to be imported to make the food is always a risky choice, but thankfully I'm in a neighborhood with enough expat residents that things like this exist and can even be delivered to my door.

I gradually had a little more food each day after that.  Friday, a simple PB&J sandwich, apple, water, and half a coffee.  Saturday, a PB&J sandwich, water, half a coffee, and some left over dip and chips.  With the carbohydrates and caffeine entering my system again, I also felt my energy to get up and go returning rather than being a hermit home behind the computer researching and writing.  I felt my ability to make decisions and solve problems becoming easier again.  I was less fixated and more multi-tasking again.  I also felt happier in general and noticed my mental mood feeling a little brighter and lighter, more agile and flexible, rather than slowly processing one thing at a time.  I've read reports that other people feel more clear when they are in ketosis, so perhaps my body and hormones respond differently to ketosis than their bodies do?

SO WHAT?

I guess what I learned is that if I'm ever in a travel situation where I don't have access to food, it's probably going to be fine for a few days as long as I have some water that's drinkable.  The first 40 hours I don't think I drank much more than 12oz of water, so I could likely survive on one sport bottle of water for a couple days if the weather isn't too hot and I'm not exerting myself.  It may not feel good to the body, but it's possible.  I may have also learned that mooncake may actually be a pretty decent survival food if it can get you through so many hours of fasting!

This is something I never thought I'd be writing about during this adventure year, and certainly not while living in such a foodie town like Shanghai, but I guess stranger things can happen.  I just keep showing up, observing what happens, and hopefully living to tell the tale.  I never really know what life is going to throw at me next, so it's as much a surprise to me as it is to you!

How Safe are Bali Taxis, Private Drivers, Gojeks, Motorbikes, and Tour Guides?

This last week was full of mixed feelings about transportation, taxis, drivers, tour operators, and motorbiking in Bali, so this may be the most detailed and in-depth review of transportation options in Bali that you ever find.  My pains are your gains.

THE GOOD: I learned how to ride a motorbike in Bali and even crossed the Canggu Shortcut twice without being run off the road or ending up in a rice field!

THE BAD: I needed to deal with several situations in which tourists are often taken advantage of and tour operators are creating greater inequity and difficulty for the Balinese people.

Overall, I survived and lived to tell the tale.  So, let's dive into the different transportation options and how to make the most of them while avoiding the pitfalls, shall we?  This is long, so here's how it's organized:

1. RIDING GOJEK IN BALI
2. RIDING BLUEBIRD TAXIS IN BALI
3. HIRING A PRIVATE DRIVER IN BALI
4. RENTING A MOTORBIKE IN BALI
5. BOOKING A GUIDED TOUR

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1. RIDING GOJEK IN BALI

WHEN TO USE GOJEK
For short local casual destinations between restaurants, beaches, sites, and bars that can't be accomplished by walking.

WHEN NOT TO USE GOJEK
At a resort property that won't allow it, or for a full day tour where you have an itinerary of multiple stops to accomplish.

Gojek is considered the local form of Uber, and can be used as a sort of baseline for what you might pay for a ride somewhere in Bali.  You can request to ride on the back of a motorbike for cheap, ride in a car for more, or a larger vehicle for even more.  Gojek prices can vary widely based on location, competition, and availability of drivers (or at least I think that's what it might be based on).

For some reason, the resorts really dislike it when their guests use Gojek, and may require you to leave the property to catch your ride if you do plan to use Gojek.  However, the resorts are happy to call a BlueBird Taxi for you, often at a set rate based on your destination rather than a metered rate.  This rate is often higher than what you'd pay with Gojek.  Perhaps they considered the licensing or security to be better for their guests, but I stepped into a BlueBird that felt sketchier than some Gojek cars, so I don't know what the fuss is actually about.

The nice thing about Gojek, is that you know what rate you're going to get in advance of confirming your order.  The unfortunate thing about Gojek is that a driver doesn't actually have to come and get you and there's no real way to know how long it will actually take them to arrive.  You could place an order, it could be accepted, and they may not come.  Most will kindly communicate if they can't pick you up, but some may leave you hanging for quite a while before you know what's going on.  Maybe they got stuck in traffic, maybe you're too far away, maybe you're in a location where they will be fined if they pick you up.  There seem to be a lot of reasons this might happen.  If you're paying in cash, it's just a lot of wasted time, but if you're trying to get somewhere on time, you have to plan for the unpredictable nature of their arrival time.

In general, it seems that Gojek provides a fair deal for the drivers who use the system, as once they commit to picking you up, they follow through on their promise.  However, you will often be asked all of these other questions at some point while riding in a Gojek car:

1. Where are you from?  This lets them know if you're a visitor or not.

2. How long are you in Bali?  This lets them know if you're a candidate for needing a driver again.

3. Have you been to Ubud / Uluwatu / Rice Terrace?  This lets them know if you've done a popular tour route already or plan to do one soon.

4. If you would like to take a tour, please text me on WhatsApp.  They will make more money taking you around as a private driver than they will driving for anyone else.

5. Would you like to try some Luwak Coffee? They get kickbacks or free gas if they bring you to a Luwak coffee place.  At first this seems generous, but after multiple drivers ask, it's annoying.

None of these questions or situations about riding with Gojek actually bother me.  They are trying to upsell their services and as long as I'm getting to my destination, this is all fine with me.  I also learned to use these questions and the time we were riding together to evaluate their understanding of English and the comfort of the vehicle, just in case I really did want a private driver for an entire day, which would definitely be cheaper and faster than multiple gojek rides from place to place.  So, to that, I say Gojek is generally a good experience for the driver and the passenger.

2. RIDING BLUEBIRD TAXIS IN BALI

WHEN TO USE BLUEBIRD TAXIS
When you have to get picked up from a resort or club that won't allow Gojek drivers to enter, or you're in a rush and are willing to negotiate with a driver you find on the street.

WHEN NOT TO USE BLUEBIRD TAXIS
For pretty much any other reason.

You can generally hail a BlueBird Taxi on the street when they have a light on or from a Hotel or Resort.  There may be some sort of kickback system between resorts and taxis that encourages taxi drivers to serve the resorts and encourages resorts to only work with BlueBird Taxi drivers or their own private shuttles, but I did not confirm this while I was riding in any of the taxis or at any of the resorts.

However, I did notice that riding in a BlueBird Taxi was almost always more expensive than riding in a Gojek.  I also never had a BlueBird Taxi actually run a meter, so everything needs to be negotiated in advance.  Granted, when you realize that difference may only be $3 USD between a Gojek and a BlueBird Taxi, it may not be that bad, but when it appears to be twice the rate in IDR, it does seem a bit like extortion and forcing tourists to pay more.  However, it is often more reliable to have a Taxi come and pick you up at a resort, than asking a Gojek to come into a resort area that they may not be allowed into.  The government and/or resorts must be making more on Taxis, but since no Taxi drivers actually ran their meters, I don't know how good the accountability actually is.

Example Trip: From a Berwa Beach Club it's normally a 20k IDR Gojek ride to Canggu right up the street, but more like 50-100k in a taxi who won't run the meter, but just gives you flat rate.

Example Trip: From a Seminyak Resort it's normally a 40k IDR Gojek ride to Canggu, but more like an 80-120k ride in a taxi operating on a flat rate.

BEWARE: HAILING A TAXI ON THE ROAD IN BALI

This was where I would exercise the most caution, and encourage you to have a local establishment hire a taxi for you.  The two times I tried to hire a taxi from the side of the road were the two shadiest drivers I encountered.  Both wanted a minimum of 100k to go anywhere, even if a normal flat rate from a hotel or resort would have been less.

Example Trip: The first one wanted me to get in and said he'd tell me the fee at the end.  Well, I took one look at his broken meter and knew that was not going to fly, so I told him to tell me the fee up front or I would just wait for another taxi to come by.  His fee was 100k.  At that point I had to weigh how much my time was worth to wait longer for another taxi or a gojek that might not come.

Example Trip: A beach club was charging 200k for taxis and shuttles to go up the street and I didn't want to shell out another entire dinner cost to play their extortion games, so I went off site and tried to hail a gojek, but none of the gojeks would come to the location because of the beach club.  So then I started negotiating with taxi drivers who were just waiting like vultures near the beach club.  They wouldn't take less than 100k for a trip that was usually under 50k, but it was still cheaper than what the beach club was asking for taxis.  So, there was a lot of haggling involved in advance, but it still came down to finding a fee that they were going to accept, which was 100k.

Once you know how they play the game, you can be ahead of the game and determine if it's worth your time and money.  It's better to know than to be caught blindsided by the games.

3. HIRING A PRIVATE DRIVER IN BALI

WHEN TO USE A PRIVATE DRIVER
When you have a 4-10 hour itinerary of multiple stops that you'd like to accomplish around Bali, or you have a location destination away from the urban area that doesn't generally have taxi or gojek service and you need a driver to wait for you.

WHEN NOT TO USE A PRIVATE DRIVER
When you just have one destination to get to and back from (unless it's a destination that's far outside the urban area and requires your driver to wait for you.)

Most drivers you encounter in Bali, whether it be from the airport, with Gojek, or with a tour company, will at some point offer to be your personal driver.  As I mentioned above in the Gojek description, as soon as they mention this or offer their services beyond your initial ride, take stock of their language skills in your native language as well as the comfort of their vehicle and driving habits in order to decide if you'd like to ride with them again.  These things will make a big difference in how your day goes, especially if you're asking them to go somewhere that you haven't planned in advance.

RATES
I found that most drivers considered 400k IDR acceptable for a half-day rate that took 4-5 hours and 800k IDR acceptable for a full day rate that took 10-12 hours.  Based on other discussions I had, this is likely more than they will make driving for Gojek or working for a tour operator, and it means your money is going directly to the person who is serving you and their family's livelihood.  Some drivers may offer to do a full day for 500k, but they may be planning for that day to only be 6 hours.  Hiring a private driver directly is often half the rate of hiring a driver through TripAdvisor.  If you don't have the number of a private driver you like, your hotel or host in Bali will generally supply you with one.

COMMUNICATION
In order to make the most of a private driver, you will likely need to download WhatsApp and plan to communicate via text that way.  It allows you to receive messages over Wifi or your roaming signal and locals to send text messages to you without international fees.  This also allows the driver to more easily translate anything needed in case they don't understand the exact words you're using.

ITINERARY PLANNING
I would highly recommend planning your individual trip itinerary in advance, sending it to the driver and getting the quote based on your itinerary.  If you're going based on Apple Maps or Google Maps for driving times, double all the driving times mentioned.  It will always take longer than the maps suggest.  You can find good itineraries based on tours already listed online, or based on traveler blog posts like the last two I shared:
North Bali Full Day Tour
Ubud Traditional Village Full Day Tour

EXTRA FEES
Some drivers may take care of parking fees for you, and some may ask you to take care of parking fees- these are usually negligible amounts and are worth paying for in order for the driver not to keep wasting gas.  All of the drivers we rode with took care of gas as part of their fee.  Tipping isn't expected but it also isn't turned away since you did negotiate a fair fee up front.  It will be appreciated if you added extra stops along the way or had the driver for an extra long day.

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4. RENTING A MOTORBIKE IN BALI

WHEN TO RENT A MOTORBIKE IN BALI
After you've had some time to acclimate to the roads and sidewalks by foot or by car and you plan to use a motorbike to have a little more freedom than you have relying on taxis and gojeks for short rides around your area.

WHEN NOT TO RENT A MOTORBIKE IN BALI
I would not plan to use a motorbike for a long trip in Bali or if you plan to spend any more than an hour on the road each day, the hassles that come with motorbiking in Bali are better for shorter local trips.

WHERE TO FIND MOTORBIKES
If you're up for everything above as part of the journey, you'll find motorbike rentals in a lot of tourist areas.  Little side-of-the-road shops, some with nice motorbikes, some with really used motorbikes.    Most can be found for about 50k IDR per day.  If you only plan to take one trip per day, weigh the hassles and cost against just getting a couple gojek rides each day.  Some motorbike shops will have a minimum number of days for the rental, some will have discounts for longer rentals.  They usually give it to you with whatever gas level is in it and expect you to return it the same way.  They also usually do not offer insurance and you are liable for whatever happens.  Most travel insurance companies don't cover motorbike rentals either.  So the risk is entirely on you.

INTERNATIONAL DRIVERS LICENSE REQUIRED
Do you have an international driver's license?  If not, you may be stopped and fined or asked to appear in court if you are caught riding without an International Drivers License.  There are reports of police offers extorting tourists for 50k-100k per incident in order to not go through the court process, so this is the potential hazard of not having an International Driver's License.

HELMET REQUIRED
This is also another reason you can be ticketed or fined in Bali, and since helmets are free, it really seems ridiculously to take the chance and not wear one.

KNOW YOUR LOCAL AREA BY FOOT & CAR FIRST
I'd recommend you get to know your own local area on foot and by car before renting a motorbike, so you're aware of the traffic habits and hazards of the area that you'll be entering and leaving each day you have a motorbike rental.  I knew very well what destinations I would head to on the bike, what the road conditions were like, and how much traffic there was based on various car rides before I ever got on a motorbike.  This helped me know what roads were going to be potentially difficult and which ones were going to make my life on the motorbike easier.

DRIVING HABITS
I would actually encourage you to do some research and read several different blog posts about riding a motorbike in Bali.  Watching what locals do in traffic is not always a good indication of how you should manage the situation depending on your comfort level with the bike.  Local Balinese will often take risks that tourists will fail epically trying to take for themselves.  While the general rule is to "follow like fishes," there are some intersections where this will get you into difficult situations.  Be far more cautious than locals.  Pull over and stop when you feel out of control or unsure.  It is far better to stop in a safe place, than to keep going down a bad path or in a bad direction.  People will move around you more easily when you're stopped safely, than when you've had an accident.

PRACTICE ON EASY ROADS
If you're like me and haven't ridden a motorbike in 10+ years, than definitely put in a lot of practice on some easy roads with little traffic before navigating roads with a lot of traffic.  Stopping, restarting, slowing down, taking turns, driving on the opposite side of the road... it's a lot to work through and best to work through it with some laps around some easy blocks than putting yourself right in the thick of stressful situations.

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5. BOOKING A GUIDED TOUR

I had one great experience and one not so great experience with guided tours in Bali.  I'll just tell you what to look out for in order to help you identify the good and the bad, and how to advocate for yourself if you feel like you're in a situation where things aren't going as planned.

TRIPADVISOR BOOKING
Unfortunately, both the good tour operator and the bad tour operator had great reviews from over 30 people on TripAdvisor.  So, I can't say that I could have avoided booking the wrong Tour Operator, because they both appeared to have legit ratings from enough people.  However, there was one key difference written into the descriptions that later came back to bite me.  The good tour operator included all of the admission fees, parking fees, and lunch.  The bad tour operator included no fees and no meals.  The price appeared to be the appropriate price based on all fees included versus no fees included, however, this would turn out to be very different once the tour was actually underway.  What appeared to be a 400k IDR savings online between operators, ended up being an additional 900k IDR expense while touring.  So if you can book an all-inclusive tour, choose that over one that requires additional unknown fees ahead.  The good thing about using TripAdvisor is being able to leave a public review of the company and how they operate at the end of the day when it is a verified purchase.  If you're going to hire a tour operator, I do think it's good to go with booking through an online site that has public reviews, and to do a lot of research in advance to comb those reviews for information that will make a difference in your tour.

STICKING TO THE ITINERARY
A good tour operator will provide you with a very detailed itinerary of locations, and you will be able to check off each stop along the tour as you go.  This is how you know that you're on the right itinerary and the driver isn't taking liberties with taking you to places that aren't on your itinerary that might be beneficial to the driver even if they aren't beneficial to you.

The bad tour operator took liberties with the locations and the schedule.  If you notice that your driver is not sticking to the itinerary- say something right away- and make sure that they have your full itinerary information as it was provided to you.

TOUR GUIDE VS. DRIVER
The good tour operator provided me with an actual tour guide who spoke my language as requested and was familiar with each location and how much time we might spend there.  The tour guide knew what photos to take and what parts of each location were special and important to see so that even if we had limited time, we didn't miss the best parts of the location.  The tour guide went into locations with us and helped us navigate areas so that we weren't ever lost in the crowd or missing important things.

The bad tour operator did not provide a guide, but rather a driver with very limited language skills based on what I requested who simply dumped me off at each location and never toured a location with me even though I was traveling solo.  The driver had never been inside several of the sites I went to, which also meant that they didn't know what each experience was going to be like for me or how much time I would want to spend based on what was important inside the venue.  The bad tour operator took the price of offering me a tour guide, and gave me someone who was just a driver that I could have hired myself for even more than the tour operator paid the driver.

WHERE TO EAT WHILE TOURING
Average lunch prices in Bali, even for an expensive tourist all-you-can-eat buffet, are usually under 150k IDR per person.  The good tour operator included all admission fees in the tour price, all parking fees, as well as the cost for lunch all in the price we paid up front.

The bad tour operator included no admission fees, said they included parking fees but then the driver asked me to pay for parking, and then took me to a lunch place that charged 2Mil for a set menu lunch, which is 10x more than all other lunch places.  Luckily, I already knew this was a terrible deal, and told the driver it was unacceptable, and insisted we go elsewhere for a more reasonable lunch.  The driver likely would get a kickback from that location, which would be the incentive for taking me to a place with no other options that were more affordable.

WHEN TO WALK AWAY
The good tour operator still took me to some places that I knew were designed to be tourist shopping traps, but they were listed as part of the itinerary, and I was free to walk around without buying anything.

The bad tour operator took me to locations where the only options were to pay to play- no browsing, no relaxing, only pay to do one of several different activities or options.  I should have just walked out of those situations, not paid for anything, and got back in the car.  However, it was my first time confronting a situation like that, so I didn't quite know how to take control of the situation.  It's also a bad sign if the tour operator brings you into a sales session at a watersports area or beach before you've ever seen the actual beach you'll be on, the equipment you'll be using, or the boats that you'll be riding in.  If a tour operator puts you in a situation where you need to choose to pay for an option before seeing the conditions of what you'll be using and doing, that's a pretty good sign to walk away.

LEAVE A DETAILED REVIEW
The only way tour operators improve the client experience is when clients leave detailed reviews.  Please, please, please leave a detailed review for your fellow travelers so they can avoid mishaps and untrustworthy tour operators along the way.

*FACING BALI INEQUITIES*

Having a 30 day stay in Bali reveals many more local issues than a week-long stay.  After being there for an extended time, it feels like Bali is reaching a point of becoming unsustainable for itself.  I can feel the level of tension and anxiety this creates in the air for locals as they deal with the added stresses of inequity.  Each visitor is looked at like a piggy bank waiting to be emptied, which also ends up putting visitors in uncomfortable situations.  Gojek drivers seem to face fines and repercussions that Taxis drivers don't seem to face, and so corruption becomes normal behavior.

I'm concerned that the farms and rice fields, which once had enough to export, are now dwindling to an ownership level of only supplying enough for the people who live on the island and perhaps not even enough to feed the resorts that may be importing from elsewhere.  If the youth of Bali can make more in the hospitality industry, where will their food come from with fewer farmers?  Areas where fisherman used to work are being swallowed up by beach resorts with demands on the beachfront and watersport activities that damage sealife.  Local Balinese wages are held to such a low standard such that they are not able to be a patron in many of the cafes or restaurants that they work in.

All of this gives me deeply conflicting feelings about staying in Bali in a way that contributes to these inequities.  There are a lot of expats making money off of other international tourists, but on the backs of local laborers who don't get to enjoy the same wages or standard of living.  These issues were noticeable in restaurants where the only local people to be found were the people working, but not the people eating or drinking.  These issues were also confronted often when dealing with drivers, tour operators, and various forms of transportation.

So, I leave Bali with conflicting feelings.  There were beautiful moments in which the land and the people spoke to me from the heart with kindness and generosity, as well as moments in which the existing inequities became personal and exploitative.  Despite the undesirable moments, I still have compassion for the stress that locals experience which cause these issues in the first place.

I may return to Bali, and if I do, I will do my best to be more conscious of who I am supporting with the foreign financial advantage I bring into the country.  I will seek local businesses to support and sustain.  I will seek local guides and operators who treat their employees well so that more Balinese can live a similar lifestyle to the one that they are providing for visitors.  I don't know that I will get it right, but I will do my best, and I hope that the local leaders in Bali do their best to address the building inequity and increasing sustainability issues as well.

North Bali Temples, Waterfalls, Hot Springs - Adventure Year Week 13

One of the beauties of this island is that you can escape into forest, into jungle, hike a mountain, boat on a lake, bathe in hot springs, or sample mountain markets in the very same day that you find yourself sitting on a beach sipping a coconut.  I can think of a few places where this is possible elsewhere in the world as well, but may only be possible in the summer months.  In Bali, you can do it most of the year (but half of the year is rainy and would slow down your travels.)

I didn't find too many guided tours of Northern Bali, and when I did, they never quite gave me the variety I was looking for, so I set out to create my own Northern Bali tour itinerary based on research and maps, and then hired a private driver who was willing to work together for the whole day.  I sent the driver my itinerary and he sent me back a quote and confirmed he could find all the places.  The private driver was about 800,000 IDR from Canggu for the day, and he was with us from 8:15am - 8:15pm.

Our first stop was the Candikuning Bedugul Market, where we found a variety of dried or fried snacks and mountain fruits that don't often show up in beach markets, like strawberries and snake fruit.  The market stall sales people wanted to start every sale at 200k, which is too high for almost everything there, unless you're buying multiple items.  Start your bargaining with an insulted look like they are out of their mind and a 20k offer and if you don't like the price you end up on after some back and forth, remember there are 10 other stalls that offer the same thing.

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A post shared by Anne’s Adventure Journal (@anneruthmann) on Sep 4, 2019 at 7:48pm PDT

Our next stop was nearby at Ulu Danu Beratan Temple.  It's a little weird because at first it feels like an amusement park with cartoonish characters in a very nicely landscaped park with an admission fee, but inside this lovely landscaped park is an actual working temple and community center that is used by the local community, but there's also a couple restaurants and pay toilets as well, even though you've already paid to enter the park.  Like I wrote on Instagram, it's better to have this park that is available to visitors, than to have a private resort cut off the access, so embrace the capitalism and enjoy the views.  I actually did get to hear part of a traditional ceremony happening inside the temple on a Saturday afternoon, and there were some funny community games happening in the pavilion nearby for a community event.  It was overall a pleasant place to wander, take lovely photos, and observe a tiny bit of local every day life and culture.

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A post shared by Anne’s Adventure Journal (@anneruthmann) on Sep 5, 2019 at 2:23pm PDT

I scheduled a lunch stop in Lovina, along the northern coast of Bali.  It was probably a bit out of the way for a lunch stop, but it was actually a good stop before our next few stops and gave us a chance to see the slower pace of life on Bali's northern coast.  This area is known for dolphin sightings and fishing, so we enjoyed a large Indonesian fish lunch overlooking the water at Raggon Sunset, which had a parking lot for our driver to take a break in, as well as street food vendors if he didn't want to eat at the restaurant with us (he didn't.)  As a secondary reward for driving out to Lovina, we also got to see some wild monkeys at a lookout point along the mountain road.

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A post shared by Anne’s Adventure Journal (@anneruthmann) on Sep 8, 2019 at 5:03pm PDT

After lunch, we headed back toward the hills, but this time through a different road to a Buddhist Temple named Brahma Vihara Arama that I'd seen mentioned in only a few places.  There was only a small entry fee of 20k IDR, and since we were wearing long pants, no need to borrow a sarong.  There were several different temples, gardens, and stairs throughout the grounds, each with something unique to offer.  I was invited to be part of a small prayer ceremony, which was a really special moment in this location.

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A post shared by Anne’s Adventure Journal (@anneruthmann) on Sep 6, 2019 at 9:15am PDT

After climbing steps in the bright sun on the hillside, I was glad the next stop was going to be taking a dip in some water at the Banjar Hot Springs.  I'd looked at several hot springs sites, and this was closest to the Buddhist temple and had plenty of facilities like lockers, bathrooms, changing rooms, and had spring pools that were decorative in the traditional Balinese style.  Unfortunately my phone died and I didn't get too many photos, but you can see more photos elsewhere online.  There were market sellers on the way in if you didn't bring a towel or sarong and wanted to buy one on site.  It was nicely maintained, but in that rustic campground kind of way, rather than a 4 star hotel resort kind of way, and had a series of different pools and fountains that gave you more or less water pressure against your body and shoulders or soaking depth.

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A post shared by Anne’s Adventure Journal (@anneruthmann) on Sep 9, 2019 at 3:34pm PDT

Driving deeper into the hills on switchback mountain roads, we made our way to Munduk Waterfall.  The first half of the cement trail was fairly even with a mild slope, but just after the Enjoy Cafe, the trail becomes a steep set of stairs leading down to the waterfall, which isn't an issue on the way down, but really gets the heart pumping hard on the way back up- but only for a solid 5 minutes.  This location was much less crowded than the waterfall we'd been taken to on our guided tour.  There were only about 5 people at the falls when I arrived, and then it was just me for a good 5 minutes before anyone else came along.  The cafe was also a great place to stop and catch my breath on the way back up- so it's a nice and easy trail with some heart-pumping moments.

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A post shared by Anne’s Adventure Journal (@anneruthmann) on Sep 7, 2019 at 6:45pm PDT

The views on the drive back were spectacular with plenty of roadside places to pull over, get a bite to eat, sit on a little pagoda, and watch the sunset over the mountains and lakes.  Perhaps if it had only been me, I would have stopped the car, but Alex gave me all the looks that told me he was done for the day.  Seeing how difficult the switchback roads were, I also didn't want the driver to have to navigate the switchback mountain roads and critters at night either.  If you were going to add a last stop to this trip, there's a very touristy spot called Wanagiri Hidden Hills that has all the instagramable photo spots and tourist traps included, or you could just stop at one of the roadside cafes like Warung Wedang Sari which has an easy place to pull over, get a drink and some rice or meat, and get beautiful views from outdoor pagodas without the touristy stuff.

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A post shared by Anne’s Adventure Journal (@anneruthmann) on Sep 9, 2019 at 11:12pm PDT

Even though we cancelled our last scheduled stop of the day to head back to our place sooner, the driver still offered to take us to a Luwak Coffee place.  Apparently a lot of Luwak Coffee stops give drivers a bonus for bringing visitors nearby.  If you hire a guided tour or a taxi, you're likely to be offered Luwak Coffee at some point, and for some reason, often as a last minute stop before heading back home.  Since we'd already done a Luwak Coffee tasting, we skipped the offer and headed back onto easier roads before the sun went down.

PS.  Because I did it on the last post, I figured I'd do it again...
Documenting the work that went into this blog post:
10 hrs researching destinations and routes in advance
1 hr communicating in advance with driver
12 hrs traveling & photographing
6 hrs to create 7 instagram posts
8 hrs to write, edit, link, format, and add posts to blog
=== 37 hrs ===
Output:
Blog Wordcount: 1,269
Instagram Wordcount: 1,692
Instagram Hashtags: 135
Instagram Locations Tagged: 7
Total Images/Videos Shared: 50