Bali’s Soul

I fell in love with Bali, Indonesia, the first time I visited the place some fifteen years ago. Thousands of people might have felt the same because Bali, at least prior to the pandemic, was a haven for local and international tourists that some even chose to call Bali their home.

But Bali is also considered by some as a crowded, dirty, noisy, and all-the-negative-things-you-can-say destination, and in some part, that is true; the same thing that you can say of several places that have thrived because tourism is its main economic activity. Hotels are sprouting like mushrooms everywhere, terrible traffic at certain points (e.g. Kota), queues in almost all famous destinations, and rip-off rates for a few services.

Nevertheless, despite the modernity and commercialisation, Bali somehow retains that soul. You might call it magic, mysticism, spirituality, or what have you – but there is always that feeling that when I roam around the beaches of Canggu, or hop from one upscale resort or restaurant to another in Nusa Dua, or just sit in front of Ubud‘s ricefields, introspection and serenity enters the soul.

Maybe because Bali’s tourism is rooted in its tradition and way of life, from food to architecture to kecak chants and sublime hospitality, you see people and their history in whatever form of experience you have on the island.

I have visited Bali several times in the last 15 years, but I still keep coming back. And I can see coming back again in the future.