Travelling solo scared me, after months of planning the day finally arrived to travel to Indonesia.
After landing in Denpasar, I started my adventure in Canggu. Spending a week at Serenity Eco Guesthouse yoga retreat was exactly what I needed after suffering from a heartache back in England. Canggu is known for awesome surf, up-market shopping, trendy “Instagram-able” cafes and drinking coconuts watching the sunset on Batu Bolong Beach. I then headed in-land to Ubud.
Galloping across the sea spray on stunning stallions in Kedungu with the salty cowboys gave me that horse-fix I needed. As a horse lover, I am always sceptical on the welfare of horses in tourist areas, but Simone shares my passion, and the horses are beautiful and healthy. I loved these cowboys so much I even booked again!
After solo travelling for 2 weeks, I headed to Nusa Penida to start my Divemaster internship at the Indo Ocean Project. The project is based at Nomads dive centre, who have become my second family. The local staff keep everyone smiling, even if you are not a diver visit the bar and relax in the pool or on the beach. I have had endless smoothie bowls, tried new local food (have braved the spicy-ness) and have even picked up some Bahasa from the local people.
After changing my flight from June to September I decided to explore more of Indonesia! I hopped on the Golden Queen boat from Nusa Penida to Lombok. Despite the devastating earthquake in 2018, the locals keep their spirit by waving and smiling at tourists. Here I climbed up Mount Rinjani to the crater (2641 m) with Green Rinjani, an eco-friendly tour company with exceptional tour guides and a
friendly atmosphere.
On my travels I have learnt to reconnect with myself and reflect on life.
I visited many viewpoints to let my mind wander and appreciate what I have and the people around me. Life is full of dreams and you should chase them, and no matter what happens, always make the memories count.
Terima kasih Indonesia, you and your people are beautiful. Thank you so much for making me continuously smile.
Written by Darby Bonner
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