Bali, Visit to Ubud

Written Monday October 29, 2018 in a hipster coffee shop!

Pjilasi, welcome!

Yoga retreat has completed and I am enjoying this lifestyle of traveling around coffee shop to coffee shop. I feel so hip, laughs… maybe I fit in more than I think, laughs. Here I am experiencing the vibes and riding the waves of everyone’s energy frequencies. This can be a liberating feeling, one that is healing and worth sharing. The positive vibes and good energies are a gift given to us by human interaction. This interaction is a moment for me to remind you, that you too, are responsible for the energy you carry, you share, and collect. Here I pray I am traveling in a good way, sharing good energy with those I have interacted with and who I will meet on my journeys.

Bali is a location where many tourists come for healing, self discovery, and emotional connection to mind, body and spirit. It appears that humans are exhausted from day to day capitalist living. It has become so prominent, where people are seeking the need to find safe spaces to reconnect with self, mind and body. #Namaste

From my discovery of people watching and talking with tourist and local friends from Bali. Bali gives people both a spiritual connection and is great for building mental strength. Holidaying in Indonesia helps bring people balance, together, and fills the holistic wheel of emotional, mental, physical, and spiritual wellbeing. It is amazing to be in this space, experiencing karma, the effects of prayers, the ceremonies, honoring moon, sun, purpose and being a yogi, a spiritual being and valuing life.

Being a Mi’kmaw woman; First Nation, Aboriginal, Indigenous, Native Canadian. One who practices our cultural ways, ceremonies and traditions. I enjoyed witnessing and participating in the Balinese traditions, prayers and ceremonies. I have found it is always an honour to respect the people and the land we are traveling. I encourage we all can find time in our days while traveling to seek interest in the local culture. It is definitely filled my life long learning basket, this basket that helps me teach, helps me share, and believe me when I say, this trip is beyond priceless.

It is obvious to me, that travelers like myself, are here making an earning, living our best lives, and finding ways to have income. The nomads are the ones freely able to travel and enjoy the space and make their office any coffee shop that has wifi; and I am talking about a strong internet connection. I learned quickly, that it is best to google top wifi-work friendly coffee shops before adventuring out for the day, laughs. Cause we all know how frustrating it can be working with slow internet, laughs. That instant gratification is a privilege.

Self reflection on the moment of sitting and embellishing the freedom to sit in these beautiful coffee shops are motivating my clarity and is detoxing from mainstream influences of shopping, site seeing, business and taxing here and there just to fill a jam pack schedule. Taking time to sit and work, embrace hanging out with myself and people watching. No worry of any conflicting stress or schedule, and free to work on my own dreams #GratitudeAndTea

When you take yourself out of your comfort and solo travel, you soon realize that visitng coffee shops is actually relaxing, and rejuvenating. I am comforted by the presence of meeting like minded strangers and being in their presence to feel inspired to work, to create and allow time to be in inertia. Inertia so motivating, that I found time to blog at least twice a month. Also the conversations that I will not be able to share with all of you, but I know will come up during my stories and carry in my memories.

Okay, the location I am currently in writing this blog is Ubud. Ubud is known for trendy shanti tea and coffee spots that are popular for vegan appetites. Bali coffee is yum, I am really hooked to coffee now more than ever, laughs. AND my goodness the food, the food selections here are fabulous, I only hope I can remember half these recipes when I travel back home to North America. Just to mention, this is the first time in thirty-three years of my life that I am practicing the vegetarian lifestyle and to be honest, I enjoy it. I feel fresh, light, and my digestion is great…. Well, laughs. Until I eat fish, laughs. Eating fish here has been like a laxative for me, laughs. Anyways (said in the native accent, laughs).

I believe this experience here in Ubud is going to radiate and reflect on my lifestyle when I return home. The inspiration to continue living off the land, eating only enough to survive daily to live. I am smiling from the inside out because I have this opportunity to be here, to experience going to the trendy yoga spots like radiantly alive and yoga barn. I will definitely have to return to this spot to take in a few more moments like I have in the past three days.

Allowing myself to sit with my computer and work and be one with self. The most important person in this short lifespan of mine, is myself. We often forget how our imprints on mother earth are the most impactful, especially thinking seven generations ahead. While I have had opportunities to swim, scuba dive, and snorkel. It has been heartfelt as I collect every piece of plastic that floats by, and believe me there is a lot of plastic in the beautiful clear blue seas.

South East Asia, the amount of sustainability and environmental awareness becoming prominent here is becoming more and more impactful due to the large amount of garbage and plastic rolling up on the sea shores. With these effects on the ozone layer, we can only be hopeful that our children and future grandchildren will get to experience Indonesia in many decades to come.

I can be very sentimental in my writing, and I know our reflections are also a result of our daily interactions and emotions. I am grateful, very grateful because I believe I will return to Bali, and participate in more culture, continue to practice the Balinese language and be open minded to how colonized we are here in North America, Turtle Island.

This trip to Ubud, for three days. Jumping on scooters, visiting yoga studios, coffee shops, and site seeing. I say that I enjoyed my experience at the Monkey forest, even a baby monkey came over to say hi. But, if you haven’t experienced a monkey yet, you must know. Monkeys are tricksters, they will steal from you, jump on your back and open your book bags, they will take your eye glasses. Monkeys know that whatever they take, us humans always want it back, laughs. So they know they will get treats, be careful, laughs. Luckily I did not take much with me when I explored places like the Monkey forest.

Welaliek for enjoying the reflections of my travels. Attitude of Gratitude my Friends.

Ashley Rebecca.