Slowing Down in Bali

Every day, bright and early, the sound of the roosters crowing in the rice fields outside our villa would wake us up. This was on top of the calls of the geckos, both tiny and surprisingly huge, who loved to sneak inside our bedroom and hang out on the ceiling, sometimes sending little surprises down to us below. Then there was the frog who inhabited the open-air bathroom that we found ourselves staring at when we were showering. This was life for us while we spent 10 days in the middle of the jungle in a small village outside Ubud on the island of Bali. The sole purpose of our time here was simple: stop traveling for a while and take some time to reflect.

Rice fields behind our villa

Sometime over the past few months, we both realized that the 30-hour travel days and the physical & mental toll of traveling had gotten to us. We wanted to not be unpacking our bags only to pack them up three days later as we headed to another new place. Don’t get us wrong – we’re not complaining about traveling and this wonderful opportunity we have, but we realized that we needed to take a break from physically moving so frequently. It gets exhausting and at some point, you start to question if this is what you really want. We had read about other long-term travelers “hitting the wall” and it seemed as if we were doing just that.

Temple on top of the cliffs at Uluwatu

Additionally, and maybe more importantly, one of the main reasons we chose to travel was to take a step back from the general busyness of everyday life. We wanted to take time to personally reflect and determine what path we should be heading down to live a fulfilling and satisfying life. We left in August with the hopes of gaining some clarity during our travels. However, after five months on the road, we realized that we still found ourselves with no better understanding of this than before we left.

Our home for 10 days in Ubud

Work busyness had been replaced with travel busyness, leaving little time for the self-reflection we were seeking. Sure we had eliminated many of the stresses we previously had, but travel comes with its own set of issues that needed our attention. Where are we staying tonight? How can we get from A to B as cheaply as possible? Do we have enough time to do laundry and not pack wet clothes into our bags? Where can we find vegetarian food here? How are we doing with our budget? What things do we HAVE to do since we are only spending two days in this city? Where will we live when we get home? What are we going to do for work? Is this person ripping us off right now or are they genuinely being helpful? These are all questions we asked ourselves non-stop. Every day was busy with traveling, sight-seeing, problem-solving, planning for future travels, or something else. A lot of times, it was difficult to be present in the moment as we were constantly looking ahead to the rest of our trip and our lives ahead.

Christina with her new friend at BARC (Bali Dog Adoption Rescue Center)

So we decided to stop moving, stay in Bali for three weeks, and consciously take time out to reflect and think. We did this in Ubud, and for the first time since we stopped working, actually had a daily routine for an extended period of time. Our schedule looked something like this:

• 8:00 AM – Wake up and meditate for 10 minutes
• 8:30 AM – Breakfast
• 9:00 AM – Coffee at our local coffee hut (this was also the only time of the day we allowed ourselves to discuss the future)
• 10:00 AM – Noon: Time for ourselves where we would work on something individually (writing in a journal, listening to podcasts, etc.)
• Noon – Head into Ubud town for lunch at one of the many fantastic restaurants
• 2:00 – 3:30 PM – Attend a meditation or Yoga class
• 4:00 – 6:00 PM – More time for ourselves to read, workout, or do whatever we wanted
• Evening – Head back into town for dinner
• After Dinner – Take 30 minutes to trip plan (book flights, accommodations, etc.)

We decided to not fill our days with activities or sightseeing and to allow ourselves plenty of time to work on whatever we felt like focusing on that day. We both had been intrigued by the idea of meditation after reading about it and talking with people who practice, so we decided to finally give it an honest try. The idea of being able to better deal with stresses on the road (and life in general) is something that appealed to us. We did this by taking time (10 minutes) each morning and going through one of the introductory sessions using the Headspace app (we’d recommend it for sure). We also signed up for a series of classes at a local yoga & meditation studio in town where we attended classes taught by two different instructors.

The meditation studio

Being beginners, we didn’t really know what to expect. Our idea of meditation consisted of sitting with your legs folded on the ground in silence with your eyes closed while contemplating the meaning of life in dead silence. It turns out that this is just one of many ways to do it. Some of our classes involved chanting strange words in foreign tongues, breathing continuously almost to the point of hyper-ventilation, or picturing specific images for various parts of your body. There were rarely moments of silence, especially with 30 other people in the room. One meditation class in particular resulted in a wide range of reactions from our classmates: aggressively loud screaming, uncontrollable laughter, hysterical crying, and even one woman who was breathing so heavily she seemed to have confused our class with an audition for an adult film. Not gonna lie, at times it was hard to stay focused! What we eventually learned is that there is not necessarily one right way to meditate, but that the process itself is highly personal and something that each individual figures out along the way.

Dressed up in traditional Balinese gear with our host and ready to celebrate Kuningan (a village festival)

So… after three weeks in Bali, where do we stand? Well, we still have plenty of questions. We do not have all the answers (far from it!) and are still unsure of what the future will hold. But we both are feeling much more relaxed and are glad that we put aside the time and made the effort to focus on ourselves. Both the classes and the time spent each morning have been enjoyable and have taught us some basic techniques for meditation to help focus the mind. We plan on building off of the foundation we laid during our time here and taking it with us in the future, hoping to achieve greater clarity, be more present during our travels (and life overall), and stop worrying so much.

Chris ready to try out surfing at Kuta Beach

The view overlooking Blue Point

Life on the road is like life anywhere else. Some days you’re feeling great and ready to tackle anything that comes your way and some days you feel like you just can’t be bothered. Motivation comes and goes. Annoyances crop up and fade away. Energy grows and wears out. Stress will always be an issue. You have to be able to enjoy the good times while coping with the hard times since the journey will continue either way.

The serene setting around our villa in Ubud

For the moment, we are feeling re-energized and are excited to hit the road again as we finish up Leg 3 of the trip during March and April. Next up – Singapore!

– The Morts