[Notes from Bali No. 1] Think, Think, Stop.

Nov. 1

Written By

Our thoughts are simply observations of what we see and what we hear. And we waste so much time attaching stories to them.

And when we do this, we open up the potential to feel negative emotions that are often unwarranted. We tend to allow our observations and thoughts to make us mad, sad, bitter, etc. It's senseless and time-consuming.

Next time you find yourself assigning a narrative to your thoughts before you know their true meaning, stop, drop it and surrender. Or get clarity from the source of your questions. It's helped me big time lately. I swear, life will be a hell of a lot more enjoyable if you learn to just let go.

Bali taught me many things. And this lesson was the first in a series of many I'll be sharing over the next while, peppered in with some photos and insights into my trip, starting with where I stayed during my time in Bali: Escape Haven.

Located in Canggu (a small beach village surrounded by rice paddies nestled on the South coast of Indonesia), Escape Haven is a luxury wellness retreat for women with a focus on surfing, yoga, and general fitness. Going in, I opted to focus on the yoga program (you chose one of the three).

After 30 hours of non-stop travel, I'll never forget the drive from Denpasar airport to the villa. Road lanes were a mere suggestion, motorbikes moved like a school of fish between traffic, and modern coffee and home decor shops peppered the streets between traditional temples. The energy was addictive!

Pulling into the villa, I was convinced the driver brought me to the wrong location. I was picturing your typical grandiose resort entry, and that assumption couldn't have been farther from the reality of what awaited me.

There was no front desk, no staff awaiting you with a drink you don't really want, no showy signage, not even a parking lot! Just happy cows grazing on coconuts in a field to the right, and a carved-wood and stone doorway to the left.

The resort itself is spread across two massive villas: Villa Simoa and Villa Levi (where I stayed), each housing only a handful of suites spread across a few acres.

I arrived while the other guests were in the middle of a yoga class, so I was quietly shown to my room to unpack before I was to meet everyone for dinner and introductions.

Needless to say, I didn't unpack a thing. I spent the hour exploring the space with my jaw on the floor. My suite was almost as large as my entire house: with a living area, king size bed, desk, walk-in closet and—the pièce de résistance—a massive outdoor bathroom complete with a double vanity, dueling double showers, and a jacuzzi soaker tub filled with flower petals.

After settling in (which was as effortless as the grounds were beautiful), I met up with the group: twelve women ranging from early twenties to forties, all whom traveled solo (minus a set of sisters) from various corners of the earth. Perched on cushy canvas sofas, sipping from coconuts, we represented Switzerland, Washington, California, New Zealand, Australia, Ontario and beyond.

Everyone's reasons for coming varied, but it became clear quite quickly that more than serendipity brought this group of women together.

Throughout the rest of the evening, we each shared stories over a delicious traditional Indonesian dinner served family-style. And by the time we dug into dessert, the freshest dragonfruit and mangosteen you've ever tasted, it became obvious that this was going to be a life-changing trip.