I decided to go to Bali after a really rough year. I had been through the ringer emotionally and was looking to escape, to experience something life-altering, to feel peace and beauty. I needed to have an adventure. I quickly made the decision to participate in a yoga and meditation retreat. I had always wanted to deepen my yoga practice and engage in the personal and spiritual development facilitated by such retreats. After researching options, I came across one that advertised the perfect escape. It promised yoga and meditation in a beautiful setting, gourmet meals, tantalizing spa treatments, cultural experiences and outings, and all for a very reasonable price. It sounded like just what I wanted and needed.
Indeed, it was what I needed…and so much more. My experience at the retreat and in Bali fulfilled a longing, a hunger that I didn’t even know I had. I got to experience a place where time seemed to stand still, where the physical beauty of the land was so breathtaking it felt surreal, where the air was thick and fragrant and charged with energy, and where the people smiled as if they knew a secret about life that I was still trying to figure out. [Read more...]
Standing on the edge of a crater this size is nothing short of overwhelming. As you look from one side to the other the sheer size of the volcano that once existed here is hard to imagine. Today, the area of Kintamani with its panoramic views of the young Mt. Batur and Lake Batur are highlights that any tourist to Bali cannot miss. 
There are only a few ways to get right out into rural Bali by your own steam. You can walk of course and a day of hiking is a great way to experince parts of the island and come across quiet experiences you may otherwise miss as you zip by on a motorcycle or in a car or a bus. A hike through the trails that thread themselves through and around Ubud is a great way to spend a day; return to Ubud and let yourself melt into a tropical spa. Not much is more pleasing to the mind and soul than a day of exercise followed up by an evening of luxury and pampering.
