First time at Bali, first time travelling
My first week in Bali has been an eye-opening adventure, filled with challenges, surprises, and incredible moments of discovery. Adjusting to a new culture, climate, and way of life has pushed me out of my comfort zone, but it’s also what makes this journey so rewarding. I’m eager to explore more of this beautiful island, deepen my understanding of its culture, and continue growing both personally and professionally. This is just the beginning of what I’m sure will be an unforgettable experience in Bali.
Malo Amery
1/26/20252 min read
First time at Bali, first time travelling
As a French citizen, I had only visited Spain and Malta, so I had never traveled outside Europe. Bali has always interested me, primarily because of its environment, which is very different from my home country. I wanted to experience a completely different culture and explore this island famously known as "the paradise island." I wanted to see with my own eyes what the real Bali is like. The opportunity for an international internship through my school came at the perfect time. With a 4- or 6-month internship, I would have enough time to explore Indonesia and gaining professional experience.
Arriving in Bali
After a long and exhausting trip over 30 hours due to complications with the airline, I finally arrived in Bali on January 11th at approximately 4 a.m. My first impression was, “The climate is very hot and humid here!” I took a taxi to my guest house located in Canggu. It was at that moment I realized I had truly left France and was now in Bali. The feeling of being in Bali was both exciting and overwhelming. Here, I didn’t know how to interact with people, navigate the locations, or deal with the food (which is completely different). In fact, I experienced the famous “Bali Belly,” and let’s just say that wasn’t a pleasant part of the journey haha. Everything here is so different, but that’s exactly what I’m looking forward to learning about, day by day.
1 week living in Bali
After one week in Bali, I’ve started to understand some local habits and ways of doing things. For example, I now use a scooter, and parking is very different here. Someone will approach you to collect cash for parking, and when you return, your scooter is almost never in the exact same spot where you parked it. The first time this happened, I thought my scooter had been stolen! But now, I know this is normal. Another example is restaurants: the price listed on the menu is never the final price you pay, because of additional taxes and service charges (in France, the menu price is the final price).
This week, I visited various spots in Canggu, like beach clubs, restaurants, and the beach itself. I also took a short trip to Ubud, where I visited the Monkey Forest, did ATV activities (a quad tour), and went to a well-known place called “Cretya,” a club with a restaurant and pool located in the rice fields. Ubud feels very different from Canggu, and I get the sense that Bali has many distinct areas that I still need to explore.