Finding Paradise

Bali is the stuff dreams are made of. You see it listed in 'the most romantic destinations' in travel magazines, you look wistfully at images that your friends put up of themselves at the Karma beach, and then you add it to the list of places that you'll probably never get to see.

But things sometimes have a way of working out beautifully and you find yourself walking the Campuhan Ridge at Ubud, Bali.

Bali, to my surprise, wasn't very different from Kerala, which is where I am from. It had similar landscapes, plenty of coconut trees, the food was God send and the people were so friendly and warm. Sometimes I'd even think to myself if I was in Kerala or in Bali. I guess, I was lucky enough to experience both of these wonderful cultures.

The one thing that stood out to me was the way tourists were treated in Bali. I don't think I was ever made to feel like I'm being taken advantage of or being ripped off by a tour guide. The Indian and Indonesian hospitality cultures are so similar, and yet so different in terms of the way tourists are treated. In India, we say that our guests are like our Gods', but the sad reality is that, every time a foreigner sets foot in our country, they're constantly hounded by tour guides or taxi drivers trying to make a quick buck. I'm not saying that Bali was pristine and everyone only had the best intentions, but the way they approached you, did not make you feel like you're being coerced into buying something you didn't want.

I'm digressing, so let me take you back to the Campuhan Ridge Walk at Ubud.

Now, I had heard of this ridge and the famous Karsa Cafe which was right at the end of the walk, where the food was supposed to be amazing and the view was something out of a National Geographic magazine! So naturally, I was curious and I decided to walk it on my last day in Bali. And I set out at about a quarter to two in the afternoon, it was a long walk, but the view on either sides of the ridge was completely worth the throbbing pain in my knee. It was almost like Bali knew that I wanted to make this last day special, it was almost like even the weather conspired with the universe to make sure that it wasn't too hot for the walk.

And the green. Oh the green! It was like God just decided to take his huge paintbrush, dip it in a vat of freshest green and splashed it all over the Campuhan Ridge. It had just rained that morning and that made it all the more beautiful to look at. It took a lot of willpower to not stop every five minutes and take pictures of the green all around us.

When I finally got to the top and found the Karsa Cafe, it was everything I expected it to be. The small home like feeling, the little rooftop seating arrangement from where you could look out into this expanse of green fields and the gorgeous food, whipped up in the most simple but melt-in-your-mouth way, all of this just made the trek to the top one of the best experiences I have ever had.

I'll go back to Bali one day, because I still haven't done a few things on my list, like hugging a bear, cliff-jumping and deep sea diving. But until then, I have some of the best memories of a vacation well spent in paradise.

#travel #travelwriting #Bali #TravelContent #CampuhanRidge #Ubud #Balidiaries