This post was originally from March 4, 2025

On Saturday we said our final goodbyes to everyone from our tour and made our way to Medewi. Medewi is on the west side of Bali and known to be a surfers haven!  As we drove further west, the jungle got more lush, the rice terraces began to appear and the tourists began to fade away. 

A few months ago we booked a beautiful treehouse on Airbnb. We were excited to spend our last days in Indonesia in such a unique and gorgeous location. I knew by looking at google maps that we were going to be pretty remote, but you don’t get the full picture until you are really there. The treehouse was right off the beach but to get to it we had to travel on a dirt road past chickens and cows. The treehouse was surrounded by the most beautiful gardens – fruit hanging from the trees and brightly coloured flowers everywhere. We could look out and see the ocean and hear the waves crashing in the distance. It truly was paradise! Inside our bamboo treehouse we were equipped with all the amenities we needed including air conditioning and a shower that looked up to the sky. Now THIS is a bougie Robinson Crusoe experience right! 

The place sounds incredible and it really was, but there were a few logistical complications. First of all it’s hot and humid so the first thing you want to do is jump in the ocean or a pool. The beach just steps away (google maps was not lying) but it was lined with fishing boats and the sand had quite a few dead fish just laying there wafting a lovely odor. As you got closer to the water, it was all rocks and the swells were so big that you knew it was a recipe for disaster. So no ocean swimming there!

We then had to figure out the food situation. Where would we get our meals? Our host let us know that we could order from the surrounding restaurants and have the food delivered to us , but we were able to find them by foot and knew we would be ok there. 

The last complication was the noise. I’m going to start off by saying that I fully acknowledge that I’m going to sound like a massive A-hole in a few seconds. Please keep reading as I hope my explanation will make sense. 

You see, Indonesia is predominantly Muslim. Islam is beautiful and the entire trip I have found the call to prayer peaceful. It happens five times a day and I usually stop to take it in and reflect on how grateful I am for so many things. When I booked the treehouse the description said it was right next to a mosque. This only made me want to stay here more to be honest. When we arrived our host gave us ear plugs and I thought to myself, wow that is funny- why would anyone not want to hear the prayers! What I didn’t realize was that we booked in on the very first day of Ramadan. As the sun set, the call to prayer started. Beautiful. Loved it! But as the night went on, so did the prayers. (Insert this is where I sound like a total ass) The call went on for about 7 hours! The Imam would stop to take a breath and you’d think it was over, but alas he would start another prayer. Eventually in the wee hours of the night/morning the Imam was done, but only for a few hours as a new set of prayers would start at 4:30am once again!  Liza and I laid there awake feeling like the biggest assholes for complaining to each other but we knew we couldn’t have another sleepless night. We got on the World Wide Web and found a new place about 30 minutes away. 

We moved to the Bali Hai Resort in Pekutatan and splurged on a beachfront suite with a beautiful infinity pool. (All for just over $300 CAD total) When we got here the resort was completely vacant. Not a single person staying there the entire time. You feel a little guilty having all the staff at your beck and call but I’m pretty sure this will be the only time in our lives this will happen! The chefs we have had to ourselves. The staff we have had to ourselves and the spa staff…you guessed it, to ourselves!!!!!! The last 3 days have been a bit of a dream and exactly what we have needed after being so sick for most of the trip. The only mishaps that have happened was a bird flying headfirst into our window and breaking its neck and me slipping into the pool landing with one leg in front of me and the other behind me and almost breaking my neck (kidding, I was fine-just a few scrapes, haha) 

After an entire month in incredible Indonesia, tomorrow we pack our bags and head back home. It’s been a crazy month that started with illness and injury and although had many magical moments just kept on giving us more illness. We still got to see so many beautiful sites, meet amazing people and make incredible memories with our friends so I come home with a heart that is full. No matter what is thrown my way during my travels I absolutely love every second of it! (Ok, maybe less the hospital visits). I feel incredibly blessed that I have had so many opportunities to explore this great big world of ours and now to do it with Liza is like icing on the cake. What I will take away from Indonesia is the beauty of the spirituality here. Religions may differ between its people but everyone lives harmoniously and honors their beliefs in the most beautiful ways. 

Thank you for following along on our journey. Although there weren’t too many crazy stories this time I hope that I was able to bring a little piece of this side of the world to you. 

Terima kasih or suksma!