BALI TRAVEL: THINGS I CROSSED OFF MY BUCKET LIST
If you knew it was the last day of your life, would you...
a. jump off a plane and skydive
b. jump off a cliff and dive into the raging sea
c. all of the above
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| kanaka ocean watersports |
I just noticed that all my choices involve heights and jumping off something!?!
I suffer from vertigo so being close to the edge of a high ledge already gets me all dizzy and off-centered. Yet still, flying and being high up with a view amaze me like nothing else.
So now I turn the question back to you...
Would you do what you've always wanted to do and yet we're afraid to do if you knew it was the last day of your life?
Is your answer is yes? Then, why wait?
That's probably the most important lesson I learned from attending all those fam trips* last year. To forget fear and "just do it". Since fams involve traveling and doing various activities in groups, I was always forced to get out of my comfort zone and try new things because I was too proud to admit I was scared.
Also, if everyone else was doing it, why couldn't I? And so I did. On many occasions. And now, that's the only way I want to travel.
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| parasailing in bali |
| Same thing happened during my trip to Bali. Day 2's activities revolved around Kanaka Ocean Water Sports and Turtle Island in Benoa, South Kuta. At Kanaka Ocean, Indonesia's Ministry of Tourism prepared Banana Boat and Parasailing activities for us. We weren't required to do it but we were definitely highly encouraged. We could also choose other activities from the list but those we'd have to pay from our own pockets...  |
| click to enlrage |
I'm a cheap coward so I just stuck with Parasailing...
Well not really, I was so scared I didn't even really say yes. I just ended up doing it because I was sort of herded with the flock and I just let them push me along because, PRIDE. :P
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| kanaka ocean |
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| parasailing in bali |
...The air in Bali.
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| parasailing rates in bali |
Sounds a bit daft but no. I felt it right when I landed at the Denpasar Airport. There's a certain thrill in the air that makes you want to try stuff you've never done before, to go on adventures and meet new people.
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| parasailing in bali |
As if I went skydiving, bungee jumping or something scarier like that but you have to understand this was as scary to me as those.
BUT YOU KNOW WHAT?
I ended up LOVING it so much! To the point that I wanted to ignore their commands to pull my parachute down, and I did for a few precious, extended seconds.
The scariest part is waiting and getting pulled up by the wind. But that only lasts a few seconds. Once you're up in the air, IT IS SO EXHILARATINGLY BEAUTIFUL AND PEACEFUL!
Everything else fades away and it's just you and this fascinating view. No thoughts, just pure bliss.
But like in life and everything else, I eventually had to come back down...so I did, disappointingly so. Those few minutes just weren't enough but there's always next time!
+ I was also excited for our next destination...
To meet the turtles at:
T U R T L E I S L A N D
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| boat to turtle island |
To get to Turtle Island, you need to take a 15 minute ride in a glass bottomed boat from the shores of Benoa.
It costs about $35USD/person.
The boat driver stops midway and distributes loaves of bread so you can feed the fish and watch them from the glass at the bottom of the boat.
During our visit, the water's were quite choppy and congested so we didn't see any fish and getting rocked from left to right while our boat was stationary was making some of us nauseous so we told him to just skip the fish feeding and take us straight to the island instead...
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| turtle island bali |
I was a bit disappointed because I was expecting something different. It felt a bit too touristy to me for a turtle conservancy place. I was hoping to be able to do more for these creatures...volunteer or help in some way, not just take pictures with them.
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| turtle island bali |
Can you imagine the things they've seen, the places they've been to? So many things change in a century and these guys bore witness to it all.
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| justin cormack |
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| turtle island |
Being taken away from the water and handled by different strangers really stresses them out and it was obvious they didn't like it. They would swim towards the far end of the tank away from the prying hands of ignorant tourists who only cared about getting a memorable photo to post on Instagram. Please don't be one of them. Pity the little guys.
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| filipina travel blogger |
If you find yourself in Bali, make sure to add this to your itinerary. Both kids and adults will love it. Just remember to be gentle and mindful amidst the excitement of meeting these gentle giants.
Kanaka Ocean Water Sports is located at:
Benoa, South Kuta, Badung Regency, Bali 80361, Indonesia
Phone:+62 361 774114
Business Hours: 9:00am-4:00pm
In the midst of writing this post, I received a text from one of our co-parents at my daughter's school informing me of the accidental death of one their grade 4 students. My first thought was: she's too young and only beginning life. It really shook me to the bone but it also served as a good reminder on how life is fleeting. Life is just borrowed. We don't know when it will be taken away from us which is why it is extra, extra important to live a life of no regrets, to make every minute count and to always make it our priority to touch and make a difference in someone's life.
*fam trips are familiarization trips sponsored by the host country to promote tourism
big thanks to the Ministry of Tourism Indonesia for making this trip possible!
follow these hashtags for more of our Bali adventures: #wonderfulindonesia #wonderfulbali
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Ang saya-saya naman.
- Harlynn
mindyourmadness.blogspot.com