When I traveled to Bali with my boyfriend for a week, we had the pleasure to meet some locals and experience their trades. While I was unable to interview these lovely people at length, here are some photos I took of them (on Fujifilm Instax Square), and the rest is a recap of our brief encounter.
2nd night in Bali: Warung Babi Guling Men Gede
A small family business in Kuta, Bali.
(Pictured: Siblings!)
We were searching for a restaurant that serves babi guling (roast pig) and found one close to our hotel. Turns out it’s a family business, with a pair of friendly and helpful siblings who made our dining experience more enjoyable. It was also heartwarming to see their love for the restaurant.
P.S. The food was excellent! If you’re keen to check it out, the address is: Kuta, Jalan Popies I, Kuta, Kec. Kuta, Kabupaten Badung, Bali 80361.
3nd night in Bali: Live music at Beachwalk
A group of performers (individual musicians who are ‘not in a band’, they say) in Kuta, Bali.
Perhaps the best thing about Beachwalk Shopping Mall is the live music.
We were dining at Mr Wayan, By The Sea (which was amazing, by the way), and benefited from live music meant for patrons of another restaurant on the rooftop. These musicians performed beautiful renditions of familiar songs, such as Shallow (from A Star Is Born), Just the Two of Us (by Bill Withers and Grover Washington, Jr.) and Every Summertime (by Niki). Each voice is unique and blended with the others in the most acoustically aesthetic way.
5th day in Bali: Bayu Book Shop
A secondhand book shop owner (mother of 4), who says this store has been around for more than 2 decades.
Yes, you read it right. This book shop sells secondhand titles. Love that.
I was looking for English titles to read by the pool and on the return flight after finishing The Dry (by Jane Harper). The friendly Bayu Book Shop owner recommended some good titles on the shelf, from which I picked The Handmaid’s Tale (by Margaret Atwood) and The Shipping News (by Annie Proulx). When I asked her when she opened the store, she laughed and said that it has been around for so long that she can’t remember the exact year, but it was definitely before her eldest child (aged 21) was born. It was so lovely meeting a local business owner who is passionate about her store and books!
Address: Jl. Poppies II, Kuta, Kec. Kuta, Kabupaten Badung, Bali 80361
6th day in Bali: Rejuve
Met this friendly girl who conversed with me in Cantonese.
We all know how hot Bali can get, so a fresh juice/smoothie is a must. I stopped by Rejuve (juice) at Beachwalk and this lovely lady helped me pick out some drinks. To my surprise, she spoke excellent Cantonese! She said she’s been to Hong Kong and took Cantonese language lessons before, and she’s been working for 3 years at Rejuve since she returned to Bali.
Rejuve is an Indonesian brand that serves juice, smoothies, and other nutritious drinks. I loved their wide range of products and rich ingredients – will definitely get a smoothie again!
7th night in Bali: Live music, again! At Batam 88
A cool live band – I loved their music and style!
This band performed at Batam 88 (a restaurant: 75JC+23C, Jl. Pantai Kuta, Kuta, Kec. Kuta, Kabupaten Badung) for the two nights that we ate there. The band members were so friendly and welcoming, and their music truly added to the vibey atmosphere. They’d sing covers of Indonesian, English and even Mandarin songs. Like a lot of live bands, they accept song requests from the audience. What’s more interesting is that they’d invite you to sing on-stage and perform with them as well!
Lastly… Furry locals!
Met these cuties at a local convenience store.
We saw this pretty girl twice at Warung Babi Guling Men Gede, she’d wag her tail whenever we look at her ❤
(The photos of our local furriends were taken on a digital camera.)
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