Traveling in Retirement: The Bali Adventure

One of my ambitions after I retired from 30 years of teaching was to travel.

Many years ago, I spent a semester of college in England and followed up with 2 months of backpacking through European countries. I had so much fun sleeping on trains and meeting amazing people in youth hostels. I got to explore the continent and have incredible experiences all on a budget of $200 for the two months.

Working and raising a family occupied my next 30 plus years and somehow I could never find the time or money to travel.

Until I retired.

Retirement does free up time that was previously so busy and I am determined to travel as much as I can, for as long as I can.

The downside of traveling in retirement is that your body is not as young as it used to be. Sleeping on trains and hostel dorms is no longer the way I like to travel. For many people traveling alone is a bit overwhelming as well.

Fortunately, the travel industry recognizes that we retirees have the means and time to travel and they cater a variety of types of trips to people of all ages. Comparing itineraries and reading reviews can help you choose a tour that suits you best.

Choosing to Travel with More Adventures

When I was first widowed, I discovered a book written by a young widow called “Healthy Healing“. Michelle’s message is that widows can use exercise, nutrition, and self-care to move beyond grief. I liked that attitude and began to follow Michelle, aka One Fit Widow, on social media.

She and her husband Keith started an adventure travel business, called More Adventures, where they take small groups of people on trips around the world. A few years ago I signed up for a 4-day hiking trip to Machu Picchu with them. After giving it some thought, I realized that the altitude and sleeping in tents was more challenge than I was ready for. It may have been a good choice for 20-something Kristin, but not so much for 50-something Kristin. I changed that trip to Banff and a couple of days on the Canadian Rocky Mountaineer train ride with my husband Pete instead. We both had a wonderful time.

After following her page for years, I wanted to challenge myself with another trip. She spoke so highly of Bali and the spiritual wellness and good feeling people took away from the trip. After completing my 500 hours of yoga teacher training last fall, I decided that taking this trip would be a great way to celebrate my accomplishment.

Before the Trip and the Flight

Each year Michelle and Keith post about 8 trips they will be hosting that year. Booking with More Adventures is easily done on line with their website https://moreadventures.com/. I set up monthly payments for 5 months prior to my trip and was given a choice of rooms and which excursions I would like to sign up for when I got to Bali.

A few weeks before the trip, Michelle and Keith held a zoom meeting to go over details of the trip and put all the adventurers at ease. Their personal approach is very helpful, especially for women traveling solo.

In my group we had 8 women who each took different flights from the USA to Bali. We each booked our own flights. For me, I flew from Florida to San Francisco first to visit my son who moved there last summer. After a visit with him, my next flight was 15 hours to Hong Kong, a 4 hour layover, and then an additional 5 hour flight to Bali.

The Hong Kong airport was huge and impressive with many designer brand stores. The food court offers amazing Chinese food, easily selected with illustrated menus.

One word of advice for such a long flight would be to upgrade your seat to the highest level you can afford. My economy seat was very tight for a 15 hour flight so I will definitely upgrade from now on.

Upon arrival, we were led through the underground of the Denpasar airport to go through customs and purchase a visa which can be done upon arrival. As I cautiously stepped outside the final doors, into the humid corridor, my face lit up as I saw a smiling driver with my name on a card welcoming me. What a relief!

He invited me to sit in the front seat for the one hour drive to the hotel.

Bali

Of the roughly 17,000 islands in the country of Indonesia, Bali is the 11th largest. For comparison, it’s about half the size of the big island of Hawaii with an impressive population of 4.4 million people. Indonesia has a whopping population of 283 million.

Driving in Bali is challenging. Cars share the road with hundreds of scooters swerving between cars. Parents easily navigate the roads balancing children, babies and whatever else they need. Dogs walk along the sides of the road, just barely tolerating the motor vehicles. Oddly enough, I never experienced road rage or an accident during the many hours I spent as a passenger in the car.

Each of the taxi drivers, who charged approximately $40 for 6 hours of driving, had a small basket made from palms on the dashboard called a Canang Sari. These daily offerings contain flowers, a cracker, maybe a coin and are prepared by women – usually a wife or mother. The intention for this Hindu tradition, which we saw everywhere, is to give thanks, and encourage balance and peace between the Gods, humanity and nature.

The first few days of my trip we explored outside of the hotel. Heavy traffic on the roads made the excursions 1-2 hours long each way. As we drove past the homes and businesses, it became clear that the way of life for residents of Bali is very different from the USA. The average salary for workers is about $13,000 US dollars per year with the best jobs in tourism. Bali is becoming more and more popular for expats, people from other countries moving there for the low cost of living as well.

Hotel Komune

Komune Bali Resort and Beach Club is a surfer’s paradise on Bali’s beautiful East Coast. Located on a pristine black sand beach, this 4 star beachfront resort features 66 impressive rooms and suites. Two pools (one adult only), a spa, a gym and several spots for yoga and fitness classes kept us busy.

The Health Hub restaurant served vegetarian meals, juices and healthy smoothies while the Beach Club restaurant offered an extensive menu and bar. All meals could be requested as room service which was fun to do when it’s raining and your room has it’s own private patio and pool.

The first morning we all woke up early and had a wonderful meditation session with Michelle on the ocean front deck. Even though we had some rain, it was amazing to be in that space at that time. The gratitude and awe that I was actually in this amazing place brought me to tears. Especially when I opened my eyes and saw the sweetest dog had quietly joined our peaceful gathering on a new friend’s mat.

At breakfast that first morning, Michelle and Keith suggested we sign up for the amazing and inexpensive massages in the hotel spa. For about $24 you could have the best 80 minute massage ever. We all enjoyed the services and deposited them into our self-care accounts.

A few people used the fully equipped gym to continue their workouts. I chose to do yoga on my own and with the yoga teacher on site who led a wonderful class right by the beach.

Excursions

Due to the rain and rough water, some of the original excursions planned were changed. We had hoped to include a bike ride among the rice paddies and a swim with the manta rays which are popular things to do in nice weather in Bali.

Sound Healing

Our first day, we took several taxis to the Pyramids of Chi for a sound healing adventure. The pyramid filled with mostly tourists as we laid on mats and listened to the instruments.  The website describes the experience as rhythmic frequencies produced by a plethora of sounds layering into an ocean of vibration. These waves interact both with the water in our bodies, with our DNA and with our chakra system aiding the intelligence of our bodies to feel, heal, relax & release.

I liked it. I felt a kind of higher meditative vibration and my mind went to all sorts of different images from my life. Some people in the group fell asleep or had difficulty laying still for so long. All in all, a neat experience.

Water Temple

The next day we took taxis to Pura Tirta Empul, a Hindu water temple famous for its holy spring water. We arrived early and were impressed that locals were engaging in this activity – not just tourists. For about $5 you can engage in this spiritual custom. The spring water is used for a purification ritual which aims to cleanse your mind, body, and soul.

First we had to wear a specific sarong over our bathing suits that our guide provided. Next, we made an offering with the Canang Sari. Our guide showed us how to pray and the significance of each different colored flower. We put flowers on our head and behind our ears. Then it was time to go into the water.

Since it was raining, it was not at all crowded at the temple so that part was special. We had time to consider the significance of each fountain as we performed the ritual. As we approached each fountain, the person to our right told us its purpose. Then you could make a prayer or wish for yourself or others with that intention in mind. Some of the fountains we visited represented joints, bones, teeth, soul, emotional stability, respiratory, Chakra energy and healing.

At each fountain you say a short prayer or wish with hands together. Next, you drink (or splash) the water on your face 3 times. Last you dunk your whole head under the fountain 3 times. Then you move onto the next fountain.

It was a quiet activity and I felt reverent as I went through the motions and focused my mind toward prayerful intention.

Holy Hike to Lempuyang Temple

The idea of this 3 hour hike up a mountain with 1700 steps down made me a little nervous. I spent some time before my trip walking on an incline on the treadmill to build my stamina. The morning we left to hike, I worried about the slippery conditions of mud after now our 4th day of rain in Bali. I went anyway.

Luckily our guide also was concerned about some of the trails so he took us on a modified hike. We started with a purification ceremony at a temple. No, the blessings from yesterday were not applicable for this hike.

We were getting the hang of this. We put on our sarongs and found a place to sit in the temple. This time a priest chanted and our guide told us which flowers to put where and when. Finally, we were given a handful of holy water to drink (or splash) and rice to place on our foreheads. Then we could begin the hike.

Again I was impressed that this mountain we were hiking was filled with locals. Families climbing the mountain in long sarongs and white tops covering the shoulders hiked to get holy water from the mountain. They use the water to make their daily offerings which the Balinese people place on temples in their homes, doorways, streets and cars.

We passed a family of friendly monkeys who posed for photos. Once off the mountain trail, we walked along a street and stopped for a coffee and a snack of sticky rice in a banana leaf. Tourists love posting photos on Instagram so the coffee spot had a few fun places to pose with the option of paying to swing in a long dress. I didn’t do the swing but we did have fun posing.

The hike wasn’t over yet. Next we stopped at the top of Temple Lempuyang for another ceremony at this very holy place. At the Gate of Heaven we found dozens of tourists waiting for their number to be called so they could take a photo. We went to the lower level and took photos from the bottom. Stunning.

Mason Elephant Park

I chose to skip the Balinese cooking class and went by myself on an adventure to visit the Sumatran elephants at the Mason Elephant Park. The park is committed to conservation and rescues and breeds endangered elephants from the island of Sumatra. I know they offer elephant rides and worried about my feelings toward that being abusive. At this park you can see that they are well cared for in a healthy and stimulating environment that caters to all their daily needs. Without the resources from tourism, they wouldn’t be able to protect the elephants they have so I am happy they have a nice place to live.

I was able to feed and bathe an elephant. Some people rode the elephants into the water hole in the middle of the park. In addition to interacting with elephants, I visited the restaurant, elephant art museum, documentary theater and gift shop. The park has a hotel attached so I imagine it would be fun to wake up and see an elephant outside your window – maybe next time.

Once again, getting there and back I took a taxi. Going through the city of Ubud can take a very long time as the traffic is slow. At least 3 hours in the car. I decided to skip tomorrow’s excursion of jewelry making and make it a spa day at the hotel.

The Group

Each night the group met for dinner at 6:00 pm at the Beach restaurant. Some of us met earlier for happy hour in the pool. We shared stories of our lives and often spoke of our late husbands. Not all the people who travel with Michelle and Keith are widows, but many of us do have a sad story that puts us in the club no one ever wants to join.

Michelle led us through a TRE (trauma releasing exercises) session which is a physical way of releasing stress and trauma. It involves a series of gentle movements that induce involuntary tremors, which can help the body to release stored tension, calm the nervous system and improve well-being.

One afternoon, we had a sound healing session on site which brought up many emotions and sensations among the members in the group. These shared experiences bond a group of strangers in a strange land. We are all still communicating with each other.

We also had the opportunity to sit with a Balinese shaman. Using a translator, the shaman asked my name and birthday. First she read my energy and told me what colors she saw. She gave me advice on my life and some suggestions moving forward. Next she made some calculations with the numbers from my birthday and told me what to do next in life. Then she read the lines on my palm. Everything seemed to be in order and nothing scary was revealed. It was interesting but it wasn’t a cool as speaking with a psychic medium who gives you messages from dead loved ones.

These women I met are not your stereotypical sad, old widows bitter that life didn’t work out the way they had planned. We have all muddled through the thickness of grief, folded it into our backpacks and made the deliberate effort to move forward. We know life is short. We know we are not promised tomorrow. And we plan to live our best life by embracing new challenges and finding joyful moments.

Traveling to new places with completely different cultures brings me joy and a fresh perspective. I’m blessed to be able to take a trip like this and encourage everyone to try something that brings you out of your comfort zone and expands your life experience. Thanks for reading and ask me if you need some ideas for your next big adventure!

Read more about my story here: No Simple Highway: A widow’s journey to seek justice for her husband’s death