1. Get behind the camera more and focus less on being in front of it, and
2. Allow yourself to be okay with delayed gratification, and take photos with your film camera.

I was really hoping Bali would be some what of a creative reset for me—and in some ways it definitely was.

For one, I was really proud of myself for actually completely a roll of film and not messing the photos up. I’ve heard horror stories of people messing up their first rolls of film and not getting any photos out of them, so that in itself was a big accomplishment already.

I had moments where I was anxious and scared to be just bringing out the film camera. Especially since it was my first time in Bali, I really didn’t want to miss out on any photo moments that I could capture. But that anxiety really pushed me to take better photos I think.

I was also introduced to the hashtag #wasteoffilm, which really pushed me out of my comfort zone and not think so much about how many frames I was going through. I purchased ample rolls of film for this trip, and there was no way I was going to finish them all in the 3 weeks. So realizing that made me a lot less worried about “wasting film” and gave me the confidence to just shoot. Which again, helped me to take better photos.

All of these were taken on a Canon AE-1 with Fuji Film Superia 400 film.

Have you used a film camera before? What’s your favourite aspect of it?

There’s so much more to Seminyak than what I saw, that I can’t help but think about everything else I should’ve done. The next time I head back to Seminyak, or any of the beach towns in the southern regions of Bali, I definitely want to be with friends or an SO. Seminyak was so lively and filled with fun bars, beach clubs, and the sorts, that it was almost a shame I experienced that part of Bali by myself.

As I’ve mentioned in my Bali vlog, I really loved being in Ubud on my own, but Seminyak is definitely the kid of place you’d want to be with friends. So here’s a list of places I want to go the next time I’m in Seminyak, Bali.

There are tons of beaches that I regret not visiting while I was in Seminyak. It was hard for me to want to hop on a half hour or hour long car ride just to head somewhere on my own, so I’ve saved some of the best beaches for next time around.

Thomas Beach

Definitely one you should visit if you’re looking for picturesque beach umbrellas, cliffs, and rolling waves. Check out JetSet Christina’s article on how you can find your way to this “secret beach”.

Balangan Beach

Balangan Beach is a white sand beach that is perfect for sunset views and panoramic sights of the Indian Ocean. It’s 25 minutes from the Denpasar Airport and only 20 minutes away from Uluwatu Temple, so it’s the perfect place to head to after the temple for an insanely gorgeous sunset.

Suluban Beach

If you’re looking for great surf, insane clear turquoise waters, and a coral beach, Suluban Beach is your place.

Nyang Nyang Beach

Another “secret beach” of Bali, you won’t find crowds of tourists here due to it’s hard-to-get-to nature. The Lost Guides have a great article on how you can find your way to Nyang Nyang.

Go to a Beach Club

Definitely not something I wanted to do alone, but something I’m definitely checking off the to-do list when I come back with friends. Bali has some really stunning beach clubs that are definitely worth checking out. Some of the most popular ones are:

• Potato Head
• Ku De Ta
• Mozaic
• Cocoon
• Omnia

Uluwatu Temple

The Uluwatu Temple sits on top of a cliff and overlooks the beautiful Balinese coastline. I’ve heard that this is another place that is perfect for sunsets so it’s definitely somewhere I want to visit. The temple itself is open from 9am – 6pm everyday and costs 30,000 rupees for an adult to enter, and 20,000 rupees for a child. A Travellers Footsteps’s article is a perfect comprehensive guide on the whole experience of visiting the temple and its surroundings.

Check Out the “Restaurant Streets”

Just in my short 2 day stay in Seminyak, I got to try some amazing world-class food. I definitely didn’t think I would go to Bali and eat Italian, Mexican, or Vietnamese, but you would seriously be surprised at how amazing some of the international cuisines were there. Next time I go, I definitely want to check out Jalan Petitenget, Jalan Batubelig, Jalan Kayu Aya and Jalan Laksmana—streets lined with world-class dining and entertainment venues.

I stayed in Ubud longer than I did in Seminyak, and I’m glad I did. While Seminyak is very young and vibey, Ubud had the opposite effect. Both places were definitely busy with tourists, but Ubud still takes the cake when it comes to serenity and peacefulness. Seminyak was very much a hip beach town—but more about that in a different post.

Ubud was beautiful just with all picturesque jungle scenery all around. Even my breakfast gazebo at the villa faced a massive jungle view and it was extremely calming and breathtaking.

I think being on a trip on my own, Ubud was perfect for me. I was looking for peace and quiet and that’s exactly what it gave me.

Ubud is also a lot closer to a lot of the half/full day excursions that Bali has to offer than Seminyak or Kuta was. I went on a sunrise hike to Mount Batur and the car ride from Ubud to Bangli, where Batur is located, took about an hour. Ubud is also only 30 minutes away from Tegalalang which is home to Bali’s infamous rice terrace as well as some beautiful coffee plantations.

I think overall, I’d highly recommend Ubud to anyone who is thinking of traveling to Bali alone. Seminyak was bumping and a place I would love to stay in again with friends, but Ubud still holds a special place in my heart for this solo trip.

Have you been to Bali? What was your favourite area to stay in?

So after my 7 am breakfast, I headed off to stroll the infamous Ridge Walk.

When you leave Tani Villa, the gorgeous 2 bedroom villa I stayed at, you immediately get a gorgeous view of some local rice fields. The farmers start their day nice and early, so even as I was leaving at 8 am, there were plenty of people working the field already.

Once you walk down Jl. Bangkiang Sidem (the small road that leads to the Ridge Walk) for about 20 minutes, you’ll reach the beginning of the Ridge Walk. It starts off with rolling hills and views of the jungle on both sides. The ridge walk is essentially a small paved path that takes you along the peak of a grassy hill. The Ridge Walk itself is only about a 5 minute walk. But you’ll spend a lot more than 5 minutes here just enjoying the view. If you go nice and early in the day, there’s a way better chance of you getting a clear photo with no people in it. But even at around 8:30 am, runners and other tourists had already reached the Ridge Walk so I can only imagine how busy it gets later on in the day.

After the Ridge Walk, I walked straight into Ubud town and checked out Ubud Palace. The nice thing about Ubud is that a lot of the attractions (the palace, the monkey forest, Campuhan Ridge Walk) are all within walking distance to each other. The Tegalalang Rice Terrace is relatively close to Ubud as well, about a 20 minute drive, so if you wanted to, you could see most of those sights in one day.

Ubud Palace was a lot smaller than I thought it would be, and even early in the morning, it was already bustling with tourists as it’s so accessible and in the middle of town. It is free of charge to enter, which is nice, but definitely doesn’t help the busyness.

I’m headed from Ubud to Seminyak today, and I’m excited to see the beach and ocean soon. I’ve absolutely loved my stay in Ubud so far but Seminyak will be a welcome change of scenery from the jungle. If you guys are interested in staying in a stunning villa that’s just outside the busyness of ubud town, check out Tani Villa. I’m putting some their photos below so you can see just how ridiculously beautiful it is.

Until next time,

The goal of this trip has slowly morphed from being “meditate and do as much yoga as your body will allow”, “find inner peace”, “define your personal values”, to “learning not to beat yourself up for things that are actually, legitimately no biggie”. We’ll work backwards from there.

I spent all of my morning spending way too much money at the Ubud markets so I came home and decided I was just going to hermit for the rest of the day. And that’s exactly what I did. Other than heading out to buy lunch and dinner (which costed me a total of $6.50 for both meals…like WHAT!?), I spent the rest of my day lounging by the pool, taking photos, editing, and just hanging out.

I’m trying to get a little bit of a tan in before I leave Bali and head towards a cold ass Korean winter. The sun has been coming in and out today because it was a cloudy one, but I think I managed to get maybe one shade darker. Don’t worry, I’ll keep working on it.

But now that I’m in bed, ending my day, I’m tired and a little lonely. This is my first solo trip so I’m excited to be experiencing something new. This year has been all about pushing myself out of my comfort zone and this trip was no different. I am missing home and the people that I love but I’ve got a fun day to look forward to tomorrow. I’m putting my feelings aside and am just going to enjoy this trip to the fullest.

A challenge for this trip is definitely going to be creating content on my own. I brought along my film camera this trip to push myself to be more creative and learn to capture a place in a different way. But of course, I am still building my Instagram and YouTube so I’ve got to be actively creating content for those platforms as well. It’s going to be a little bit of a pain trying to split my focus between wanting to capture Bali and needing to create content—but I think I’ll manage.

Being in a totally new place on your own is definitely not the easiest. But I am excited to share with you the full breadth of my experience of travelling alone to Bali and to be able to provide some insight to other solo female travellers. I’m checking out the Tjampuhan Ridge Walk tomorrow morning and will be exploring more of Ubud as well. So stay tuned for some more blogposts soon.

Side note: I had to squat in my bathtub to shower tonight because there was a giant spider on the wall in my outdoor shower. I also have already seen two lizards. So if you’re not about the creepy crawlies, be warned. Bali is not for the faint of heart.

Chat soon,