Bali, one of those islands so famous that quite some people out there tend to think it´s a country on its own. Which, by the way it’s not: it´s ´just´ one of the 18.307 islands Indonesia has.
And though when I was living in Bogor, Java for some months back in 2017 I decided to not visit Bali because I was afraid of how touristy it would be, this time I decided to go for it. Of course I had a perfect reason: the wedding of my beautiful friends Leona and Arne (now the ´van Looveren´) in Lombok later in June. I knew that Bali is also seen as both surfers and remote workers paradise, so let’s give it a try I thought.
I decided that my base would be Canggu: a town I had heard to be a bit more relaxed than surrounding places such as Kuta (party town, not for me) and Seminyak (a bit more upscale). Arriving at the airport I realized that I had made the very stupid mistake of thinking that the 1 month free visa was indeed 1 month, but actually it’s 30 days! So.. I was going to have to overstay my visa by 1 day (because, yes of course I planned until the last day), which would cost me 60,- at the moment of leaving 🙁 So people, it’s 30 days! Even if your month happens to have 31 days.
From the airport I shared a cab with some people I met while waiting for the luggage and as we started driving I noticed right away: this is not Bogor nor Lombok. It already felt more developed, more touristy, and I was starting to get a bit scared for what was about to come.. the famous tourist bubble.
I have to say, in the beginning I had to get used to the fact that indeed the majority of the people out there are westerners, living in a little bubble. But for once, I was actually ok in that little bubble. I saw there were lots of possibilities to work remotely, everyone seemed to be out there surfing, working, doing yoga, or just generally nothing. And though I don´t think I would want to permanently live there (it’s a bit too much of a bubble), it was a perfect place to be!
Finding a motorcycle: the only real way to get around
Public transportation sucks on Bali, seriously. There are some taxi´s, but due to the many traffic jams you´re a lot better off going on a scooter. There are apps you can use, such as GoJek and Grab where you can ´order´ a ojek (a motor with a driver, you get an extra helmet and sit on the back), but in the end if you´re there for some weeks or longer, it makes more sense to hire your own scooter. There are many, many places to do so, though the one I got recommended was a bit lower in price and owned by such a lovely family that I encourage everyone to whatsapp them (+62 858-5833-5205).
I rented a 125cc scooter with a surf-rack attached to it for a month and paid 750.000 IR (more or less 40 euro). What a great deal!! Granted, driving at first is a bit scary, not only because it´s on the left side of the road, but also because there are a lot, a lotttt of scooters everywhere and the roads not always that great. But I got used to it within an hour and really enjoyed the freedom this scooter gave me. So there you go. First step to being settled in.
Working spaces
Next up: my short list of places to work from when No(n)madding
My lovely friend Stefanie recommended me this place upon arrival. It’s a café that now has a co-working space as well. Since this space is still new, they let you sit there for free (that is, they´d appreciate it if you order a coffee or so, but you don’t need a membership for their co-working). It’s a beautiful, light and quite airy place. The chairs are ok (maybe not for 8 hours straight) and they have free water. It’s really nice and quiet, with strong wifi and a perfect place to also do Skype calls
This great little place is not only fantastic for cheap, local food, they also have some electricity outlets and the wifi works well. Usually this is where I would stay a while after I had finished lunch. It’s never really crowded so calls can work, and no one will get annoyed if you stay here for longer.
A little yoga place in a more quiet area of Canggu with a beautiful garden and lots of vegan food. Though the wifi is a bit less fast here, it’s still good enough to work on.
So I actually stayed in this little bamboo hut guesthouse combination and was amazed to see how well the WiFi works. So a lot of the days I ended up sitting in their open kitchen on a nice table and just working from there. With a little coconut, it wasn’t all too bad.
The first week I was staying at a little surf hostel, and the breakfast at the Daun was free for me. However, even after moving guesthouse I kept on coming back to this place because of the nice people, the delicious smoothie bowls and the quiet atmosphere.
So this was my daily breakfast spot. The people here were so incredibly nice and smiley all the time that I just cannot imagine a better way to start my day. However, it’s a bit busy and there will always be people waiting for a table, so I would feel bad to take out my computer and sit there for hours. But just some brainstorming over a nice coffee is definitely accepted.
If you really want to find a co-working space, I cannot tell you from my own experience, but I´ve heard Outpost Canggu and Dojo Bali are the two best places to go, with good and quiet spaces, Skype rooms and a nice community of fellow freelancers and remote workers. They organise different events during the nights as well.
What´s next
Alright, so here my first insights on where to work when in Canggu, Bali! As said, Bali could feel rather touristy, but don´t worry my dear.. there are definitely areas where there is a lot less tourists, such as in the north.
So, my next post will be all about chasing waterfalls in northern Bali and escaping the crowds.
