Although we were content to let a few days go by without accomplishing much in Bali, on our last Thursday on the island, we left the villa early. This morning, we’ve got a 3 hour whitewater rafting trip followed by a 6-hour tour of northern Bali.

There are two rivers for whitewater rafting in Bali - Ayung River and Telaga Waja River. For my first rafting experience, we set off to test the faster currents of Telaga Waja. The river flows from Mount Agung - an active volcano and Bali’s highest peak.

From Telaga Waja, we could spot rice paddies and small villages up the mountain. Waterfalls run down the side of the rocks, some gushing down with a force so strong that I thought we’d tip over. But, occasionally, the guide would let us know that parts of the river was suitable for swimming and we’d all jump, letting ourselves get carried along by the gentle current downstream. The mountain is lush with  tropical trees; traveling downstream, we let ourselves take in beautiful scenery around us before heading to to more adventures further north of the island.


Like most of our days in Bali, the day ended on the beach. We pulled up to Pura Tanah Lot as the sun was about to set over the temple. We let the breeze cool down our sunburnt skins and wash the sand from our hair. The photographer in me knows that sunset only lasts for a few minutes but we stood there for what seemed like half an hour, dragging out our goodbye to the scene in front of us.

10pm. The water shimmers, rays of orange from the pool light shoots under the water.

“Alright, cheers!” The 3 friends and I toast a drink. All is quiet in the back alley, leading away from the main street and into the entrance of our Bali villa. The land here in Seminyak used to be rice fields, now they are luxury villas for rent.

I tilt my head back and look at the stars, you can’t see these from my condo in downtown Toronto. And for a second, my thoughts drift back to this morning.

“What’s the deal today?” C. pours some orange juice for himself, but not before offering the container for the rest of the table. The four of us are sitting around the dining table, wolfing down a hearty breakfast.

“Beach” I mumble between bites and use the side of my fork to cut my eggs.

“Which one?” MJ cleans off the last piece of toast from his plate.

“All of them” E. smirks.

In the taxi van, I stare out the window and hold on to my backpack. The roads are filled with potholes. 3 days ago, we saw a woman fall from her scooter as she went over a hole in the street, E. helped her straighten her ride before she rode off.

At 10 in the morning, the sun beams down on us in 35C degree weather. Summer has already ended in Toronto but I’m not sure Bali ever sees cooler weather. The boys roll up their sleeves as we walk on the beach and try to get rid of their tan lines.

It doesn’t take long to find a good spot in the sand and lay back. I close my eyes and dose in and out of sleep.

"Every photo I take looks like a postcard" M. said. That sentence sums up the way I felt about Indonesia.

I spent the last 1.5 weeks in the Southeast Asian country, my first time there, soaking up the sun, the beaches, and the culture. I visited Jakarta, Yogyakarta, and Bali in a whirlwind. The pace of life in Indonesia is comparable to that of Hawaii. I surfed, I slept on the beach, I lost track of time. Towards the end of our time in Bali, we stayed at a villa and spent 2 whole days not bothering to leave its grounds. All of this I did while in the company of some wonderful friends. I have a ton of images to share from the trip and a ton of stories to tell but before I get to that, I also wanted to share some of the wonderful moments on my phone.

Indonesia, you were the perfect way to end my summer.

On the way back from Banff and Jasper Alberta, we drove through the Okanagan wine region. I've never been able to pass up on a tour or a tasting whenever I'm within driving distance of a winery. Being the sucker that I am, I dragged Alex into Gray Monk Estate Winery. Not only is this winery located on the Okanagan river with a great view, they offer free tours every hour with tastings included.

The grapes at Gray Monk make for a particularly great white wine. Somewhere between buying 6 bottles of Pinot Blanc and 6 bottles of Kerner, I snapped these images.