Well, before you’re totally inundated with Bali content in about two weeks, when I go back for the first time in 14 years, I thought I’d do a little reminiscing before I left for this newest adventure.

I studied for a semester in law school in 2002 at the University of Melbourne in Australia, and I had the opportunity to visit Bali during my stint in Oz, traveling solo, before traveling solo was “cool”. All of my photos are on paper from that trip (so I apologize for the quality!), and I did do some neat things like snorkeling around Nusa Lembongan and Nusa Ceningan. (Back then, no one was going to Nusa Penida, but we will check it out this year!) I also did a little semi-private Jeep tour up into the mountains where we got to eat some traditional Balinese cuisine with a local family (I specifically remember these delectable honey and sesame cookies – yum!), and have lunch in the forest. On that trip, we stopped off on the side of the road at the Tengalalang Rice Paddies to take some photos. At that time, there were no giant swings or zip lines or any tourism going on near here, and it was completely untouched. It was one of the most beautiful places I had ever seen. Now, understandably, this area is chock full of tourists who have discovered its beauty, and the farmers who own the fields have capitalized on it as well. Of course, I can’t blame them, but I may try to avoid this area this time and keep my beautiful memories intact. Part of the beauty of traveling to the same place multiple times, though, is to see how it has changed, so we’ll see if we make it over here this time.

I stayed in Legian in 2002, which is just north of Kuta, the main tourist area in Bali where *all* of the Aussie tourists go. Or, at least, they did at the time. Seminyak and Canggu were deserted back then. I spent a lot of time partying late into the night in Kuta, and when the bomb hit at a club there a few months after my visit, I was totally devastated, and Balinese tourism was also totally devastated. It was such an incredible shame, because I had found at the time that the Balinese people were some of the kindest and most hospitable people I had ever met. I vowed I would come back because I loved that little island, mostly undiscovered by tourists except for the Aussie set at that point.

I did come back, in 2009, with an old boyfriend. This time, we stayed in the Nusa Dua area, which was much more quiet than Kuta/Legian and it was a nice change from the frenetic pace of Kuta. The security, which was non-existent in 2002, was massively present in 2009. Just to get anywhere near the resort, they swept the car with mirrors underneath, etc. There were gates to get in, and security officers with very large guns. It was slightly unnerving, but necessary, I suppose. Nusa Dua at the time had a few large resorts, but it certainly wasn’t as built up as it is now!

This time, since I wasn’t alone, I was slightly more adventurous, and we would hire drivers (for insanely cheap – like $20 for the entire day) to drive us around the island to see some of the more beautiful sites and temples.

We went to the Uluwatu temple near the cliffs, which was incredibly stunning. This area of Uluwatu in 2009 was mainly untouched by tourism, though now, there are some large, very luxe resorts in that area. It’s not surprising, the cliffs are breathtaking. I am interested to go back to Uluwatu to see how much the area has built up, and how bumpin’ with tourists the temple will be as well. This was one of my favorite places in Bali in 2009, so I’m bracing myself for a lot of change.

We also went to the Tanah Lot Temple, which is basically in the water. Gorgeous and unique in its own way, this temple was much more busy than Uluwatu, mainly because it is situated not too far from Kuta.

We also spent a day in and around Ubud, which, at the time, was still a relatively quiet village with some artisan shops and restaurants. We hung out in the monkey forest and managed to not get any of our stuff stolen by the little rascals. Now, Ubud is much busier than it was in 2009, and I’m again bracing myself for a bit of a shock.

I have incredible memories of Bali, which I consider to be one of the most beautiful places in the world. The Island of the Gods is a perfect name for this place, as you can feel the spirituality oozing out from every corner of this small, Hindu island. I am ridiculously excited to return after a long absence with my husband, and Noah, for his graduation trip, but I am definitely keeping my expectations in check. I know the area has changed a ton, and I know that some of the magic of the unknown and unexplored will be lost. I hope that I’m wrong, but I’ll definitely keep you all posted along the way!