Today I want to talk about living in paradise (or is it?). Since I’m not active on social media for over 6 years, many people have no idea that I live on the magical Island Of Gods — Bali, Indonesia. And most of the times my friends say “oh you are so blessed and lucky to live in heaven”. And I do indeed feel blessed and lucky but since I’m a big time realist — I’d like to share my personal very honest list of pros and cons of living on a tropical island and you decide for yourself whether you are up for it (and please do let me know your thoughts in comments).
Before we start I want to make clear — I am not complaining and wouldn’t want to move away (I’ve tried already 3 times but came back with even more love, appreciation and gratitude)✨
Definitely starting with pros🙂
Saving Money on Clothes in Bali
My favorite part about living in never ending summer which is an amazing money saving tip too — you save huuuge amount of money on not buying winter and mid-season clothes. I can walk around in my bikinis and sarong barefoot 24/7 throughout the year. Of course there are some cold-ish days when you wanna grab a sweater and wear sneakers for a change but those last only that long. As well as the vibe is so chilled and mostly nobody cares about brands and showing off that you won’t even impress anyone with your new Dior dress or Emilio Pucci skirt. You’d probably even look silly in those while walking at the beach during sunset.
Breathtaking Bali Sunsets
This leads us to an amazing number 2 — sunsets. I won’t ever stop bragging about how amazing Bali sunsets are. The interesting part — sunset is like a cinema here. It is an actually “thing to do”, an activity. People go to the beach with a specific goal to watch sunset — have a sunset walk or have a coconut while watching this incredible daily lightshow and it is breathtaking almost every day.
Daily Beach Access and its Benefits
The daily access to the beach. I decided to combine 3 and 4 here because this one gives you two huge benefits — firstly you have an all-year long option to look sexier :)) I’m sure you’ve noted that tanning does indeed makes you look more attractive as well as it covers dark circles under eyes if you work or party too much, hides your cellulite and gives you golden glow making you look healthier. Secondly — your vitamin D levels are usually high.
While living in the city I would only see the sunlight on the weekends for a couple of hours cause I’d be either at work in the office or commuting to work in a taxi/metro. Hence I had vitamin D deficiency and had to take supplements. Moving to Bali this problem was solved at zero extra cost:)
Fresh and Organic Local Fruits
You are always blessed with fresh local fruits. It’s mostly seasonal but always super fresh, healthy and organic. Unlike living in a city where you buy your fruits at the supermarket after its been imported as well as sprayed with loads of chemicals for the better transportation, here you get the fresh ones right from the tree. Mango, dragon fruit, soursop, salak and much more of delicious goodness.
Obviously there are so many more amazing points i could add but for now I’ve highlighted my favorites♥️
Now less positive part — cons
The Intense Tropical Weather
The weather. Yes, it is always sunny and clear sky (apart from wet season which can still be mild). However, sometimes it can get extremely hot. If you are not used to such climate it can be really overwhelming. Some accommodations have no AC, some restaurants have only outdoor areas. But don’t worry — you still can enjoy the beautiful weather because the extreme heat lasts only for a couple of hours in the afternoon.
Navigating Tropical Diseases in Bali
Tropical diseases. This one is the most intense for me. Many people live in Bali for 10–20–30 years without getting anything, however I’ve experienced quite a few of those so I can actually speak from experience. Unfortunately, the level of medicine in Indonesia is not as advanced as in other countries and they are so used to tropical diseases here that at times you feel a bit neglected.
There are a few types of tropical fever such as Dengue, Chikungunya and Malaria — all three are transmitted through the bite of an infected mosquito. There is no specific pill to treat any of those — you have to rest a lot and take vitamins, stay hydrated and drink papaya leaf juice (ew ew ew but so helpful).
Another one that recently happened for me — salmonella. The type of a bacteria that can be found in contaminated food or water. There are many different parasites too that occur due to poor hygiene. Cute name for it is Bali Belly which is very common, there is even a special IV drip to cure it asap (very helpful btw).
And one more for me that freaked me out — tomkat. I’ve never even heard of it before it happened to me and only my friends told me what was that. So there is this insect that has a poison on its feet and wherever it walks — it spreads the poison. The moment it touches your skin — it leaves a chemical burn (tadaaaa insane right???). I still have some minor scars on my legs but I do not dwell on it. To heal the wound you treat it as a usual chemical burn with special creams and bioplacenton that can be found at any pharmacy.
I hope I didn’t scare you too much or put you off haha but to be very honest — it’s just my personal experience. My friends keep laughing at me and my adventures cause I am literally the only person who this things are happening to. So don’t be scared, just be aware:)
The Perpetual Vacation Mode
The last one for today — the feeling of always being on vacation. Even though it is an amazing vibe with a sunny weather, parties 7 days a week and cute instagramable cafes and yummy smoothie bowls — it is very difficult to get into working mode white being here. You mostly feel relaxed, like doing yoga and meditation, living slow life or partying every single day — there is almost nothing that pushes you to work, open a business or concur a new industry. Of course this motivation is usually an internal thing but the environment here doesn’t help much, this island and its infrastructure is built for tourists to create memories for life.
Another big one — you don’t really feel the time passing specifically because of the endless summer. Whether its Sunday or Thursday, June or January — it feels the same. So you are less grounded and less in touch with the time flow, unlike living in European city with more structure and obvious season change.
To summarize — every place will have such list regardless of where you pick to live. It’s all about what you choose to focus on, all about your mindset. And I’ll talk more about it in my next article.
I hope you guys enjoyed reading this and please let me know if you have any questions. Follow me to stay connected, I’m just getting started;)
p.s. all photos are taken by me