South East Asia 2: Bali, Sg Food, Johor Bahru

I’m living in Singapore and travelling around SE Asia for a semester – here are some of my favourite things I’ve visited, consumed or learned:

• Kuna Bali: awesome hostel in Ubud, Bali. Great home base for my peaceful, hippy adventure…
• Alchemy: one of the best vegan restaurants I’ve ever been to. Just stepping in the place made me feel nourished. This is where I decided that “nourishment” would be a core adjective for my year.
• Mt Batur: a sunrise volcano hike! Incredibly challenging but exactly the essense of the adventures I’d like to chase these days.
• Indonesian Coffee plantation (twice): I tried amazing Indonesian teas and coffee (including Luwak coffee). The plantations are surrounded by endless jungle and it was just peaceful and pleasant. They practiced old-fashioned coffee making, which takes hours to do by hand. I did a little bit of bean roasting and wow… it really re-positions coffee from a commodity to an experience. How often do we think about the life cycle of our favourite things? Our frequent endeavours?
• My hostel had a 10h day tour starting in 20 minutes with 1 spot. I decided… why not? We saw some of the “major” sites in Ubud, namely rice fields and the holy water temple. It was absolutely beautiful. The people I met were wonderful too. I had no expectations that I’d be in a car driving through Balinese villages talking about chatGPT and the meaning of life. I find that so beautiful.
• I took a long walk in Ubud. Through the main road, its back alleys, the monkey forest, and the rice fields. There was traffic unlike anything I’d seen before. And no pedestrian sidewalks or crossings for most of the way. During my 5 days in Bali, I didn’t put in my earbuds once. There was enough adrenaline from crossing the street to keep me entertained. But nonetheless, Bali’s traffic challenged me to be aware, extra aware, and appreciative of taking in the world around me.
• Back in Singapore I really enjoyed getting a drink at Employees Only. Old throwback songs, ambient lighting and a nice spot for a deep conversation.
• I got to basque in some geographical serendipity with my long-time friend Tanisha. We enjoyed great rooftop chats near the Great World station (the area’s so cute). The views of Singapore from roofs will never get old in my books.
• I then took a bus across the border to Malaysia. To a province most people skip. It was incredible. A little off the beaten path, filled with beauty and adventure. I went on the most unclear hike ever (there were no maps nor signs). Just ambiguity, deep rainforests and wild monkeys. What a privilege.
• On whim I joined a cycling group for a 70km bike ride to the southern most tip of mainland Asia. We went through Malaysian villages and the newest constructed highway. It was a fantastic way to see the country and contextualize infrastructure with culture. I am so grateful I said yes to that crazy idea.
• - I adored seeing a pineapple plant for the first time!!! I had NO idea how they grew. It has me meditating on the histories and cycles of all the things I get to enjoy in my life.
• Back in Singapore, I really enjoyed Lau Pa Sat and The Fat Prince.
• Interesting observation: the concentration of 711s. Singapore has the highest density of 711s in the world. None of them are gas stations. It’s an artery for this city. Totally contrasts the North American world of huge 711 gas stations with big big trucks and layers of abundance. That kind of material abundance does not exist here in Singapore. It’s more than just the convenience stores: meal portions are smaller, you pay per topping at most places, you pay per distance travelled on the bus, etc. Here, bigger is not better. It makes life feel more intentional. You know, getting to exist with what you need, rather than a surplus of things you have because you can.

Recent Highlight: sitting on the swings by Clark Quay + attending my first in-person yoga class in months!

Gratitude: substack newsletters, the metro system, phone plans, and an open mind

Quote I’m thinking about (from this Substack)

If you want to prompt someone to be authentic and playful and generative, you usually just need to ask them something where they have a rich experience to pull from *but have never pulled an answer from that experience before*. If you ask two or three increasingly detailed questions about something they tell you, you get there.

Something I want to be intentional about: crafting my spare moments. The decisions we make for how we use spare time… waiting in a lot… using the washroom… time between meetings… build our personalities as much as the big projects or adventures. I want that time to be a wise reflection of who I am and who I’ll become.

Thanks for reading. These are reflections from 12/01/2023 – 27/01/2023. More to come! If you want to stay in touch, my instagram is @isabellagrandic.