The next stop in Bali was to be Tabanan, but for this leg, we were not alone. Another travel buddy all the way from Canada came to join our adventure, and this time it was Matt’s mom, Jenny!  After making our way to the airport to meet her, we found our pre-arranged driver and set off towards Bali wilderness. What looked like a short trip on Google Maps and were told would take just over two hours, somehow turned into an almost four hour journey into the darkness of the jungle outside of Tabanan. The upside of the lengthier-than-expected trip meant lots of time to catch up with all the news from back home. The downside was I had picked the place and got increasingly worried that I’d made a bad choice.

The relief of finally arriving at our destination, Sarinbuana Eco Lodge, didn’t immediately turn things around. It was pitch black as we navigated our luggage down a narrow winding path with dogs barking on either side. What had I gotten us into?

We entered our two story treehouse in the dark and discovered it was quite at one with nature…as in there was a lot of nature in all the rooms. A massive moth slammed itself against a windowpane startling us all. Well, as long as it’s on the outside, no matter, said Jenny. Moments later that very same, very big moth swooped down over our heads. It seems this eco lodge had a very open door policy with all the creatures that lived in the area, that might otherwise be impeded in their day to day life if they were unable to find their way into our rooms at any hour of the day… Ahhhh nature.

Luckily, a bright and early start allowed us to see the beauty of the place in the young sun’s glow. Jenny and I began our day with flow yoga in a beautiful bale surrounded by lush greenery. It was soft, serene, restorative, and just a magnificent way to ease into waking fully up.

In the light of day we realized that the grounds were just spectacular. Special spots to sit were scattered around the property, as were stone statues.

And it wasn’t just the grounds, our treehouse was beautiful!

We followed a path along to a watering hole enclosed by a ceiling of leaves being fed by a peaceful, trickling waterfall. We realized that despite the interesting introduction, we were in a very special place.

After exploring the grounds we decided to widen our search and arranged an excursion. The serenity in Sarinbauna was in direct contrast to the crowded hot spot of Tanah Lot Temple. This was a tourist-frenzied destination more reminiscent of a crammed carnival than a sacred temple. However, once we found our way to the ocean edge we were able to tune out the distractions and tune in to the beauty of Tanah Lot. It was wonderful…except for the end when we got soaked by a wave and almost stranded out on a rock…so be wary that that tide comes in quick!

What began as a very nervous and potentially sketchy start to the trip, had thankfully turned out to be a fantastic place that we were all sad to leave after our time there.