Canggu, Bali
Hello and welcome to my first post in the Wip Around the World publication, credit to Kathy for the name. I plan to write a series of blog posts documenting my travels around South East Asia for anyone who is interested. Along with any useful knowlege I have gained along the way. It will hopefully be a fun way for me to keep everyone updated whilst practicing my writing skills. Although I will try to let the pictures do the talking where I can.
Hope you enjoy it.
Canggu was the first place we visited after me and Kathy, my lovely lady, arrived in Bali. It has a nice vibe about it, full of surfer dudes and chillers. Probably my favourite place so far (One week and 3 places in). It’s relaxed during the day with plenty beaches and cafes to enjoy. But it ramps up a couple of gears at night, while still keeping its friendly carefree atmosphere. It was just what we needed after our long flight.
We came here on a friends recommendation, skipping our already booked accommodation in Kuta. Thank god!
Our home for the two nights we stayed was a cracking guest house called Canggu Upasedana. Slightly expensive for Bali, around £18 a night but definitely worth it. The host was friendly, trusting us to write our own tab from whatever we took from his fridge. On top of that, it was probably the comfiest bed I have ever stayed in. Thanks Doug for sorting it!
Our agenda for the weekend was chill, chill and chill basically. With a little boozing in the evenings, nothing too heavy. Canggu has some decent bars down on Echo beach with everybody just looking to have a good time.
We did hire a scooter for a day. It seems to be the done thing in Canggu, if not all of Bali. Unfortunately mine was more of a motorbike because they had run out of the two cheaper types. Jumped in the deep end a little with that but we survived. To be fair the roads were nice and quite so it was good place to learn.
I also got in some shopping at a pop up market down by the beach. Bought my first hat of the holiday, it wasn’t really what I was after in terms of sun protection, barely any rim, but better than nothing. Unfortunately, it’s already broken, so I am now currently hunting for a new one.
The night before leaving Canggu we caught a sweet sunset at our homestay. There was a perfect viewing platform that our host showed us, legend.
Recommendations
- If you are looking for a hostel rather than a homestay check out Lay Day Surf Hostel. Doug stayed here and we went round before our nights out. Friendly people, helpful staff and reasonably priced beer. What more do you need? (Bonus: had the best and cheapest food of the trip from the Indonesian place next door. Mie Goreng, 20K or just a little more than a pound. So tasty.)
- Try surfing. The waves look great, the sea is warm. No wetsuits! Its cheap, around £3 to rent a board for 2 hours. I wish I did this, but I was too busy relaxing. I hope to go back and give surfing a go. Back in the day, I surfed the waves of Cornwall, or at least I tried to.
- Check out the beach bar during the day. I can’t remember the name of the one we went to (sorry) but it had its own pool and fake grass. No sand! Aswell as nice drinks, and sun umbrellas. The price is slightly inflated but well worth it. I’m sure you could find it.
- Pretty Poison is another hip place that is worth checking out. It shows the vibe of Canggu perfectly. It’s a bar where the customers surround a skater bowl and watch skater boys and girls show off their moves.
Right I think that’s it for Canggu, I did only stay for two nights and I am sure there is plenty that I missed. I would recommend it to anyone though, it was the perfect start to our trip. The next edition will be about our stay in Kuta, a rather unsavoury tourist trap.
