My Dream Vacation

If a year ago you asked what my dream vacation is, I would’ve responded Turkey; but that was only because all of my family members visited it and talk about how heavenly it is. More recently though, I’ve done some of my own research and I REALLY want to travel to Bali, an island in Indonesia. Yes, Turkey seems interesting but I enjoy doing activities and going on crazy adventures. From what I’ve researched and heard, Turkey’s beauty comes from its architecture and history, so there aren’t many activities to do there, and I don’t think I’d enjoy it as much.

My interest in Bali sparked when my sister was taking a gap year and wanted to take a trip with her friends. I was helping her find destinations, and we came across Bali, Indonesia. She ended up visiting Malaysia, but I was still interested in Bali, and what it has to offer so I continued to look into the activities. The first thing the internet showed me that really interested me is the hiking opportunities. Mount Batur is a volcano in Indonesia that many people hike up, and it has a beautiful view from the top. Another really cool hiking activity you can do in Bali is a scavenger hunt to a secret waterfall. Basically, you start with a clue and it tells you a general direction to walk in, and it explains the scenery that should lead you to the next clue. After following all of the clues, you are supposed to find yourself at a majestic waterfall.

Due to the geological location of Bali, it offers a lot of activities you can’t do in the US. Yes, the US also have zoos, but something about just viewing the animals is restricting. In Bali, they have certain zoos that people are allowed to interact with the animals. They also have something called “monkey forests,” where it’s a jungle-area filled with monkeys that you can feed (with food provided) and play with. I love monkeys, they are literally my favorite animal of all time and it pains me that it’s illegal to own a monkey in the US, because I’d definitely have one as a pet and can imagine being best friends. So when I heard about monkey forests, I knew Bali was my dream place to be. Also, Bali is known for having one of the best snorkeling locations in the world. They have calm bodies of water that make it easy to clearly see what’s ahead. 

When I was helping my sister find places to travel to, she mentioned she wanted to go ATVing, so we used that to narrow our options. There are many places in Bali to ride ATV’s and even multiple places allow you to go water rafting afterwards (they come in a package). The last thing that attracted me to Bali is the giant swing. I see instagram posts with people riding a swing in the middle of nowhere and I always assumed they were photoshopped, because it looked too good to be true. Turns out, Bali has a giant swing that’s in the middle of the jungle, and it overlooks trees and surrounding nature. Other than taking a picture, the swing looks like it would be good to free yourself and just enjoy the moment. I think the rush in me would be different than anything I’ve ever experienced because although I know it’s safe, it doesn’t appear to be (as opposed to roller coasters, for example, that have seat buckles). Lastly, Bali would be completely different than any other place I’ve ever visited, so I think even learning about the different lifestyle of the people living there would be an adventure in and of itself.