Christmast 2015 in Bali – personal blog by: Daniel Leralta

I am a Science teacher in an international school in Myanmar. I teach everyday to 60 Primary School students and thus, when my Christmas break got closer I started to wonder where I could go within Southeast Asia where I could go out and get some fun while finding time to relax from the intense schedule at the school and experience a new culture.

I chose to visit Bali, and as I discovered during my ten days in the island, it was the right place for the expectation I had. Bali is a place with a vibrant culture, stunning landscapes and beaches, and wild party at night.

I was very fortunate to meet and stay for some days at Askara Canggu Townhouse. The lodge is very new so not many travelers know it, but I would definitely recommend it. I spent four nights there, including New Year’s Eve. It is 10 minutes from the gorgeous beaches of Echo and Berawa, and 30 minutes from Kuta (by motorbike). It has a nice swimming pool where you can swim and relax, and it is surrounded by a little forest and rice fields.

Furthermore, the staffs helped me every day to find the best places to eat and visit not only in Canggu but in other areas like Besakih, Ubud, Kuta and Seminyak too. They helped on renting me a motorbike so I could go around the island. At night, they helped me getting bike-taxi for me to come back from Kuta and Old Man’s (Batu bolong beach).

The street where Askara Canggu Townhouse is located has many local and cheap restaurants, known as warungs, altogether with chic coffee shops frequently visited by foreigners. The staff put me in contact with other travelers who were eventually visiting the island too, and we celebrated together New Year’s Eve. I am intensely grateful to all of them for the time I spent in Bali. It was a great Christmas holidays.