Canggu, Bali

Wow, it's all go in Canggu! The traffic really levelled up here - but somehow is still works!

The part of Canggu I stayed in was really only half of it - (as I discovered on my exploration missions) There are a few random pics in this post.. like the manhole covers on the footpaths - they remind me of the Hollywood Walk of Fame! 💥

I hit the jackpot again with my accommodation (phew!) - so glad I made a last minute change from my initial booking, and landed at Kusuma Guesthouse - Homestay (business.site) - especially as this would be my home for a longer stay of 8 nights - including my BIRTHDAY! 🎂 The homestay is made up of the original Kusuma building, a newer 3-level building named Kusuma 2 (which is where I stayed) - and currently a 3rd building is underway next door. The staff were amazing, the pool was fantastic, the location was nice and central, yet off-road and quiet at night when it counted, and the room was comfortable and clean. I was lucky to get the 3rd floor, so had the added bonus of a view - perfect for watching the nightly fireworks in the distance from the beach clubs, and hearing the beautiful morning prayers, ringing out across the Bali darkness just after 5am each morning 💕

In brief, Canggu has an ample mix of eateries, gyms, tattoo parlours, amazing boutique shopping, gorgeous homewares stores (which I haven't really seen in other parts of Bali I've stayed in), and of course another white sandy beach with waves good enough to attract a solid number of waxheads, and two of the best beach-clubs on this part of the coastline - Finns Beach Club - World's Best Beach Club and Atlas Beach Fest | The Biggest Beachclub in The World & The Biggest Nightclub in Bali .

My first recon-mission led me to discover Power + Revive Studio (powerandrevive.studio) - (you need to check out the website to see how amazing this place is as far as gyms go) - and for a fee of about $50NZD I got unlimited use for 5 days - so from Day 2 here, I was all about it - legging it approximately 1.5kms from my room - up a hill - for an hours' sweat session each day. They had something I have always wanted to try, but I put off until day 5.. an ice-bath!! Holy crap it was every bit as hideous as I had imagined but it felt amazing afterwards!

A little gang of 20-somethings from Germany also moved in on Day 2, and hogged the only 4 pool loungers that existed, for the WHOLE day! The audacity! Not to be outdone in the tanning stakes - I was onto them and on Day #3 I had my chair claimed immediately after my gym session, before the sun was even up properly.

So I spent the rest of the week here exploring on foot (I got lost one day, wandering too far off the beaten track, with no data for Maps 🌌) I took pics, consumed generous amounts of seriously good coffee, ate more delicious food, hit the gym (which was possibly my favourite part - as although I've been exercising plenty, I haven't been to a proper gym here), found interior design inspo, got in some hard-core tan maintenance (in between 4 days of rain), and celebrated another trip around the sun.

So as my last full day here was actually my birthday, I had a few nice things planned. Nice messages and calls from home made my day, then a late breakfast and a couple of hours in the sun, then I went to Our Projects (our-projects.com) to attend a 2 hour Masterclass Perfume Workshop where I got to make my own perfume to take home! Such a cool thing to do - I highly recommend it either on your own or with friends. Then just because it felt like the right place and time, I got a new tattoo. To round off a great day, I went for my second dinner at Bangkok Hustle Bali - (turns out they're rated high on Trip Advisors list) - and after initially making some small-talk with the staff about my day, they surprised me with desert - complete with a birthday candle and a stellar effort singing me 'Happy Birthday'. Gold 🎂

Defo put Canggu on your list if you haven't been - it gets a big tick from me, as I head off to a mix of Legian/Seminyak for what I can barely believe will be the last 10 days of the fastest 2 months of my life!

Canggu cuisine...

Canggu snaps ...