A Leap of Faith
In late 2019, just three months before the world turned upside down, I packed up my life in Jakarta and hopped on a flight to Bali with my partner Eric from Adelaide — who shared my dream of freedom, sunshine, and a slower pace of life.
We didn’t have a grand plan. Just two laptops, a few suitcases, and a shared vision of building an online business together — affiliate marketing websites that could give us the flexibility to work from anywhere. Bali felt like the perfect place to start over.
Little did we know, the timing was… interesting.
Life in Bali During the Pandemic
Then came 2020. The island that was once buzzing with tourists suddenly went quiet. Streets emptied. Beach clubs closed. Flights disappeared.
For many, it was heartbreaking — Bali’s tourism-driven economy came to a standstill. But for us, it was strangely peaceful. We’ve never been fans of crowds, and suddenly, the island felt like it was returning to its natural rhythm — calm, slow, and beautifully raw.
We moved around the island through Airbnb stays, discovering Bali’s many faces.
Our first stop was Jimbaran, a sleepy coastal town known for its seafood dinners and golden sunsets. Then came Ubud, where the sound of rain on rice fields became our daily soundtrack.
Later, we drifted back south and spent three months at The Bali Boarding House in Pecatu, a cozy villa community near Dreamland Beach — which used to be our favorite beach before it got too crowded.
That place was special. We met people from everywhere — surfers from Hungary, yoga lovers from the US, and even a sweet family from Chile with a little boy who loved our cat. (Yes, we’ll get to the cat part soon!)
Despite the chaos in the world, life there felt simple, connected, and full of small joys — morning coconuts, sunset chats, shared meals, and the sound of waves echoing through quiet streets.
The Cat That Changed Everything
One day, we met a stray cat who decided she liked us. And just like that, we became cat parents. 🐾
That tiny decision changed everything — we needed more space, more comfort, and a place to truly call home. So we moved to Umah D’Kampoeng, a cluster of villas in Ungasan, South Bali, where we found a small community of expats who, like us, were running businesses and chasing a balanced lifestyle.
Ungasan turned out to be our kind of paradise. It’s peaceful but not isolated, close to Nusa Dua, Sidewalk Jimbaran shopping center, and the airport — yet far from the chaos of Canggu’s traffic and crowds.
Our weekends were filled with slow adventures — walking along Nusa Dua ITDC area, Peninsula Islands, watching the sun melt into the ocean at Melasti Beach, or driving through the cliffs of Uluwatu with the windows down and the salty wind in our hair.
We didn’t leave the island during the pandemic — but honestly, we didn’t feel stuck. Bali gave us space to breathe, create, and grow!
Life Goes On
Looking back, moving to Bali was one of the best decisions we ever made. The pandemic years, though challenging, taught us to slow down and appreciate the simple joys of island life — morning coffee with ocean breeze, quiet roads, and evenings spent watching the sky turn gold.
As life slowly returned to normal, we continued building our online business and exploring new adventures. This blog, SyaelStories, is where I’ll share more about our life in Bali, our travels around Indonesia, and our future journeys overseas.
If you’ve ever dreamed of moving to Bali or starting a new chapter somewhere new, I hope my stories inspire you to take that leap — because sometimes, the best adventures begin when you decide to start over.
Astungkara.. 🧘🏻🪷
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