Ubud & Hanoi
In May of 2026 I visited Asia for the first time.
And its safe to say I will be back very, very, soon.
A certain someone taught me to not acknowledge time; but for my born day this year (a day I’ll be referring to as TaurusTime for the rest of my life) I decided to head to an island I’d been wanting to visit since my childhood: Bali.
I’ll admit I was worried about the length of the flights. Seventeen hours from San Francisco to Singapore, and another two and a half to get to Indonesia. But I was asleep most of the time and luckily had an empty seat next to me. And it definitely helped that I flew Singapore Airlines. I think I’ve been ruined for life- yes, the experience was THAT good!
Singapore Airlines is the GOAT!
Singapore
I intentionally planned my layover so that I’d have enough time to at least leave the airport, but I’m sure there’s much more to experience that what I did. Oh, and I’d highly recommend using the Grab app to get around Southeast Asia.
I spent a lot of my time in Chinatown (an excellent place to buy souvenirs) and popped into the famous Marina Bay Sands Hotel, but I need to return to the island nation. Word on the street is that there’s something like seventeen families of wild otters that migrate between the public fountains!
This I must witness very soon.
Ubud
I chose my hotel for its proximity to the Sacred Monkey Forest (and quickly realized Bali isn’t as small an island as I originally thought). One day I borrowed a motorbike and spent the day at the Elephant Cave. I also watched a famous Balinese cultural performance: the Uluwatu Kecak Fire Dancers.
Ubud is swarming with a ton of incredible eateries and other small businesses. I bought several pairs of fake Birkenstocks (which are still in great shape, by the way!) and even visited a balloon store to buy some supplies to celebrate the five year anniversary of The Native Experience.
The one thing I would’ve done differently about my time in Bali was staying at the beach for a couple days. I guess I had other priorities, being a California boy in Asia for the first time!
Immediately after checking into my hotel, I made a beeline for the Sacred Monkey Forest.
Hanoi
After a glorious couple days in Bali, I hopped on a plane to the incredible city of Hanoi, Vietnam. This was when I realized Asia was more spread out than I originally thought; the flight from Indonesia to Vietnam was around five hours.
The entire purpose of this leg of the journey was to support the one and only Railway Tuan Cafe, on the famous Train Street! This is a very unique experience in Hanoi where you get to drink coffee (or beer!) next to the tracks as the trains whisk by. Tuan and his family are some of the most hospitable, kind-hearted people I have ever met and I look forward to taking one of their tours soon!
My time in Vietnam was way too short but I added a day trip to visit the amazing Perfume Pagoda which included a one hour journey to and from the complex by boat.
The Day Before TaurusTime
One of my favorite experiences in Ubud was Breakfast With Orangutans at the Bali Zoo. There are less than 2,000 orangutans in the wild and I did some research on the conservation efforts the Zoo funded, including a chain saw buy back program (since the production of palm oil is the largest contributor to the destruction of the orangutan’s habitat). Oh, and the breakfast was absolutely SUPERB and the ticket included a general admission entrance to see the rest of the Zoo.
But that wasn’t the best part.
When we lined up to take pics, Ghandi the baby orangutan swung all the way down to greet me, completely ignoring the two people lined up before me!
He did it TWICE!
I wasn’t going to leave the little guy hanging so I shook his out-stretched hand, and even though the keepers reprimanded me, you could tell how shocked and impressed they were. They started asking me all these questions about where I was from, etc and I confided in them that my birthday was the next day.
Yes, indeed, the highlight of this entire trip (and arguably one of the highlights of the entire year AND my life) was receiving the blessing of Ghandi, the baby orangutan.
TaurusTime
The day was finally here.
A glorious Friday.
And I had quite the incredible day planned.
My amazing guide Ketut picked me up that morning and we immediately drove to the shaman’s house. We spent about 40 minutes there. If I had to be honest, the shaman didn’t tell me too much that I didn’t already know, but he did confirm some really important things. I was impressed with how specific his reading was. He mentioned a couple things I had not told a single soul and while I knew this would be a life-changing, spiritual trip, my time with the shaman confirmed that.
Then we headed to the Pura Tirta Empul water temple. I’ve never seen anything like it before! Tirta Empul translates to “holy water spring” and this spring has provided water to the different fountains and purification pools since AD 962! Before I entered the healing waters, I changed into a sarong and made an offering. After I took part in the purification ceremony, I got to feed the koi fish and explore the complex a bit.
It was simply stunning.
I could see why this is one of the most revered Hindu temples in Bali!
After that I got a tour at a coffee plantation and got to ride on the giant swing! I am TERRIFIED of heights so this was a BIG DEAL for me. I’ve strapped up for zip lines a couple times in the past just to chicken out when the time came to push myself off. But as you can see I overcame my fear and even opened my eyes after a few seconds!
We then headed to a spa where I got a glorious massage in a really cool, semi-outdoor setting.
It was the perfect end to a perfect day and I guarantee you I slept like a satisfied baby that night.
The Day After TaurusTime
I could not have asked for a more fulfilling day for TaurusTime of my Jesus year. But I had an equally amazing experience the next day. Before leaving Bali, I really wanted to take a yoga class with an actual local- not some privileged European or American immigrant who calls themself an “expat”.
After doing a bunch of research, I found Pranasanti, and scheduled an early morning session. As I walked to the studio in the stillness of the morning, it began to mist lightly. It was so perfect. And when I arrived at the studio, to my surprise the other guests didn’t show up and I had the pleasure of a private session!
I had no idea I was in for a real life Vision of Love!
I’d highly recommend booking a session at Pranasanti Studio!
My first visit to Asia was absolutely perfect. I found myself crying happy tears more than once on this journey. But most importantly, I had the spiritual experience my soul so deeply yearned for, and I can wholeheartedly say I returned to the United States a more compassionate, mindful, and less impulsive human. I picked up habits in Bali that I know I will carry with me for the rest of my life.
After all isn’t the whole point of a Jesus Year to align you with your deeper calling; your true purpose?
****
I had an incredible time in Asia and can’t wait to return soon! Read about my recommendations for the incredible cities of Paris and Versailles here