Candidasa, a small town on the eastern coast of Bali, was a nice break from the hustle and bustle we experienced as we made our way from the busy streets of Kuta. Our villa, nestled right by the sea, was surrounded by lush greenery and towering coconut palms. Here, for the first time on our journey, we welcomed a visitor from Poland—Marianna’s mum joined us to explore Bali.

Zdjęcie: Willa i ogród w Candidasie

  Zdjęcie: Willa i ogród w Candidasie

It was a time for relaxation that couldn’t have come a moment too soon, as all of us fell ill once we were there. Marcel was the worst off, with a fever climbing up to 40°C. We focused on rest and spent a few days in our beautiful garden, resting by the pool. After two or three days, we were back on our feet and ready to explore the area again.

Zdjęcie: Spędzamy czas w basenie

Relaksowi sprzyjały nam okoliczności. Codziennie rano odwiedzali nas opiekunowie willi, którzy dbali o ogród, basen oraz przygotowywali pyszne śniadania. Obok willi znajdowała się restauracja Ganesh, serwująca wyśmienite jedzenie, więc większość obiadów i kolacji jadaliśmy właśnie tam. Na Bali ceny w restauracjach są bardzo przystępne — porządne danie można dostać za około 15-20 złotych.

I had an interesting conversation with the villa manager, who had helped build the property. He mentioned that about 10 years ago, the construction cost of such a villa was around 50,000 GBP. The manager mentioned that the owner, who resides in the Netherlands, is also building a house for a Polish family. In Indonesia, foreigners are not allowed to purchase land. Instead, they lease it long-term, paying rent to the landowner, and once an agreement is in place, they can build a house.

I had planned to visit the project and meet the family, but our health issues derailed those plans. Regardless, it was an interesting piece of information to learn.

Zdjęcie: Na plaży w Candidasie

Bywały dni, kiedy dziewczyna opiekująca się domem przyjeżdżała ze swoimi dziećmi. Najwięcej radości miała z tego Aliya, która bawiła się z nimi i pokazywała swoje zabawki.

Zdjęcie: Aliya bawi się z Balijskimi dziećmi

Oczywiście, jak to na Bali, nie brakowało tu małp. Nie były zbyt natarczywe i przebywały głównie na dachu. Czasami podchodziły niżej, sprawdzając, czy przypadkiem nie zostawiliśmy czegoś do jedzenia.

Zdjęcie: Małpy na dachu willi w Candidasie

One morning, as I sipped my matcha, I heard noises behind our fence. Made, the housekeeper, explained that people were harvesting coconuts and climbing up the tall palm trees to pick them. Sure enough, I saw two people perched at the tops of these towering palms, as coconuts came crashing down one after another with a heavy thud. None of them wore safety harnesses, but I wasn’t surprised by that — these were experienced climbers who knew what they were doing. We’d seen similar scenes during our time in Fiji. Thanks to Made, we received two coconuts for breakfast, and later, with help from a neighbour, we bought ten more. These coconuts were some of the best we’ve ever had, with flesh that was the perfect texture.

Zdjęcie: Zbiór kokosów

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