CelsAway

“We had to walk through the river, waist-deep, with our backpacks on our heads”

Still Here

Ubud has become one of my favorite places.
Though, to be fair, I say that about most places I spend more than a few days in. Still, something about the people here — the community, the ease — makes me feel lucky to be part of it.

Time has gotten slippery. I think I’ve been here for three weeks, but I honestly wouldn’t bet on it. The days melt into each other — a mix of writing, dancing, meditating, and hanging out at the warung.

Damn Visas

A few days ago, I was actually meant to leave. I had booked a flight to Hanoi on an impulse, planning to volunteer at some kind of daycare there. It felt like the right move — until it didn’t.

I showed up at Denpasar airport puffing and sweating with two backpacks strapped to me, gave myself a second to breathe, and then got in line to check in. I was already nervous about the weight of my bags (ready to pull a classic layer-up move if needed), but what stopped me wasn’t the luggage. It was the visa.

Apparently, VietJetAir wants you to have a Vietnamese visa before flying. I had assumed I could get a visa on arrival — which is technically true, just not with this airline. I asked if I could get one quickly, but the woman behind the desk smiled politely and said it takes three to four days.

I took my passport back and slid down a wall into a crumpled human pile, trying to figure out what my options were. Despite what the woman told me, I looked up urgent visas anyway, but only found one that cost almost €350 — I wasn’t that eager to leave Indonesia, not for that much money.

I called my mom at 5 a.m. her time (thank you mom), and after an hour of just sitting and whining and googling at the airport, I decided to return to Ubud. I was still upset, but in the car, I started thinking maybe this was a sign. Maybe I was meant to stay a little longer.

No Goodbye After All

The rest of the afternoon, I was exhausted and rested. I’d asked Mia to keep me company — not wanting to sit alone in my rollercoaster of emotions — and when she got restless and wanted to go out, I decided to tag along. By the time I was dressed up, my mood had shifted completely and I felt confident about the decision I didn’t really make, but had now accepted as fate.

That night, my confidence in staying a little longer was only confirmed. The evening before, we’d said our goodbyes — lots of hugs and a promise to visit again. So when I showed up again, less than 24 hours later, everyone was visibly confused for a second, and then just started laughing.

Their surprise quickly turned into teasing comments. “How was Vietnam?” someone asked. I briefly explained what happened, but we mostly ignored the whole thing and picked up where we had left off — joking around and playing music. Their energy was contagious in the best way, and I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face the rest of the night.

Parkour to the Waterfall

The following day, Ulum — my tattoo artist — took me to a hidden waterfall he had told me about. Two other friends from the warung joined us, and the four of us drove the motorbikes to a little parking spot nearby.

Getting to the actual spot wasn’t exactly a walk in the park — we stumbled through mud, climbed over fallen trees, and tried not to lose our balance along the way. To finish it off, we had to walk through the river, waist-deep, with our backpacks on our heads, the current pushing against our sides.

Another Adoption

When we got back to the warung, we hung out there for a couple more hours. I had some photos from the night before and the waterfall to edit, and we all shared a late homemade lunch. Being included in that meal felt like an adoption. They’d already told me their friend group is like a family, and that both Mia and I were now part of it — but sitting at the restaurant, eating free food that wasn’t even on the menu and wasn’t made by the chef but by some of the guys… it was an amazing feeling.

Once again, I felt like I belonged here — at least for a little while.
And in that moment, I felt overly satisfied. It’s a feeling I’m always chasing, but only occasionally manage to find.

The evening was spent dancing and chilling at the warung again, after a quick shower at home. I think most of my days will look like this for a while. And honestly — don’t mess with something good, right?

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Things I’ve Learned (and Would Recommend):

• Don’t trust visa blogs — double-check with your airline
• If the path looks like an obstacle course, it’s probably worth it
• A waterproof backpack is not optional
• Befriend restaurant owners and tattoo artists!
• Shared meals hit different when you unexpectedly included