Eat, Pray, Love: My Solo Travel Adventures in Asia Part 1

Omg. So, I’ve put off writing this because it is easily the most transformative experience of my entire life. And I really cherish it. Because of that, I’ve been really protective about sharing this experience with others because…Idk…Something about sharing it and putting it into the world makes me feel anxious, like something that was “just for me” isn’t mine anymore. Is that weird?

I know it’s weird lol. Idk. My whole life I’ve been really big on sharing things on “my own terms”. I revealed I’m dating someone on our one year anniversary, I shared that I became an AKA 6 months after the fact, and I shared my new job months after I started working. I don’t really know why I love to keep things close to the chest. * If there are any therapists reading this, feel free to diagnose me in the comments haha* But, I think I’m ready to share. So, here’s my story…I hope you enjoy :)

I did the bravest thing I could possibly do: I traveled across the world…all by myself! How did it happen? Randomly, like all the best things.

In November 2022 I was laying on my mat in a yin yoga class and I felt overwhelmed with so much peace. I felt like “wow. I love this feeling. I feel so restored and grateful for this practice that has been life saving for me. I’d love to share this feeling with the world, especially people like me.” And then I had another thought, “I could!” After I left class and settled at home, I pulled out my phone and began googling Yoga Teacher Trainings near me. Every training I found was 6-18 months long and SO expensive. I knew I wanted to move within 6 months, so it was really important for me to find something that was fully immersive and 2 months or less. I wasn’t finding anything that fit my criteria, but then I found a program called Shades of Yoga that was the same price as the multi-month courses, but it was less than 30 days full time. The catch? It was in Bali, Indonesia. I thought to myself, I can’t possibly go to Bali can I?

I had always wanted to travel to Bali. It was on my bucket list and a place I dreamed of experiencing. But, I always thought it would be someplace that I experienced with my best friends or the love of my life. I had been playing with the idea of going to Bali with my bestie for the longest, but something always came up. This was my chance. But, it was so last minute. So many thoughts swirled through my head. They had classes beginning in January monthly throughout the year…but I felt like if I was going to take the plunge, I had to just go for it, I couldn’t take too long to think about it, because if I had too much time to overthink, there was a very good chance that I was going to change my mind.

I immediately told my mom “I’m going to Bali to get my Yoga Teacher Certification at the beginning of the year.” Naturally, she was like “Girl, What?!” But, she quickly became supportive, which I love about her. Saying it out loud held me accountable. Next I told my best friends for some extra accountability. I still wasn’t 100% sold though. I began to do what I do best, research. I read all the reviews for Shades of Yoga studio, I asked my friends that were Yoga Alliance Certified, I even reached out to a former student and asked what her experience was like as the only person of color in the program. She wrote an article about her experience for Medium, so I felt like it was pretty legit. I told my guy best friend I was still hesitant because the website was a little sketchy (it has now been remodeled lol). He told me to write down all of my hesitations and reach out to the instructor and if she can address all of my concerns, I should go for it.

I called the instructor via whatsapp and she was able to address all of my concerns. (She would later tease me about being the American that wondered if the whole business was a scam lol) The next day I sent over my deposit, and immediately began freaking out because that meant I was really doing this. I was really going all the way across the world…by myself! Was I crazy?! Honestly, I think a little. Lol You have to be a little crazy to make life changing decisions.

As the day began to get closer, I began researching flights, accommodations, travel requirements, etc. (I can do another blog about how I prepared for the trip if you’re interested. I did SO much preparation that I definitely overpacked. I had about 50 pairs of underwear (because somehow it didn’t dawn on me that I could wash my clothes overseas *facepalm*). I had bug spray, pads, nausea meds, pain meds, vitamins, multiple bottles of sunscreen and bug spray. I packed about 25 pairs of leggings and sports bras. I was truly overdoing it. (More on this later…)

The day finally arrived that I was setting off on the adventure of a lifetime. I was so excited and nervous. I didn’t sleep at all the night before as I mentally combed through my packing list to make sure I wasn’t forgetting anything. My mom took me to the airport and I remember us sharing the longest hug. I was scared, but I was going to do it anyway. On the flight from Detroit to LA I excitedly journaled and talked to God about how grateful I was for the experience. But when I reached the airport, my nerves really started to set in. My flight was delayed 6 hours, which meant lots of time for my brain to go into overdrive. I know myself pretty well though, and I knew I was going to need some encouragement from my loved ones at some point. Thankfully in my backpack I packed unopened letters of affirmation that my best friends wrote me for my birthday. I picked one from my friend Sabrina, who was also on the adventure of a lifetime living in Sierra Leone, and it was exactly what I needed to make sure I got on the plane.

When I boarded the plane the first thing I did was turn on Eat, Pray, Love. It was my first time watching it and I felt the excitement begin to take over my body. There were so many key takeaways for me but the biggest lesson was this quote at the end of the movie:

“If you’re brave enough to leave behind everything familiar and comforting and set out on a truth seeking journey (either externally or internally) and you are truly willing to regard everything that happens to you on that journey as a clue, AND if you accept everyone you meet along the way AND if you are prepared to face and forgive some very difficult realities about yourself- the truth will not be withheld from you.”

And with that quote resonating in my mind, I closed my eyes and drifted off to sleep as I floated across the Pacific Ocean, knowing that I was setting out on a truth seeking journey that was going to change my life-forever.

When I finally landed in Australia, I noticed another Black girl at the baggage center inquiring about her transfer, she was also heading to Bali. We exchanged brief introductions and then went our separate ways for the 6 hour layover. On the flight from Sydney to Bali, I sat next to an Egyptian man that lived in Sydney and worked for the airline, Qantas. He shared tips about traveling the world, living abroad, his favorite places to see and things to do in Bali and we exchanged information and made plans to meet up next time we were in the same country. When I got off the plane and arrived at baggage claim, I noticed everyone’s bags were coming out…except mine. After about twenty minutes only me and the other Black girl were left standing there. I had an airtag on my bag (HIGHLY recommend) so I pulled out my phone and it said my bag was still in Sydney, Australia. I thought I was going to pass out, NO WAY I was thousands of miles away from home with NO luggage. WHEW. Me and my new friend Margaret (who I found out was from Atlanta and visiting Bali on her own solo trip to celebrate her birthday) made our way to the lost luggage counter. They weren’t able to give us more information about our luggage, but told us it should arrive in 1-2 days and gave us about $30 American dollars for our “troubles”. Margaret and I continued on to exchange our dollars for Indonesian Rupiah’s and then parted ways after exchanging information and promising to keep in touch.

My Yoga program arranged an airport transfer from the airport to the resort, which was about 90 minutes away. When I arrived at the resort it was about 11pm and my roommate was already asleep because we had class bright and early the next morning. She woke up as I was setting my little carry on down and getting my toiletries out (thankfully I packed all of my necessities like meds, contacts and solution, toothbrush, a couple pair of leggings and underwear in my carryon) and we made brief introductions. She had arrived a week before me but was still jet lagged from her travels from Germany. I had never met anyone from Germany before, so I was hoping we got along. I was just relieved she spoke English.

The next morning, my German roomie Tina, and I headed to our first day of Yoga Teacher Training! We were beyond excited. We left the room early so we had time to make the 15 minute walk to the venue, thankfully our google maps held it down. On the walk there I experienced my first bit of culture shock. Bali looked SO different during the daytime! We had arrived during the beginning of Bali’s Hindu Celebration of the Ancestors, so there were offerings everywhere in the streets! The Balinese people were dressed in traditional garments, kids were running the street playing instruments, and women were creating alters everywhere. You could just FEEL the spiritual energy in the air. The streets were VERY narrow and you could pretty much only walk single file on the sidewalk, there were stray dogs everywhere, and everywhere you looked was beautiful architecture and temples. It was so surreal, I couldn’t believe I was there. As we made it to the top of the hill, we arrived at Taksu Spa, where our first day would be. We walked through this beautiful lush garden and temple to arrive at the yoga shala, and our instructor was waiting for us with a smile and some sage haha. She saged everyone down and we each filled out a nametag and took a photo for the “Yogi’s around the world map”. I glanced at the map and had a “Oh Crap” moment as I noticed that I was the only Black girl. I was too excited and nervous to really care though.

When we entered the classroom we pulled a tarot card and sat in a circle to begin introductions. I pulled the “Creativity and Enchantment” cards which felt perfectly aligned with what I thought I was going to get out of my time in Bali. The energy in the room was so electric. I met a few other Americans, lots of Europeans, Asians, and South Africans. It was so cool hearing how each of us ended up in this little shala coming from so many different parts of the world. When I shared my story, my instructor shared how she admired my courage to take a leap of faith because she could hear my reservations on the phone, but she could also tell my spirit was really bright and attracting new and beautiful things. Everyone was shocked I had arrived so late and without my luggage because I was in such a good mood haha. But, I felt super at peace because I believed I was exactly where I was supposed to be.