I have a new Bali book!
That’s right. Those that are close to me will know that in recent times I’ve been busy hiding behind my laptop screen, drinking coffee and annoying them with sudden bursts of laughter and stupid questions such as, “Hey do you remember when…?”
This is what happens when you’re a writer, and especially so when you’re neck deep in a project that takes every second of your time and passion. For me, that has been my new Bali book – Island of Solitude, which I’ve diligently been working on for the past 18 months or so. It’s a project that not only highlights a place that is very special to me and millions of travelers worldwide but details a time that was very important in not only my life, but the history to the world.
What makes my new book different to every other Bali book on the market is that it is a true story set during the Pandemic. It’s not a travel guide and isn’t meant to be. However, throughout the book I explore every corner of the island, and readers will learn about places, attractions and natural beauty that they most likely have never heard of before. So, if a guide to finding hidden gems and off the beaten track wonders is what you’re after, then this book will also be of interest to you.
So, what is “Island of Solitude” about?
In March 2020, I landed in Bali two days before they shut the airports. As I was unpacking my backpack, the world shut down behind me and I found myself stranded on a tropical island, with little to no idea what was going on back home in Australia – or anywhere for that matter.
While the rest of the world panicked and went into lockdowns, things were different in Bali. We had few infections and wondered if what was happening elsewhere was a hoax. Misinformation spread, and while the media in Australia falsely reported that people were dying in their droves in Bali, we moved on with life as normal. Well, a very, very quiet version of normal.
Bali swiftly became abandoned and isolated. Not only were the airports closed, but so were the ferry’s, the only other way for visitors to access the island. Those that ran businesses or worked in Bali that lived in Java and beyond quickly moved back home to their villages, and neighborhoods such as Kuta that normally throbbed and hummed with tourists swiftly became ghost towns. Bali became a place that was totally alien from anything I’d seen before in over 12 years of visiting.
We settled into a life that we knew we would never see again. I climbed Mount Batur for the sunrise with only half a dozen other people to share it with – an activity that would normally see hundreds cramming the summit struggling for the best viewpoint. I discovered waterfalls down jungle paths that were swiftly becoming overgrown. I paddled out to sand islands that were Instagram famous only to have them all to myself.
When domestic travel opened, I met up with my beautiful partner Jo, who, as an Indonesian local, had seen a totally different side of the pandemic in the capital city of Jakarta. Meeting up in Kuta, we became inseparable, and when the island locked down again, she stayed and together we made a pact to see as much of Bali as we could before the tourists returned.
See we did. From empty temples and deserted tourist hotspots, to discovering over 70 waterfalls, we did it all. There was not a corner of the island we didn’t explore, both on two wheels and four. We became honorary members of families in the mountains of Munduk, and met Indonesian royalty whilst exploring the far north. Our journey became a time and place that we will never forget.
Here, in my new Bali book, “Island of Solitude” I’ve recorded all of these experiences not only as a diary of a time that will some day become long forgotten, but so that you, the reader, can explore them along with me, and perhaps find your own little corner of Bali away from the crowds that you might fall in love with too.
CLICK HERE to grab your copy now!
