We began in Ubud, where the rice terraces fall away in green steps and monkey troops ventured over the walls at dusk. Then we drove west to Nirjhara, near Tabanan, a resort that seems to have grown out of the jungle rather than been built in it. Thatched roofs the colour of honey, dark teak, a river below the breakfast terrace, and a canopy so dense the light arrives already green.
By the end of the week the resort staff felt less like a hotel team and more like hosts who happened to live there.
Ask Joahnna what she loved most and the answer is instant. The numerous spa treatments in several venues, scented with lemongrass, clove and coconut oil. The resort and its extraordinary people. And the food: sambal that wakes you up, young coconut from the shell, grilled fish with lime leaf and black rice pudding at breakfast.
Ask me and I’ll say the massages, naturally. But what I’ll remember was our togetherness. Exploring with no agenda. Temple gates split in two like open hands. Moss-covered stone demons with flowers behind their ears. French bakeries and market stalls stacked with dragon fruit and chillies in every red colour there is.
And above all, the devotion. In Bali the gods are not kept for Sundays. They are greeted every morning with offerings on doorsteps, dashboards and shop counters. A thousand small acts of gratitude before the day’s work begins. For someone who writes and talks about habits and strategy for a living, it was humbling to watch a whole culture practise both so gracefully, and so quietly.
The rest was simple. A pool the colour of jade. Swimming. Good coffee. And between the romantic adventures, I’ll confess I snuck in a little more reading about AI. Some habits travel.
We came home rested, a shade browner and already talking about our next adventure.
