February 2019 - Soul Full of Detours.

February 21, 2019February 21, 2019

Empower U – Curiosity Led Me Here!

Forever Starts Today – Photo by Oleksandr Pidvalnyi from Pexels

Empower U is a personality development and life coaching program, put on by Brent Williams and his team from Tomorrow’s Youth primarily in Sydney, Australia. The program is designed for young people ideally between the age of 15 – 25, however, there is no set restriction (or else, I wouldn’t have been able to attend).

The Back Story:

Somersby Falls, NSW – My Friend & I – Photo By April Bright

I first heard about this program from a fellow traveler and one of my friend from Oktoberfest. Being a participant herself and one of the primary volunteers for the program, she was raving about the program; which naturally instilled curiosity in me. Having had planned to visit Australia, I tried to get in as a volunteer for the camp (Empower U x 10), but being not experienced and having limited knowledge of the program, Brent invited me to try one of the event first before I committed.

I arrived to my friend’s house in Melbourne on January 26 (Happy Australia Day), and being a super energetic and excited person, she couldn’t wait to reveal my welcome gift. She had planned an epic road trip for my time in Australia and signed me up for the ‘Empower U’ program in February; she used her credits to get me to come to the event!

Empower U:

Although I was curious about the program, I was skeptical about the event as well. Being freshly 26 (January babies are the best), I thought to myself, how much more can I learn from a program designed for individuals younger than I. But being an open-minded individual, and out of love for my friend and her effort, I decided to give it a chance. I was thinking about skipping parts of the event, especially after she told me how long the event goes – The program lasts the whole weekend starting from 8am – 9:30pm; ain’t nobody got time for that!

Day 1

Road Trip! – Photo by Kaique Rocha from Pexels

After driving for 7 hours from a Suburb in Victoria, we finally arrived at the location a little late to the event.

Brent, the founder and speaker, had high energy and was convincing. But there were 3 reasons it was a rough start:

1, During our drive to the event, my friend mentioned that I was the oldest participant for the Sydney program.

2, As Brent kicked off the event, he mentioned that this program is designed more so for young people from the age of 15 – 25, and I just turned 26….

3, Literally all the participants were babies, okay, teens and young adults.

Apart from my slight ego, and seeing a mix of overly excited kids (revisits) and the gloomy “why am I here” kids, I started planning my escape plans. Exit over there, breaks, best excuses etc.

*Cue Mission Impossible Theme Music – Time To Escape! – Photo by Alexander Isreb from Pexels

Anyway, by the end of the night, Brent was able to get more of the participants ready for the weekend and excited for what is to come. As for me, I decided to stay the course because, well, curiosity; and also not to be rude and disrespectful to my friend and Brent – Canadians are not rude people :D.

Day 2 & 3

Growth – New Day, New Me! – Photo by Rakicevic Nenad from Pexels

By no means, should I be condensing what happened during those days under one heading. But due to the design of the event, and the integrity of not giving away too much, I will try to keep it as short and exciting as possible.

Brent used his experience, knowledge, and stories to bring life to the event. He covered topics such as emotional intelligence, money and finance, breaking through barriers, goal setting, communication skills, and family and relationships. With a lot of dancing, team building games and exercises, the room was filled with energy for the entire duration of the event. I truly appreciated the humility of Brent, to see how a successful individual is willingly sharing his secrets and recipes of success. Add in his energy, style of presentation, and the design of the program, no one could have been bored. He also made the event slightly more competitive by separating us into teams and giving out Brent bucks for the team that participated the most – GO CHICKENS!

Squad Goals – Photo by Engin Akyurt from Pexels

Towards the end of day 3, one could see the difference in the room. The super energetic individuals maintained their energy and passion. But the skeptical, gloomy individuals finally showed some life. Wonderful to see how these youngsters truly absorbed the program and went through a complete 360 change. Barely anyone failed to participate and I could sense the boost in confidence in many kids.

The message Brent professed, the lessons he taught, and the experience he shared acted as stepping stones for the participants to gain the confidence.

Leap Of Faith – New You! Photo by erdinç ersoy from Pexels

Personal Reflection:

As the oldest participant, an international and an individual with some life experience, I approached this event with curiosity and skepticism. Not to say I didn’t gain anything from the event, but it was more so of a reflective journey for me rather than a transformational one compared to lot of the participants. During certain key processes, while these young ones transformed, I reflected. I reflected on what I should have done, could have done, who I should have been, relationships, family and friends. It is not late for me, but since I had already made peace with my past mistakes and regrets, the reflection helped find an ultimate closure and set myself up for future goals and success. I did wish I was part of this program at a younger age, so I could have shared similar experience with the other participants.

This program also helped me truly appreciate and be grateful for what I have. Sounds cheesy, but after hearing the stories and experiences of the other participants and what they have gone through at a young age, I have been lucky. Canadian born in UAE, the opportunities, the education and the supportive family and friends, the amazing people I have met, I couldn’t possibly be any ungrateful. I have always been blessed to have been surrounded by the best people, even with the minor setbacks and regrets (I ‘m to blame).

This program also enabled me to meet some awesome individuals and forge friendships with them.

Canada = All Smiles 🙂 Photo by Andre Furtado from Pexels

The Future Is Bright

Future Is Bright – Photo by Lukas from Pexels

As mentioned earlier, the program was more of a reflective journey for me. However, it was an honour, and a humbling experience, to see the journey of the other participants and see their transformation. I am truly happy for each one and hope for the best for you all. The future is bright – Australia is in great hands!

I truly hope this event gains more international exposure, and Brent continues his work with young individuals from other parts of the world. To learn more about the program, click here: https://tomorrowsyouth.com.au/

Keep Smiling and Pushing Forward! 🙂

**I haven’t added any pictures from the event, because it is a tech-free environment and all the pictures captured by the event photographers were strictly for the event. I also can’t use those images as there were young participants under the age of 18.

February 13, 2019February 13, 2019

Bali (Part 2) – Island of The Gods, Nay, Tourists.

Okay, little harsh but that’s the feeling I got from visiting Bali. Does it mean that Bali doesn’t deserve a visit? Absolutely not! Personally, I prefer cities and countries with a good balance of tourists and locals. With Bali, I felt like the province is overrun with tourists with barely any locals in sight. From restaurants to night clubs, seems like a foreigner owns everything.

The Journey….

From Snow Storms To Tropical Green Fields – Edmonton to Bali

After leaving Edmonton, Canada on December 29, 2018, I met up with my friend on December 31, 2018, in Taipei – yes, we skipped an entire day. After the quick hugs and catch up, we went to our terminal excitedly awaiting our boarding call. We boarded the hello kitty flight (I am not kidding) and flew to Denpasar.

Around 5:30pm local time, we arrived at the Denpasar Airport, excited to get to our hostel to change and head out for the New Year’s Eve festivities. After a hard fought battle with many taxi drivers, we found one who was willing to take us to our hostel. Google said 20 minutes (without traffic), but it only took us 2 hours to get to our hostel, super quick! Finally, we arrived, got changed, went out to get some food (lets not talk about that nightmare). So with no food in our system, we rang in the New Years at Finn’s Night Club with Martin Solveig and couple of shots of tequila (seriously, who is counting).

New Year, New Me!

Woke up bright and early on January 1, 2019, at roughly 10:30 am (come on, we did good). Head to a vegan café – got to get that summer bod – and ordered some yummy goodness. Walked around a bit, explored the city, the beach and head back to the hostel for day 2 of the music festival – KHALID!!!!

Day 3 – two inexperienced people rent a scooter and goes on a road trip.

Yes, you read that right, we decided to go on a Road trip from Canggu to Ubud because according to Maps.me it was 20 minutes, it wasn’t….

Ended up in Ubud after an hour on the road, roamed around the city, visited a beautiful waterfall, and headed to back to our hostel; WE DIDN’T DIE! We weaved through the crazy Ubud traffic, narrow roads and survived.

Cities

Canggu:

I spend a majority of the time here, riding scooters, volunteering, eating some Mie Goreng and staying away from the sun (My Canadian body is used to -25). Canggu is a beautiful city. Overrun by tourists, but still little bit of everything for everyone. Beaches, night clubs, restaurants, this place was a great adventure. I recommend hitting up Finn’s Beach Club for really nice vibe – but watch out for the prices. The Tanah lot temple is 20 minutes away on a scooter (if you are brave), from Canggu city center.

Ubud:

Because heading to Ubud once wasn’t enough, my friend and I went there the second time but this time with two big backpacks because the first time wasn’t risky enough. Ubud was a lot calmer than Canggu, with lot of monkeys. The sacred monkey forest is a must if you visit Ubud, but be careful as although we got out with no scratches, I have heard horror stories from people regarding monkey bites. Goa Gajah temple was alright (one of the recommended tourist attraction) but definitely visit the Tegenungan Waterfall, and the Tegallalang Rice Terrace. Visit the rice terrace at sunrise, you won’t be disappointed.

Nusa Islands

Favourite part about my trip to Bali, was heading to these islands. They were beautiful and the people were amazing. Read more about the island here: https://soulfullofdetours.com/nusa-islands-lembongan-ceningan-penida/

Final thoughts:

Personally, I think the true feelings for Bali depends on each individual. I wasn’t a fan because of the huge sea of tourist and expensive prices (for a 3rd world country). Read more about the Bali expenses and tips here:
https://soulfullofdetours.com/bali-part-1-expensesandtips/

I think being one of the biggest tourist destination, it is worth a visit to check out the hype – the province does have its charms. But talking to some locals, they all recommended heading further east to the other provinces, where the lands are still more natural with less tourist exposure.

Happy traveling! Cheers 🙂

February 5, 2019February 6, 2019

Bali (Part 1) – Is It Really Cheap?

Reflection Of Money Leaving My Wallet – Accommodation, Food & Transportation

Bali being a province of one of the 3rd world countries, I expected it to be inexpensive. Bali was more expensive than I thought, especially comparing it to other 3rd world countries I have visited. In all fairness, food and accommodation were decently priced depending upon where you chose to stay and eat. However, transportation is the real culprit in this country. Hell, Australia is much cheaper (not really), but I felt that way.

Accommodations:

I would say the cheapest expense, for value, in Bali is probably the accommodations. With hostels starting from $6 CAD/ night, you can’t go wrong. If you have a little bigger budget, you can get a private Vila starting from $60 CAD/ night in Bali.

Food:

Probably the most inconsistent expense depending upon where you choose to eat. Food is one of those factors, no matter where you go, the pricing is going to be inconsistent. Average food cost in middle to medium-high restaurants are between $5 – $10 Canadian depending upon what you get; also add in the 10% tax and 5% service charge (could be higher at different places). These restaurants are likely owned by foreigners.

Your best bet for cheap food is to go to a Warung – local, tax-free, Indonesian family run restaurants. The food here cost between $1.50 to $5 depending upon where you go and what you eat. But watch out for some medium to high end restaurants advertising their restaurants as “Warung” too but the prices will be more expensive along with taxes compared to the actual Warungs!

A+ Pop Culture Reference – Didn’t Actually Eat Here.

Transportation:

Not Bali, But A True Reflection Of The Traffic – Photo From Pexels Stock Images, Shot By Suzukii Xingfu

Definitely the most expensive part of Bali! All the drivers are greedy here. Is it fair for me to judge them trying to out smart a foreigner, absolutely not, but as a backpacker on a budget, I am going to be that person. From the Denpasar airport to Canggu, based on the Go-Jek and Grab prices, it should have been around 75K IDR ($7.50), however, my friend and I had to spent around 250K IDR ($25) to get to our hostel in Canggu, and this was after negotiations.

Oh and public transportation is nonexistent in Bali!

Speaking of which, Go-Jek and Grab will be your friend in Bali; they are equal to Uber in Bali. Taxis can be tricky and expensive. Go-Jek is an Indonesian company, but Grab is an international company. But… WATCH OUT! Some drivers on these apps will contact you separately on WhatsApp or the ride share app’s messaging tool to ask for more money. For example, for one incident, the Go-Jek app quoted me 50K IDR ($5) for a trip, but the driver contacted me separately asking for 400K IDR ($40).

Boat/ferry trips are also expensive. To go to the islands, expect to spend about $50 CAD round trip for a 30-minute ferry ride. A 15-minute boat ride is around $6 CAD.

Tips To Survive Bali:

Best way to get around Bali is via a scooter. Scooter rentals are anywhere between $5-$7 per day and about $2 for a full tank of gas (unless you get lucky). Mind you, this can be dangerous as you weave through the hectic Bali traffic and narrow roads if you have no experience.

For Go-Jek, sign up with an Indonesian sim card ($7) and instead of paying cash, add some money to the app. Get a local or tourist with Indonesian bank account to add money to the account. I noticed that when you are paying through the app with an Indonesian cell number, the drivers automatically assume you are a local and don’t pester you for more money. If the drivers message you in Balinese, use Google translate and reply; trust me it helps with the expensive trips. Also, by using the app to pay, you save money as they discount the trips.

Bring currency from home and exchange it in Bali. US and Australian dollars are the most preferred currency followed by Pounds and Euros, but there are exchange centers that take all currencies as well. It is much cheaper than pulling out money from the ATM and paying the fees. The exchange rates are pretty good too except in the islands.

Pay hostels and restaurant with cash because they charge you extra transaction fees if you were to use your credit cards.

Bali Belly! Luckily I didn’t get one even after eating most of my meals from Warungs. Just be careful of the restaurants you decide to eat at. And DO NOT drink tap water.

Get travel insurance (I should be listening to this advice as well). Although I have been lucky enough to leave Bali without any issues, I have heard horror stories from fellow travelers. Consultation fee in one of the Balinese clinics is about $35.

Personally, I thought Bali is cheap if you are going down for a quick vacation. But if you are planning to head to Bali as a backpacker, it might not be the best place to start your backpacking trip. *Learn from my experience* 😀