Facts about dreadlocks...

Having mine meanwhile 8 months, I am still very in love with them. Having dreadlocks, especially as girl and especially in Bali is still something special. Many experience with them came along my way, many very nice ones, sometimes strange as well. Today I would like to tell you some TRUE facts about dreadlocked people:

1. Great, you don't have to wash your hair anymore
Well, you don't have to, if you want to smell like an animal. Yes, you wash your hair even with dreadlocks, nothing special, I even use a "normal" shampoo

2. Everybody who has dreadlocks, has lice
OMG, I still remember the story when a colleague from my previous work in Germany came back from his business trip, telling me to stay away from him as he has probably lice. After seeing the big question mark in my face he answered "I was sitting in the airplane next to a dreadlock guy". Aaaaah I nearly punched him for this fact. WTF? No, having dreadlocks doesn't automatically means you are having lice. Of course you can get them as well, and oh my dear, I can imagine how difficult would it be to remove them, but how many "normal hair people" have lice

3. You wanna buy some weed? Come on, you have dreadlocks
Hahaha yes...Sometimes dreadlocks means automatically smoking weed. Yes, some or maybe most do. I don't so please stop thinking this and stop offering me weed.

4. Dreadlocks just listen to Reggae music
Yes, mostly, not everybody. I have a friend who even hates Reggae music.

5. Dreadlocked people are dirty hippies
This one is my favorite one :-) I had a bad story one morning in Canggu. 2 very drunk guys attacked me at 6:30 am in a supermarket. One of them even grab my hair, calling me dirty stupid hippie but the best one was when he told me that he just bought a chocolate which was not organic and not vegan :-) OMG!!!! If he would only know. I am not vegan, neither I really care if he buys organic stuff.
No, dreadlocked people are NOT ALWAYS dirty. In the last 1,5 years I met so many dreadlocks in Bali and not even one smelled bad. Neither me. But shall I tell you how many bad smelling people I met who don't have dreadlocks? And no, not every dreadlock is a hippie. So please stop judging us. But here I can really say it's just a small minority who do it.

In a nutshell: People are humans, no matter which skin color, hair style, nationality or religion they have: Live and let live :-) Please don't judge and smile when you see one of us, I promise, you will always get a big smile back.

Bali's secret spots

I know, I know, it's been a while, maybe a bit too long since I wrote my last post. The reason? Here we are, according to my post title, the first Bali secret: you get really, really lazy and easy going living in Bali :-)
I took this title today and maybe the most of my follower expect some new secret spots, like some waterfalls, rice fields or an undiscovered island. Sorry to disappoint you here :-)
I get everyday many messages from some friends, friends of friends, people I even never met before, asking me to share some nice places and nearly every message contains the same thing: "I would like to see Bali but not the touristy stuff". Well, meanwhile there are millions of travel blogs and travel books publishing everyday the "secret spots" so it's very difficult to find a place without some tourists. But yes, Bali is getting more and more famous every day and I dearly can understand the people, because Bali is simply a paradise.
When I was traveling earlier I always made a plan what would I like to see, and those were usually things like "must see" or "must do". At the end I did some of those places and liked them, even if some of them were super touristy. But mostly my plans changed as soon as I arrived to a new country. Discovering things or places on your own are so much more interesting. I found cafes and restaurants by accident, I would for example probably never find again, I mostly don't even remember their names or the places I found them. I met so many interesting people, I don't even remember their names and I probably will never see them again in my life. But the times we shared will stay forever in my mind. This are the things no travel blog, no travel guide book, nobody who lives here can ever recommend you, this are things you have to find on your own, these are those things which make your travel to a special one.
So when you ask me again, what can I recommend here in Bali, I will just answer you to spend as much time as you can with local people, watch the sunset on the beach and join the local boys when they play music there, share some beers with them. Eat in the local places called warung, try the amazing street food at night, don't be shy or scared to try new dishes. Rent a scooter (and please wear a helmet and don't be a super hero on the bike, especially if you drive for the first time) and explore the island, take a ride into the unknown, you will see beautiful natural places and meet wonderful local people.
If you are in Canggu, I kindly invite you to join me and my friends at the evening, sharing food together at our favorite warung, sometimes we do own fish barbecue, the boys are playing guitar, we have some drinks (of course you as guest should bring some beers, too ;-). I promise you incredible times and memories.
Welcome to my paradise!

Why I love what I do

even if I have to wake up every morning at 6:00, even if I am sometimes tired, even if I have to ride thru hard rain to be on time to my classes....seeing all those beautiful people, having great classes with them, working with my best friends at the same place...yes, I exactly do every day what I love...

Happy anniversary

2nd of March 2016 I moved to Bali. How to better celebrate this special date one year later, but with friends you spend every single day and some nice local food and drinks.
In my super small kitchen, Maan prepared some nice dishes, Juda cut, Indiana Jones style, the banana leaf down with the machete, to put the food on, Vanessa was the best kitchen assistant to Maan. And me...ya I was nervous, running around and welcome all friends who came by...friends, food, drinks, guitar music, laughter and happiness, how can life be ever better?

With Maan, Vanessa, Juda, Daniela, Rudi, Giat, Alena & Malika, Edy, Alice & Maya, Dedi, Budy, Nengah, Leire, Riko, Windy, Seno, Bagong, Papu and of course our dog Dadong

Reflection of one year after....

This post supposed to be on January 16th, that day one year ago I left Germany with my two backpacks to start a completely new life. But I was a bit busy the last days and finally here it is.
Reflection of one year after....A year full of joy and happiness, some tears, some doubts, but with a lot of new experience, new ideas, new me.
I left into a completely new situation, having no idea what is going to expect me and first went to Goa/India again, to finish my 500 hrs Yoga Teacher training. The time in India (6 weeks in total) brought me back into my daily ashtanga practice, I met many new lovely people, I taught 2 weeks every morning the Ashtanga Led class afterwards, which deepen my english teaching knowledge to the maximum.
And then on March 2nd I arrived to my new home, Bali. But as well, always when I planned something, at the end everything turnt into something else. I planned to stay 2 nights in Canggu,  then go to Seminyak, Uluwatu, Nusa Lembongan....before I finally move and settle to Ubud. One year later I still live in Canggu and don't plan to move from here anymore :-) Canggu completely got me and after trying to stay 3 weeks in Ubud, I realized that I don't want to live there anymore. Meanwhile I have an own place in Canggu, 2 rooms, bath, kitchen and I feel at home everyday when I open my door and see my lovely hippie crib. My home is very simple but I love it.
It was not easy finding a job here in Bali and everybody who pass by here and always ask me, I want to teach yoga for 3 weeks I just can smile and answer: forget it! You need to stay here for a while as Bali is always testing you and only if you are really ready to tune into this beautiful island with the huge energy, then you will get the chance. I got my first chance at the lovely The Canggu Studio and I am thankful to Alli and Pablo for this chance till the end of my life. But as nothing is constant but change, I left the studio and nowadays I teach two classes everyday in two amazing places in Canggu.
Not going to mention once again that I found such a perfect and lovely family here, a bunch of people from many parts from Indonesia, as well as friends from Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

What did I learn from the one year away from Germany?
- Happiness is not having many material things. For me happiness is having less, but spending the most time with people I like, eating, singing, laughing...
- Don't rush anymore. Relax more, spend time with yourself. Job is important, yes, but it's not the most important thing in life.
- Share! Share everything you have. Especially food. And never ever be selfish again. The life rewards you back for this. This is maybe the best thing I learnt from the people here in Bali. Even if they have nothing, they share the last portion of rice with you.
- Do the things you like and never ever give a shit what another people may think about you. I especially mention here my new hair :-) of course I got some messages (from some people I don't even call friends) if I now got completely crazy, especially in my age :-) I just say here: Better be absolutely ridiculous than absolutely boring. And btw I don't care if you like my hair or not.
- People come and go. Not everybody can stay in your life forever. Appreciate and be grateful for those who do, and let go on everybody else who is not supposed to. I talk here about friends.
- Always keep your heart open, everyday is a new day for something beautiful.

Many people ask me when I will come back to Germany. For the moment I don't plan to come back anymore...But I sometimes miss some things, like my parents and friends, my cat and some food so I may come for a short visit.

My 2016 in pictures:

500 Hrs Yoga Teacher Training Goa/India, yeaaaah!

First day in Canggu, Bali

First house mates and friends

Bali Spirit Festival in Ubud

Crazy scooter rides with Ruth

Gili Air again and again and again....

First proper motobike ride

Visa run Kuala Lumpur and Singapore

40th birthday (with swollen eye :-/)

Lieblingsmensch

First surfing (and the last one :-))

Dreadlocks....

and my dreadlock friends :-) loads of Reggae music

and last but not least, my Bali family

Rainy season

Rainy season is fully ongoing here in Bali. Driving the roads at the moment, you see more or less just the raincoats on the bikes. The local people told me that it started this year a bit earlier than usually. And I always answered "Aaah that's so ok, a bit rain, no care, because it's still warm". Yes in fact it is...comparing to Europe. But when you are used to the weather here, getting wet on the scooter feels super cold. I never thought, I would be very happy about my only pair of socks here in the evening.
It is my first rainy season living in a tropical place. And this is a new experience and lessons I had to learn. F. e. never close your wardrobe, always leave everything open and use the AC more....as everything is humid and mouldy. As I just opened my backpack I got shocked....all leather things, my belt, my purse and a bag...mouldy! But ok, it's normal. And at the end these are just things I never used.
The amount of rain is huge...I never had that hard rain like here. At some points I would be happier about a boat, instead of a motobike :-) Our surf camp got twice completely flooded, as the river brought a big swell with it.

But there are also good things in the rainy season. I finally have a lot of time to read my books, chilling in my new chillout area in the living room I created (never thought, painting a mandala could be so calming), playing chess at our warung or listening to the guitar playing of my friends, we sometimes even dance in the rain outside :-) this is a completely new feeling of freedom.

What's else new? I had visit from the Wasner brothers from Ulm :-) the guys travelled thru Bali and stopped for some days in Canggu. What a fun we had.

And I finally have my first very own motobike :-) It's a kind of a modified scooter, or better say a scooter, which likes to be a crossmachine :-). It has not really a proper light (backlight doesn't exist), no speedometer, no fuel gauge, it's loud and quick. But it's mine and I love it!