If you want to just watch the fun VLOG here, be my guest!

I cannot tell you how excited we are to share this one because this was the day the whole crew finally came together in Canggu. We had already been in Bali for a few days, but almost everyone else just landed and the energy was palpable. One by one, the familiar faces started showing up. Devin, Aaron, Libby, Mark, Crystal, Emma. All rolling into town and clocking in for Dani and Sass vacation, with Tim on the way (missed his flight!)

The funniest moment was hands down Patty’s arrival. Everyone else found the villa pretty easily. Patty somehow ended up on the back of a random GoJek (scooter taxi) weaving through Canggu traffic like she was in Fast and Furious. We were walking to grab a snack when we heard a woman screaming from a scooter and waving her arms as she flew past us. It took us a second to realize that was Patty. She had no idea where the villa was and was basically hoping the city would reveal it to her. Wildly lucky timing that she zoomed by right as we were on the street. We’ve been laughing about it since.

The villa itself was everything we hoped for. Seven bedrooms. Each one its own color theme like a pack of Skittles. A giant pool begging us to jump in. A huge hangout area with a couch that looked like it could swallow ten people whole. You could instantly tell this was going to be the place where bonding was going to happen.

We wrapped up the night at Old Man’s Bar and it was the perfect welcome party. Loud music and incredible people watching. So many Aussie accents. We danced our butts off and the whole place felt like it was celebrating with us. Day One of the Canggu reunion was loud, goofy, chaotic, and perfect.

If this is how the trip starts, I cannot wait to see where it goes.

Day Two kicked off like the opening scene of a wholesome reality tv show. Our villa came with staff, so every morning we woke up to a full spread waiting for us. Eggs, pancakes, French toast, fresh juice, fruit, and plates of nasi goreng that could fix any jet lag left in the group. It felt like a family reunion. Everyone from different corners of our lives sitting around one table, eating, laughing, waking up together. It felt like the trip finally clicked into place.

With our bellies full, we scattered into town for some good old Canggu shopping. Bali is dangerous in that everything is cute and affordable. While the girls wandered through shops, Michael and Aaron ducked into a tattoo place so Michael could finally face the tattoo he has been talking about for years. The artist was great, the vibe was right, and Michael had a whole entourage of tattoo veterans cheering him on. To keep things from turning into Vacation Regret 101, he just scheduled the actual tattoo appointment for the last day of the trip.

Dinner was the moment we had been counting down to since we landed. La Brisa. Michael and Danielle’s favorite spot in all of Bali. Trying to describe La Brisa is like trying to describe a dream you half remember. Going there for the first time 6 years ago, expectations were high. You walk in and it feels like a shipwreck that decided to reinvent itself as a boho paradise. Lots of weathered wood, rope, greenery, and glowing string lights overhead. The pathways twist around pools, private booths, and little hidden corners until you finally get to the deck that overlooks the ocean.

We got lucky and snagged two huge daybeds right at the edge of the deck with a clear view of the waves and the sunset. It felt like they kept it open just for us. Everyone’s faces lit up the second we walked in. At places like this there is a minimum spend which basically gave us permission to point at anything on the menu and say yes. Caramel chocolate shakes. Pizzas. Fresh coconuts. Fancy cocktails. You name it, the table turned into a joyful food explosion.

We lounged, we ate, we swapped stories, we watched the sky shift from gold to pink to that perfect Bali blue gray. Sitting there together as the sun dropped behind the water felt like one of those rare moments when everyone is exactly where they are supposed to be.

It might have only been Day Two, but it was already a serious contender for the highlight of the trip.

Day Three was adventure day, and the mission was Tanah Lot, the famous sea temple that sits right at the edge of the ocean. The name literally means land in the sea in Balinese, which makes perfect sense once you see it. Sometimes it’s an island, sometimes it isn’t, all depending on the tide. We timed it for low tide so we could actually walk out to it, hopping across the rocks like a group of children who were told not to get wet.

Getting there was another scooter gang moment, all of us buzzing down the road for a solid thirty minutes in a pack. Totally worth it. What’s better than scootering in Bali with your besties? The coastline opened up in front of us with these huge waves slamming into the rocks, the temple perched above everything with front row seats to the entire ocean.

And then we met a snake guy.

We were not expecting a snake guy.

He held up this giant white python like as if it was his pet cat. Emma’s eyes went wide in that childlike manor we witnessed when she saw monkeys. A second later the man draped the entire snake across her shoulders. It immediately tried to explore the inside of her kimono sleeve, but she kept tugging it back out while smiling like this was totally normal. We were all laughing but also quietly preparing our emergency response plan.

We thought that was the end of the snake saga until we climbed up toward one of the viewpoints and found an even bigger one waiting there, one that we couldn’t believe was just out and about around humans. Emma didn’t hesitate. This one was so heavy she had to sit down to hold it because it practically folded her in half. The fact that she was grinning the entire time made it even funnier.

After our animal encounters and temple exploring, we headed back to the villa for a proper couch night. Everyone piled onto the giant sofa and we fired up Jackbox, starting with Fibbage. There was so much yelling, accusing, cheering, and fake outrage that we probably could have been heard from the street.

Another solid day in the books. This crew does not miss.

Days four through seven took a sharp left turn. One minute we were planning more beach clubs and scooter adventures, and the next it felt like half the house had fallen in battle. Danielle, Christal, Emma, and Aaron all went down hard. We’re talking full shutdown mode. Wake up, attempt one bite of food in the living room, then immediately crawl back into bed.

We needed backup, and eventually called in IV drips to the villa because things were getting dramatic. The doctor walked in, took one look at everyone, and said it was a standard case of Bali belly. Standard for her, absolute apocalypse energy for us. Nobody could figure out where it came from, but it hit like a ton of bricks.

And it really did derail the trip. No more nights out dancing at Old Man’s. No more scooter caravans to temples. No more dreamy sunsets at La Brisa. The schedule went from tropical chaos to full recovery center. The healthy half of the group tiptoed around the house like supportive nurses, delivering water bottles and crackers and updates on what was happening in the outside world.

We kept spirits up with board games like Codenames and TextTwist which turns out to reveal both the geniuses and the unhinged among us.

Was it a bummer to get sick during the week we all flew across the world to be together? Absolutely. But it was also kind of special to see everyone take care of each other. If you have to be miserable, being miserable in a villa full of friends is not the worst backup plan.

We’ll call this one a plot twist and just see what the next group trip brings.

Luckily, on one of the last nights, the group was able to rally for a family dinner. Before the Bali Belly hit, we had scheduled a private chef to serve dinner at the villa. Even with low moral, we decided to continue with the original plan. It was so nice to have a final evening spent around the table, sharing stories and soaking up quality time together before we all moved on to our next adventures.

Phew, Canggu was NOT what we expected, but so it goes sometimes when traveling. OH, and Michael chickened out on the tattoo. Maybe one day! We are quite behind… writing this from Lubuan Bajo, where there are Komodo Dragons! More on that soon!

Click here to see more pictures from the trip!

Click here to watch some short video blogs from the trip! (scroll to the bottom)

Tata for now,
D+M