Bali. The promised land of cocktails. The mecca of mysterious tan lines. A melting pot of hedonism and spirituality. Alex Garland’s worst nightmare. A place best experienced while you’re still young enough to look good with tattoos and a motorbike, but old enough to be able to afford travel insurance and a villa in Canggu. That’s how many tourists think of Bali, anyway (as one TikTok user puts it: Bali is one of the best islands to visit while you’re young).
But that’s a skewed vision of Bali. There’s more to it than what your local influencer shows you.