• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Home
  • Recipes
  • Little Monster
  • Poster Shop
  • Portfolio
  • Work With Me
  • About
  • Contact
  • Cart

Delicious Monster

  • Food
  • Drinks
  • Life
  • Travel
  • Reviews
Oh Hey, Bali
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest

Oh Hey, Bali

23rd June 2022Life 
Oh Hey, Bali

Well, I made it to Bali and it’s been almost two months. Crazy, right? Time flies when you’re making bold moves and changing your life, while at the same time wondering WTF you’re doing.

Good times. 

I think many of those close to me had their doubts and thought there was a small chance I wouldn’t make it on to my flight, but I did. Spending the last few weeks in Cape Town was simultaneously the best and worst thing I could’ve done prior to leaving South Africa (for the second time), and left me seriously second-guessing my decision to come here. 

I had to remind myself many times why I’d made the choice to do this in the first place and dig very deep to get back to that. There were a lot of tears, especially in public and whenever anyone hugged me, which was hard because everyone I chatted to very excitedly asked me lots of questions about my plans and because I was essentially on a farewell (for now) tour, there were lots of hugs. So many hugs!

Allowing myself to be breadcrumbed into remaining in Cape Town would’ve ended really badly, so a big thank you to those who took the time to talk me down from the ledge I was on while there. You all know who you are.

It’s definitely gotten easier over the past few weeks, being able to identify the wood for the trees, the opportunity, as well as the bigger picture for what I want for my life going forward. There was still a bit of a fog hanging over my head right up until about 2 weeks ago, but that has begun to lift as I get a better handle on settling into life here.

Meeting new people and increasing my social circle have also allowed me to make that mental shift and focus on the future, as opposed to dwelling on the maybes and what-ifs. I’ve never found it difficult to make new friends, but have found as I’ve gotten older that this does become somewhat harder. That said, I know that in a few months I’ll probably look back on this transitionary phase and laugh at how distressed I was about not having more friends or a “life” here. 

The Bali that I’ve experienced so far has been awesome. At the moment I’m based in Canggu and have mostly stuck to this area because I haven’t got a local licence, and at 2 years away from 40 I promised my mom that I wouldn’t drive a scooter (although she doesn’t have much to worry about because I have no idea how to drive one). 

I’ve mentioned this to a few people I’ve chatted to here and it’s been met with a lot of “ah, but Bali is a GREAT place to learn!” No, it is not. I’ve seen some very hairy near-accidents, a lot of people walking around with injuries and also read the local news about foreigners being involved in terrible scooter accidents.

I don’t plan on learning at this point and the only driving I’ll be doing is that of a car. Considering the traffic here that’s a massive undertaking all on its own. 

I’ve eaten at some awesome restaurants, with a lot more on the list to get through. When I have the inclination to do so I might even put a proper guide together, but in the meantime, you can view the one I compiled on Instagram here. 

When it comes to my daily life I’m a total creature of habits so I tend to establish various routines which I stick to 90% of the time and help keep me grounded. I’m also still living in a hotel, so not having my own kitchen means I have to find good coffee and food elsewhere (although I’m quite partial to a morning/afternoon coffee and watermelon juice next to the pool). 

At the moment my days generally begin with a walk down to the beach that’s 5 minutes down the road from the hotel. For the first few weeks I was sitting at a beach cafe called Times and drinking coffee while watching the surfing, but I have since graduated from that and now walk along the beach with a takeaway coffee instead. I then either grab a late breakfast or lunch at Shady Shack (where I’ve been known to sometimes frequent twice a day). 

There is definitely more of a holiday vibe here, but that will change somewhat when we move into a villa which will allow the ability to cook meals at home thanks to having access to a kitchen again. Life is a lot slower here and it’s definitely about finding a pace which works for you. I’m going to have a lot to keep myself busy with over the next few months, but I’ll get into more of that in future posts.

The loneliness at times has also been intense and I’ve needed to manage that quite carefully through the ups and downs. There are only a handful of people who I’ve discussed this in-depth with because feeling the kind of loneliness I’ve experienced recently is new to me.

When I moved to Shanghai in 2015 I had Jonathan waiting for me on the other side, and he had already spent 5 months there, had a fair amount of the day-to-day shit down and had already made friends. This certainly gave me access to a “starter pack” of sorts, I slotted in and went from there, developing my own routine and making some of my own friends through work and the network of South Africans who lived there too. 

This time around has been from scratch and despite having business partner friends here who have been very supportive and helped me a lot, there’s a big difference between doing this alone vs along with a partner who is experiencing everything with you in real-time. 

That said, I’m very grateful for close friends and family who have continued to be incredible on a daily and weekly basis, and who are only a message, video call or voice note away. As with most things in life, if you give it time then things tend to progress and before you know it, you’re looking back having gotten through it all (fairly) unscathed. 

If you’d like to follow my Bali adventure a little more closely and not have to wait for me to write about it, you can follow me on Instagram here and here.

 
Previous Post: « Death By Chocolate Cake
Next Post: 2022 Christmas Mince Pie Review »

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Nicky Barber, Delicious Monster

Hi There! I’m Nicky.

I’m a mom, food photographer, writer, recipe developer, and the person behind Delicious Monster. Thanks for popping by and welcome to my little neck of the woods full of food, recipes, parenting & everything in between.

learn more about me here >
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest




Latest Posts

Festive Gift Guide 2023

Easy Peasy & Pumpkin Risotto

Easy Peasy & Pumpkin Risotto

Upside Down Onion & Gruyère Tarts

Subscribe to Delicious Monster

Get access to exclusive content, recipes, promos, updates & new products by joining the mailing list below.

Meta

  • Register
  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.org

Legal

  • Shipping Policy
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Returns & Refund Policy




In an attempt to mix things up on my feed, and as In an attempt to mix things up on my feed, and as part of a promise I made to @the.kitchen.think months ago, I’m going to start showing my face a lot more around here from now on…

For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Nicky (the Nicola in my bio is thanks to having to list my full name for that silly blue tick which I’m currently thinking about cancelling), and I’m the person behind Delicious Monster ✌🏽 

Some random facts about me:

I’m based in Joburg although I grew up in Cape Town. I’ve made two attempts to “never live in Joburg again”, but I keep finding myself back here 🤷🏼‍♀️ 

Besides jumping between Cape Town and Joburg a few times since 2010, I’ve also lived in Shanghai, London and Bali. I’ve managed to figure out and find new pieces of myself in each of those places and am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to travel as much as I have 🧳 

My next planned trip will be for a family holiday to Sweden at the end of July ‘24. The reason why we’re going to Sweden is because my little sister lives in Stockholm with her Swedish fiancé. This will be Frankie’s first overseas trip and I’m already so excited to travel with her 🇸🇪 

I’m left-handed and have the worst handwriting. The irony here is that I still use notebooks and write lists for myself 🖊️ 

The necklace you see around my neck is The Eye of Horus, which is an Ancient Egyptian symbol thought to have protective powers. I bought it for myself in Bali about a week before I found out I was pregnant and have only taken it off once (when I had to go into theatre the day Frankie was born). It’s a piece of jewelry I will one day give to her because it’s part of our journey together 𓂀

The only vegetable I absolutely loathe are green peppers. They are the reason I refuse to eat Chicken Ala King 🫑 

I’m a big fan of classical music and wish more people listened to it. One of my favourite pieces is Adagio for Strings, composed by Samuel Barber (no relation) 🎶 

My 40th birthday is at the end of January and I still don’t know how I’m going to celebrate it 🎈 

Thanks so much for being here! I’d love you to introduce yourself in the comments below 👇🏼
The Perfect Sugar Cookie Dough 🎄 I’ve found The Perfect Sugar Cookie Dough 🎄

I’ve found the perfect sugar cookie dough and managed to turn it into 8 different types of cookies with the addition of a few extra ingredients. The dough comes together in less than 5 minutes with the help of a food processor, can be made ahead and frozen. 

The Perfect Sugar Cookie Dough (makes around 1kg)

250g butter 
150g white sugar 
100g light brown sugar 
2.5 tsp vanilla essence
1 tsp almond essence
1 large egg
2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
2 tsp lemon juice
420g flour 

1. Cream the butter and both sugars in the food processor until combined. 
2. Add the vanilla and almond essence, egg, baking powder, salt and lemon juice and pulse until combined. 
3. Add the flour and continue pulsing until the mixture forms a dough. 
4. Transfer the dough to a clean surface, bring together to form a ball, flatten and then wrap in baking paper and either chill in the fridge or pop into a freezer bag and freeze for later. 

Cookie Ideas:

Custard Cream Sandwiches
Chocolate Chip & Vanilla Cookies
Dark / White Chocolate & Pistachio Christmas Trees
Chocolate Chip Bells
Blood Orange Marmalade Linzer Cookies
Ginger Cookie Rusks 

#christmascookies #christmasbaking #christmas #festivecookies #cookies #sugarcookies
Imagine if you could make one cookie dough and tur Imagine if you could make one cookie dough and turn it into a multitude of different cookies? Keep an eye out for my Festive Cookie Collection, coming soon 🍪
Almost 9 months since Frankie was born, which mean Almost 9 months since Frankie was born, which means 9 months in and 9 months out. The last (almost) 18 months have been hardcore and have taught me that for multiple reasons, having a baby is one of the hardest things you can do. Another huge lesson is that the myth of postpartum recovery only lasting 6 weeks is absolute rubbish! It’s way longer than that. 

I’ve had to nourish my body (and mind) through supplements and food, because believe it or not, coffee alone won’t help you. 

@futurelifeza Mother’s Food™ has been specifically designed to help moms, whether you’re pregnant, breastfeeding, or like me and dealing with general recovery after growing a human from scratch and everything that comes with that. 

Mothers Food™ Shakes and Oat Bars are high in protein and fibre, vitamins and minerals, and contain collagen. 

Cheers to the journey of motherhood - navigating through the challenges, embracing the lessons, and finding strength in the process. Grateful for @futurelifeza Mother’s Food™ for being a reliable companion in this adventure. Here’s to many more months of growth, recovery, and love! 🌸 #sponsored #partnership
Almost 9 months since Frankie was born, which mean Almost 9 months since Frankie was born, which means 9 months in and 9 months out. The last (almost) 18 months have been hardcore and have taught me that for multiple reasons, having a baby is one of the hardest things you can do. Another huge lesson is that the myth of postpartum recovery only lasting 6 weeks is absolute rubbish! It’s way longer than that. 

I’ve had to nourish my body (and mind) through supplements and food, because believe it or not, coffee alone won’t help you. 

@futurelifeza Mother’s Food™ has been specifically designed to help moms, whether you’re pregnant, breastfeeding, or like me and dealing with general recovery after growing a human from scratch and everything that comes with that. 

Mothers Food™ Shakes and Oat Bars are high in protein and fibre, vitamins and minerals, and contain collagen. 

Cheers to the journey of motherhood - navigating through the challenges, embracing the lessons, and finding strength in the process. Grateful for @futurelifeza Mother’s Food™ for being a reliable companion in this adventure. Here's to many more months of growth, recovery, and love! 🌸 #sponsored #partnership
instagram 🤝🏼 reality Swipe left for the bef instagram 🤝🏼 reality

Swipe left for the before pic prior to fixing the white balance, saturation, exposure and contrast. A lesson in how it’s not just about taking a photo 💅
On Sundays we @drinkmartys Extra Spicy Tomato Cock On Sundays we @drinkmartys Extra Spicy Tomato Cocktails 🍅

Came home on Thursday to one of the best deliveries I’ve received in a while, including everything needed to make 4 different and delicious tomato cocktails using Marty’s Spiced Tomato Juice. 

Big thanks to @drinkmartys and @hotovenmarketing for putting such a great press drop together 🙌 Mentions must be made as well for the brands who partnered on this drop: @funky_ouma, @blackmambafood, @capetowngin, @oryxdesertsalt, and @mahalabotanical
It’s beginning to look a lot like festive cookie It’s beginning to look a lot like festive cookie season 🍪 The recipe for these, and a few others, coming soon…
Copyright © 2021–2023 · Delicious Monster · Hearten Made