An Invite I Wasn't Prepared For, Having to Leave Amed Early, and The Kecak Ritual in Uluwatu - Nomad Notes | EP 19

Get Your Free Guide: 7 Ways to Become a Digital Nomad
https://www.thedigitalnomadcoach.com/

What happens when a dream location can't support your work? 

Journey with Ryan to the stunning beaches of Amed. He reveals the tough decision-making process that every digital nomad eventually faces when beauty and functionality collide.

Discover the cultural surprises that await in Bali, from unexpected invitations to navigating temple visits with family.  Ryan's experiences show how balancing cultural immersion with work responsibilities shapes your nomad experience. 

Listen and learn how to prepare for both the challenges and rewards of working from paradise.

MORE FROM RYAN MELLON

Follow Ryan on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thedigitalnomadcoach/

Learn how to be a Digital Nomad: https://www.thedigitalnomadcoach.com/

Please Support the Show

• Share this episode with a friend or family member
• Give a Review on Spotify
• Give a Review on Apple

DISCLAIMER:
Listening to stories of beachside zoom calls, mountainside work views, and island-hopping entrepreneurs may cause severe wanderlust and an irresistible urge to turn your laptop into a passport to freedom. Side effects include daydreaming about tropical coworking spaces, working with Ryan to learn how you can start working and traveling and buying a one-way ticket to Bali. Get ready to start living your dream life today!

Transcript

[00:00:00] Ryan Mellon: Hey guys, welcome to another episode of Digital Nomad Nation, Nomad Notes edition, where I give you guys a little insight of what's happening here as I'm living in Bali. ~And yeah, so ~recently I got, ~uh, ~invited to a 

[00:00:11] Ryan Mellon: cock 

[00:00:12] Ryan Mellon: fight. ~And so that was interesting. ~I was not expecting that.~ And I politely declined.~

[00:00:14] Ryan Mellon: ~Uh, I'm,~ I was in Amed, which is a new place that I've never been before. I've heard great things about it. It's a stunning, ~uh, ~black sand beach, ~uh, ~at the base of a volcano. I had an amazing room right on the water. A beautiful place, small fishing village, just an amazing, ~uh, ~ Scenery everywhere. You could look, it's also a great place to dive and go snorkeling.

[00:00:37] Ryan Mellon: And I was there, ~uh, ~planned to be there for about two weeks, but, ~uh, ~ended up cutting it short to about three or four days due to the lack of internet ~there. ~The speeds were ~just really ~terrible. Unfortunately, something that you have to deal with as a nomad, ~so I hadn't moved. ~But, ~uh, ~yeah, I met some, ~uh, ~locals at a local bar, and I met, and we had some drinks, ~um, ~and we're listening to music and, ~uh, ~hanging [00:01:00] out, and that's how I Ended up getting, ~um, ~that invitation that I politely declined.

[00:01:05] Ryan Mellon: So interesting experience. ~Uh, ~I wish I had more time and ~I met, ~I think I will ~go back. I will, um, ~go back when I have some time blocked in my schedule. I don't need to do any podcast recordings or meetings with clients. ~Uh, ~and definitely want to do some snorkeling and maybe some diving there. so that's definitely on the list.

[00:01:21] Ryan Mellon: ~I'm, ~ I'm continuing to nomad, you know, when I came here. With a one year visa, I was expecting to have an apartment or a villa and just ~kind of ~stay in one place. And that's just not been the case. I still really am feeling nomadic and I've been moving around. I think I've been here three or four months and I'm, this is probably my.

[00:01:40] Ryan Mellon: Fifth, ~uh, ~accommodation, ~uh, ~fourth location. ~Uh, and ~it's been an action packed couple of weeks. ~Um, ~I just had family fly in, ~um,~ for two weeks to visit ~for about, yeah, it was about two weeks and, uh, ~my mom and my aunt came and they stayed in Nusa Dua. ~And ~Nusa Dua is on the East coast of Bali in the South, ~um, ~where all the resorts are, it's kind [00:02:00] of more of a high end spot.

[00:02:02] Ryan Mellon: It was a really good time. ~Um, ~we spent lots of days by the pool and by the ocean. ~Um, ~there was really, it was a really nice resort. So fine dining and, and great food. ~Um, ~we checked out a place that I had never been before, ~uh, that I've heard about it ~called the Bali collection. The Bali collection is ~a ~very high scale.

[00:02:20] Ryan Mellon: Like shopping and restaurants, with some really good, ~uh, ~seafood, ~uh, ~places. So we were eating and drinking really well in, ~uh, ~Nusa Dua for those 10 days. Great catching up with family. ~Um, and then also, uh, part of that, ~one of the things that I wanted, ~uh, ~my family to check out ~here ~to experience part of the Balinese culture was, ~um, ~The ~kikak, ~kecak dance ~and ~the kecak dance is a, ~um, uh, it's a Balinese, um, ~Balinese type dance.

[00:02:53] Ryan Mellon: That has been around since the 1930s and it is tied to Hindu methodology, [00:03:00] so it's a very interesting dance. ~And, and the, ~to set the picture for you, it's at Uluwatu Temple and Atu. And it's a beautiful temple that's outdoors with like stadiums, seating around the temple. And on your way in. There are monkeys lining up the sidewalk through the jungle to get there.

[00:03:21] Ryan Mellon: ~And ~these are not friendly monkeys, so you have to be very careful about any loose items, cell phones, ~uh, ~ sunglasses, hats, anything that they can take. ~Because ~these monkeys know what they're doing and they will take your stuff and ~they will ~barter for food. to give it back. ~So ~I've seen many videos of people getting their phone taken and ~then ~it takes a couple of bananas or some other fruits ~or something else ~to get their phone back.

[00:03:46] Ryan Mellon: ~Um, ~these guys are really smart. ~So luckily, uh, ~our guide who took us ~down to the dance, ~to the temple, ~um, ~Helped us out and was kind of our bodyguard as ~the, the, ~the monkeys lined up looking for unsuspecting tourists to, ~ to, uh, ~commit some [00:04:00] crimes. ~And, uh, ~yeah, so that was a little interesting and exciting.

[00:04:03] Ryan Mellon: ~And ~as you go into any Balinese temple, you need to wear a sarong around your waist, which they gave us all, ~and ~that goes for men and women both. ~Uh, and ~once you're in the temple, you're overlooking the Indian Ocean from a bluff of about 500 feet above the water. ~And ~the timing is perfect because they do this dance at sunset.

[00:04:23] Ryan Mellon: So it was a really amazing view. ~And um, it's about, ~there are about 80 Balinese people involved, dressed in traditional dress and some in costumes. And it's a very dramatic, ~um, ~Fire dancing, storytelling, ~um, ~celebration of life that has been really ingrained in the Balinese culture over, over so many years, almost 100 years, this dance.

[00:04:47] Ryan Mellon: So it was the first time for me to experience it. And it was also the first time for family to experience it. And so I was really, ~uh, ~definitely happy to check that out. And my family was very. [00:05:00] Excited ~to, uh, ~to have that experience, which was great. ~Um, and so ~right now I'm in Ubud, which is the rainforest, ~uh, ~in the middle of Bali, no beaches to be found around, you know, it's at least an hour and a half drive to get to a beach.

[00:05:12] Ryan Mellon: ~Uh, ~and I've been here before and it's very eclectic, hippie. ~Um, ~holistic yoga, meditation, vegan restaurants, ~um, ~great nightlife and live music and live bands at night ~in the, ~in the jungle, ~um, ~in the rainforest. ~And ~it's such a cool place and I'm really enjoying it. The internet is much better here. So I came here to work and to also experience Ubud again.

[00:05:38] Ryan Mellon: I have been here before. There are also tons of co working spaces and co livings, which I, ~uh, ~will be heading to a co living space here in the next week or so. So super excited to have that experience. That'll be my first co living experience. I'll tell you guys more about how that goes. ~But, uh, ~other than that, it's been really great and just enjoying the time here.

[00:05:59] Ryan Mellon: ~Um, and ~I'll see you [00:06:00] guys on the next one.