I still remember my last few months in Southampton. Saying goodbye every other week, each time making a promise to at least try to meet sometime in the future. The thing is, the world is such a big, big place, and with each passing day, I became less sure about the possibilities of meeting my friends.

That is, until Katka told me that she and Lukas were going to Singapore. “And we’re planning to see you, so how about we go to Jakarta? We wouldn’t mind if you can’t be with us all the time,” she said.

And I said a flat out no.

I told them not to go to Jakarta, that it was an absolute shithole and going there would only be a waste of time, energy, and money (and for a good measure, I told them to google ‘Jakarta traffic’, which they did). I said, “Let’s just meet in Bali.” They agreed.

The plan was set.

And so, early in June, on a hot, humid day, we met at Ngurah Rai airport, and thus the journey begin.

In those 9 days, we got the chance to see a lot of things.

The rich culture, art, and traditions.

The vibrant colors of Bali.

The iridescent blue skies.

The beautiful landscapes.

The gorgeous beaches.

The stunning sunsets.

The amazing underwater world.

And between those, there were also lots of talks, laughs, and love.

We experienced so many wonderful things and a few glitches (a sudden encounter with cockroaches, for instance), all wrapped up in an unforgettable escape.

I remember lying on the beach with a book in my hand and a glass of iced cappuccino on the table by my side, and I thought, I can’t believe we’re here.

The last trip we took together was a day trip to Cambridge, and I remember us taking a picture with our funny punter, John, posing behind us.

We made it a mission to recreate that photo when we meet, intending to ask someone to be the ‘John’. Well, glad to see that we did it, this time with 2 Johns.

This story is only the beginning, so watch this space for our adventures in Bali! 🙂

*some photos were taken by Katka and Lukas.