Some Things I Bought In Bali

This is a list of a few of the things that I bought on my second trip to Bali. In no particular order. 

Pangi seed shell rattle + swinging chimes

This time I was in Bali for a yin yoga and sound healing training, and as part of the training, I practiced playing with locally made instruments including the pangi seed shell rattle shaker and swinging wood chimes. During one of the weekends, our group decided to visit local music shops together in order to find our own instruments to play with for our yoga classes.

Kelvin Shop in Ubud is where I found the two instruments that I was looking for, and if you keep walking along this street, you will find more shops. As the instruments are made locally, the prices are what you can expect, unlike metal or quartz sound bowls, which you can likely buy anywhere, as the prices aren’t more affordable in Bali but on par with what you may pay in North America.

Aromatherapy blends made by Liddy

Liddy is part of the Yin Yoga Therapy team, and she makes these aromatherapy blends that the lead trainer, Manuela, incorporated into her yin yoga practices.

One such blend was Frangipani, or jepun, the Balinese flower that we often pick up from the ground and perch behind our ear. It is a spiritual flower used in offerings, and it has a sweet fragrance. Everyone loved this aromatherapy blend and asked Liddy for them! I also picked up another blend by her, Juniper Berry, that is good for classes themed around the Daoist element of water. 

In the past, I did not incorporate scent into my classes, most likely because I never formed a strong attachment to its use, seeing it more as an add-on than something that I would enthusiastically offer to students.

I was surprised I changed my mind, but I realized that sprays and essential oil blends, when used as a preparatory practice, are similar to how I used aura sprays during the period of time I studied with a shamanic witch. These tools can be used for cleansing and purifying benefits at the start of a yin yoga practice, as a way to situate one’s self for a mindful session.

With all the goodies I got for my students to try out, I’ll be introducing them slowly and as it fits my class themes. 

Sofa throw and pillow

An understatement from me would be that I love to walk around and shop. As I was walking around in Canguu (and finally found an affordable bikini cover that was the same baby blue as my swimsuit!), I paused at this shop.

Saniscara Decor storefront

Saniscara Decor is bigger than you might think. The front room seemed to be mostly jewelry, while the second room held familiar knicknacks you might find at markets or street stalls, such as those shallow wood bowls with a seashell-white interior. The back rooms contained gorgeous rattan furniture.

I picked up a throw blanket and a striped pillow, both made in Bali by local artisans.

The sofa throw has this organic texture to it that has shifted the energy of my living room for a calm and elegant summer.

And the striped pillow seems unassuming, but I feel happy looking at it in person. It’s a well-made basic. It doesn’t feel factory-made or soulless, but emits a cheerful and relaxing energy.

Studio K Serene Ubud room and linen spray

I didn’t think I’d be into room spray, but I now love getting them when I am on a trip! Perhaps it is because they bring me back to vacation memories. And it’s one of the easiest and transportable things you can get for the home, a step-up from novelty magnets. Studio K has changed a bit since I last came to Bali and tried on their clothes. They don’t seem to be working with bamboo for their materials, and they’re feeling more streetwear than divine feminine these days. However, their sprays were new to me, and I just love the smell. I just sprayed it in my bedroom, and I was completely transported back to being in Bali, getting pleasant whiffs of incense that perfume the air…

Refill pages

Palka Kreatif makes sustainable paper goods and stationery. The first time I went to Ganesha Bookshop, I got their leather-bound journal. Even then, I thought to myself that it was a bit of an impulse buy, and I wasn’t sure if I would ever use it. 6 months after my trip, I wrote my first entry that reflected upon receiving positive news, and I just enjoyed writing in the journal. 

This journal is sacred. I sometimes turn my journals into to do lists where I fixate on my schedule and deadlines, and of course it becomes a tome of stress that I don’t always write in joyful reflections or deeper processing. I didn’t run into that issue with my journal, even though I did have some entries about stress, it never tainted the energy of the journal. 

Aside from its energy, the leather-bound cover is buttery-smooth. Holding it in your hand, it feels so soft yet solid. A very agreeable tactile sensation. Its pages are thick but cheap ink pens write smoothly, the pages giving this aged effect. The journal is bound by string so it also doesn’t obstruct your writing hand, when you start a new journal and the pages tip over to one side because the spine hasn’t been broken in yet.

And after having finished all of its pages, I had to reckon with the bittersweet fact that a good journal is hard to find.

I tried a few alternatives, but the magic wasn’t there. I can get attached to objects, and my fixation on the right journal is a good example of how much I value design and functionality.

I even reached out to the company to see if they would ship to Canada, but the conversation was stalled by production. When I was in Ubud, of course I returned to Ganesha Bookshop just to see.

Lo and behold, they did have the refill papers in stock! As well as new leather-bound journals too.  

Clothes 

I went to my usual haunts including Studio K, Indigo Luna, and Meisou in Ubud. This time, I checked out Yoga Republique, Munay, and balm wears in Canguu for the first time, and they are stores I would love to visit again.

Munay and balm wears are focused on fun clothes to wear. Munay prices are comparable to North American prices, with probably the starting-end of prices at around $100 CAD. I’m not sure if there were cheaper prices. I tried on a few items, and the sizing was off for me, but the design and materials are unique. There are some genuinely sexy and cute daytime fits in there. Their retail selection of jewellery and scents were similar to other retail stores I had been to in Ubud, so they didn’t feel as special.

balm wears has less clothes to look through, but it’s a nice store to browse around if you are in the neighbourhood. I picked up a brown sleeveless floor-length dress that you might be able to find somewhere else, but there’s just something about how the fabric feels that makes this dress not only comfortable but stylish in a low-key way.

Yoga Republique has trendy yoga clothes including tennis dress dupes and what appeared to be scuba suits for Pilates classes (I did try this one, but I did not get one). It’s bigger than what you might also think, as it has an upstairs with sound bowls, incense. They also have a nice curation of perfumes to smell.