Day 8: Titik Dua

Damn those scallops. Or was it the ice? I woke up around 2 or 3 a.m. to stomach pain and nausea and I thought for sure I’d be speeding toward the bathroom soon, but I held off for as long as possible and somehow, eventually, I made it to morning without vomiting.

Needless to say, I was not in the mood for the breakfast I’d already paid for, but I drank coffee and ate dry toast before heading out for a long walk to Canggu proper. I went back toward Shelter to an all-day cafe called The Woods, another rec from Max/Barton. Like Shelter, it was airy and full of wooden beams, very treehouse vibes, and just like the restaurant, it was also full of white tourists and remote workers. Wah wah.

I had coffee while I wrote and ordered what I thought was a green juice but ended up being a smoothie bowl that after a few bites turned my stomach. I stirred it around to make it look like I’d eaten more before hailing a scooter taxi to take me to a sandal store—en route to The Woods, my beloved Pons finally kicked the bucket. The stitching on one side of my right sandal had nearly ripped all the way out.

Somehow, I managed to find a store nearby that specializes in knock-off Suicokes, which I’d been eyeing at Kith for years now. Not gonna lie, I’m quite pleased with my emergency footwear, though it’s not lost on me that they quite closely resemble the black nylon and velcro boot I had to wear after breaking my foot sophomore year of college.

After walking back, I checked out of Planta and called a car to take me to Titik Dua, the design-y hotel in Ubud that Max highly recommended. The drive was much smoother than those to the beach, and I listened to Carly as the landscape changed from wide sky and sunny to tree-filled and gray with the threat of rain. An hour and change later, I was dropped at the foot of an angular brick structure like a mini Dia Beacon popping out of the jungle. Needless to say—I love it here.