Toby Catlin recently visited Bali, with his 3 1/2 year old daughter Maya (who’s mother is actually a Mayan indian!). Taking a young kid to a hot, tropical country, with question marks over accommodation, transportation and food safety, is a risk. Toby was willing to go for it, and shares his Bali experience.
When traveling, I try to bring three things with me, patience, a good attitude, and an open mind. When traveling with a child, it is pretty much the same, maybe adding a few more doses of patience in there. I have had the gift of travel in my life, and have wanted to be able to pass that gift to my daughter, Maya who is now 3 1/2. We have been lucky enough to go to Belize, Central America, and Bali, Indonesia. Also we have spent time in numerous places up and down the west coast of the U.S. I found that traveling with Maya in Bali was quite easy. I am lucky to have a child whose temperament works well with travel. If she was highly active, and prone to “huge” tantrums, I might reconsider. The 2 1/2 weeks I spent in Bali were enjoyable. I never felt as if she was in danger, or anything close to that. The people living in Bali were extremely receptive to Maya, wherever we went. Often times, they would pay more attention to her, than anyone else. I always got a real genuine feeling from all the people, they always wanted to talk to her, show her something and play. I found this from both males and females; they always would have a genuine interest in Maya. Now me being a single father, I am first to say that males can and do, have tender places in their heart for children, however living in the U.S., I do find more females to be interested in children. This was not the case in Bali.
While in Bali, Nick and I got to talking about positive thinking. Something I have always strongly believed in. My trip continued to reaffirm this belief. Before setting off on this adventure, many people were surprised that I was even thinking about taking a 3 year old, on a trip half way across the world. However I always told myself that it would be easy, and enjoyable. I thought only positive thoughts about the whole experience. I constantly told myself and Maya how great it would be. Sure there would be times of discomfort, or not “perfect” situations. As long as I met those times with a positive attitude, it would be fine.
I think one of the things I really learned from this experience, was that of letting go of some of my western practices, in terms of caring for Maya. One of the biggest, was not having her in a car seat. Something here in the U.S., I am almost compulsive about. If the seat is not put in correctly, or her not being buckled in properly, she will not ride. However in Bali, kids ride in the front seat, back seat and anywhere in between. Some may find the traffic and driving practices in Bali a bit scary, however after a few days, I actually felt safer than most of the time I drive here in the States. With all the idiots on the road here, talking on a cell phone, applying make-up, all while jamming a Big-Mac in their face. Driving seems to be a minor importance. With the chaos of the traffic in Bali, it seemed as though people paid more attention to the road, as anything (motorbike, kid, dog) could jump out in any minute. I also had to let go of, “the routine.” At home, we have a pretty good routine set in. When we were traveling the routine was change, whether it was changing hotels, plans, or just what and when we ate. I always made sure Maya was well hydrated, and had something to eat. Sometimes that meant not doing what I wanted to do, but that was ok, because I didn’t “expect” to do everything I wanted to do.
If people are thinking of traveling with kids, and don’t want the plastic culture of Disneyland, I would highly recommend Bali. It meets everyone’s needs, safe environment, child loving culture, warm weather, most of all an experience worth spending your money on. Where else can you start your morning off, with a dip in the Indian ocean, eat a lunch of five-start quality and take a mid-day swim in cool river, and then capping the day off with a drive into the mountains, where the beauty is as much as the eyes can behold.
I think that the most important thing for me, with this trip and life in general, is a positive attitude. Wise words have been given to me, on which I try to apply to most of my life, including parenting and travel. “Keeps your hopes high, but your expectations low”, for me it’s really that simple, always hope for the best but just don’t expect it. Bali is a place where your hopes can come to fruit, without completely killing your expectations.
Beautiful Place + Beautiful People = A Beautiful time.
