🌿 Day 14 & 15 – Elephants, Jungle Calm, and the Unwelcome Guest: Bali Belly

July 26–27 | Ubud, Bali, Indonesia

☀️ Day 14 – Welcome to the Jungle Our last morning at the Hard Rock began with one more epic breakfast buffet (yes, I went back for seconds, don’t judge). We hugged the staff goodbye, met up with Tri, and headed inland toward Ubud—the green heart of Bali.

On the way, Tri made a surprise stop: a waterfall tucked behind palms and vines. It wasn’t a long visit—just enough time for a snack, a drink, and to let the roar of the water sink into us. But it was one of those postcard-perfect moments that stays with you.

Slade And Tara At The Entrance To The Waterfall

The Waterfall (The Picture Doesn't Do It Justice)

Our Family With Tri

Slade And Tara In The Restaurant At The Waterfall

By mid-afternoon, we arrived at our next home: Sanctoo Suites & Villas. To call it beautiful feels like underselling it. Two bedrooms, a living room, a little kitchen—and the kicker? The entire property is inside the Bali Zoo. Yes, you read that right. Inside. The faint sounds of exotic animals carried through the air as we dropped our bags, wide-eyed.

Overhead View Of Sanctoo

Entrance To Sanctoo

Lobby/Front Desk

Living/Dining Area (From Website, I Didn't Take Any Photos Of This Room)

Bedroom #1

Bedroom #2

Bathroom #1

Bathroom #2 (From Website, I Didn't Take Any Photos Of This Room)

We barely had time to settle before heading to our first activity: Lunch and Bathing Elephants. It was nothing short of magical. Majestic doesn’t even begin to cover it. We fed them, hugged them, slathered them in mud, and then waded into the river to wash them down. They let us run our hands across their rough skin, their trunks curling playfully, their eyes gentle and wise. It felt like stepping into a National Geographic spread, except with wet clothes and a lot more laughter.

Slade and Tara In The River With The Elephant

Tara Giving The Elephant A Mud Bath

Slade Giving The Elephant A Mud Bath

Slade And Tara With The Elephant Giving A Mud Bath

Tara Feeding The Elephant

Slade And Tara Washing The Elephant

Slade With The Elephant

After quick showers, we made our way to the pool and restaurant overlooking the jungle. The scene was straight out of a dream: palms swaying, cicadas singing, and the soft hum of evening settling in.

Slade And Tara At The Sanctoo Pool

Slade, Michael, And Tara At The Sanctoo Pool

As we settled into the restaurant, we noticed a large cage tucked just off to the side, and inside it roamed a cassowary bird—tall, prehistoric-looking, with piercing eyes and a crown-like casque atop its head. He paced slowly, curious but regal, as though he owned the place and we were simply guests in his jungle kingdom. Eating dinner with a cassowary as your background music is something I never thought I’d check off my list, but in Bali, apparently, even the restaurant décor is wild.

Eating Dinner With A Cassowary Bird

Tara ordered pizza—while I claimed pasta bolognese as a win for the Western food menu. Michael and Slade went for chicken satay, smoky and perfectly spiced. Milkshakes, wine, and beer in hand, we lounged, laughed, and let the jungle quiet us.

It was the kind of day that fills your soul. We ended it cozied up in our villa, watching Netflix and thinking, Does life get better than this?

Slade's And Michael's Chicken Satay

Tara's Pizza

My Pasta Bolognese

🌧️ Day 15 – Bali Belly Strikes It turns out, yes—it does get worse. At 2 AM, Slade was curled into a ball, violently sick. By morning, he was worse. I rushed down to the lobby to ask for medicine. They didn’t have any, but the night attendant immediately offered to drive me to a pharmacy or call a doctor. We decided to wait until morning, hoping it would pass. It didn’t.

The staff at Sanctoo were incredible. They brought fruit platters, oatmeal, water, and anything they thought might help. Still, Slade was miserable. The doctor was called, and within 30 minutes, he and a nurse arrived at our villa. I braced for a language barrier, but they spoke perfect English. After examining him, the doctor concluded it was most likely Bali Belly.

The "Get Better" Fruit The Staff Brought To Slade

The "Get Better" Eggs The Staff Brought To Slade

The "Get Better" Tea The Staff Brought To Slade

For the uninitiated, Bali Belly is the local name for traveler’s stomach—basically foodborne bacteria that hits like a freight train. Symptoms? Vomiting, cramps, dehydration, and the kind of stomach pain that makes you question all your life choices. It’s common, but it’s no joke.

We couldn’t figure out how he got it—none of us were sick, and we’d been cautious with food, drinks, and ice. Then it hit me: the milkshake. Slade had left it sitting in the heat while he swam, then came back and finished it. Lesson learned: in Bali, dairy doesn’t wait politely.

The doctor gave him antibiotics and several other meds. He recommended an IV, but since Slade is “18 and an adult,” the final call was his. He refused. I bit my tongue, frustrated, knowing how much faster he’d bounce back with fluids. But sometimes, the only teacher is experience.

Then Tara mentioned she wasn’t feeling well either. The doctor examined her—different issue, but still prescribed antibiotics. Two patients in one house call.

The bill? $100. For a Sunday, at our villa, with a doctor and nurse. I couldn’t help but wonder why medical care in the U.S. can’t look like that.

Slade's First Batch Of Medicines

Michael and the front desk attendant headed to the pharmacy to pick up the prescriptions while I stayed behind to catch up on some work.

The rest of the day was low-key. Michael and I slipped into town to drop off our mountain of laundry—40 pounds washed and folded for $12!—and buy a new suitcase because, well, souvenirs. The traffic was so awful that we ended up hopping out of the car and walking to the store, beating our driver there by a solid fifteen minutes.

Dinner that evening was a quiet one at the hotel restaurant. Slade was still pale but slowly recovering, and every single employee stopped by our table to check on him like he was family. They hovered with genuine concern, even gently trying to talk him out of ordering his usual chicken satay, warning that it would be too much for his stomach. We prayed that with a little rest—and their kindness—he’d be strong enough for tomorrow’s big adventure.

Tomorrow promises something unforgettable—the kind of Bali experience you dream about, the kind that leaves a mark long after the suitcases are unpacked.

Thank you for taking this detour with me.