The first thing I realized in Bali is that famous beaches quickly become boring. Beautiful? Yes. But when you're lying between two influencers who spend hours filming the same video with a coconut, you want to escape.

The first place I escaped to was Tibumana Falls. It's not that easy to get there, but when you stand under this noise and feel the splashes mixing with sweat, you understand that it was worth going beyond the tourist area.

The second was a small cafe in Ubud, run by a family of three. There is no Wi-Fi and a 40-page menu. But it smells of fried bananas and smoke from a small kitchen. Sometimes locals come there, and you can hear stories that are not in the guidebooks.

Third - Pura Lempuyang Temple. Yes, everyone has a photo with the "Gate of Heaven". But almost no one goes to the other temples of this complex. But it is there that there is the most real silence. Real Bali is when you take off your shoes, remain silent and watch the clouds touch the steps.

Fourth - morning in a village near Canggu. I once woke up at five in the morning and went there on foot. On the trail I met an old man with a basket of rice and boys who were laughing and running barefoot along the dusty road. It was Bali without beaches - just people, morning and the smell of smoke.

Fifth - an old bookstore in Denpasar. The place is small, but it smells of paper and spilled coffee. And if you sit quietly, you can hear someone on the next shelf talking about something important. I bought an old book on meditation there and forgot it on the beach. Someone must have found it - and now Bali has opened up to someone else in a different way.

Maybe someone needs clubs and parties. I don't. I need a Bali that doesn't hit my eyes with a bright wrapper, but breathes quietly nearby. To escape from everything and return to myself.