You Should Experience Nyepi Day In Bali

This Saturday will be my second Nyepi day since moved to Bali and I swear I bloody love it.

In case you don’t know, in Bali, Nyepi or Seclusion day is a day where you can absolutely experience the complete absence of sound for 24 hours. Hindu residents in Bali will be spending that day meditating and self-reflecting. Any other thing that might interfere with those purposes is restricted. No lighting, no working, no entertainment, no traveling, no eating, not even talking.

All businesses will be closed. No traffic. Not even a single bike. No adzan from any mosque. The roads will be empty. No one can take a picture of the empty city. Even the airport will be closed. No plane will fly over the island. The only light will come from the moon. You can almost hear your vagina screaming.

The whole island will be shut down.

And everyone respects it. There might be some ignorant tourists. But Pecalang, the traditional guards who maintain the village security surely know how to handle them.

I will be spending that day doing yoga, reading some sort of self-empowering books, eating organic foods and contemplating about my life in a very peaceful circumstance. Under the very clear sky.

I’m kidding.

I will probably be watching the whole seasons of Dexter in a cheap hotel, with bunch of instant ramens and full-carbs chips with unhealthy amount of sodium and fat. Which is still good, because first, there will be a nice swimming pool. And second, it is not easy to achieve that level of solitude this day. Right?

There are times where all we need is being alone without the distracting sound. And it can be under a tree on the top of a mountain. It can be under the shade of a hidden beach. It can be on the corner booth in a quite cafe. It can be in your room. It can be on your balcony at 3 am. But how deep can you get that solitude? Even on the top of a mountain I could still hear the sound of a motorbike with annoying loud exhaust down there.

Having this quietness for 24 hours is a major privilege I should thank to Bali because, where can I get that in other place in this planet?

So I highly recommend you to experience Nyepi day in Bali, at least once in your life. It must be on everyone’s bucket list. A day to appreciate the hush. A day where all you can hear is just the sound of a beautiful silence.