A closer look
Bali is an Indonesian island famous for its lush rice terraces, Hindu temples, and an absolute infestation of digital nomads talking loudly about their crypto portfolios in vegan cafes. What travel blogs advertise as a journey of spiritual awakening and cheap beachside living actually involves sitting in horrific scooter traffic while inhaling exhaust fumes behind a truck full of chickens. People travel there to find themselves, which usually means paying a local shaman to tell them they are special before getting violently ill from drinking unpurified tap water. It is a stunning paradox of Westerners escaping the rat race of their home countries only to create an entirely new, gentrified rat race in the tropics with faster Wi-Fi and more expensive smoothie bowls
