Hari Raya Nyepi is the New Year for Balinese Hindi celebrating the Caka Year of 1945. Today, March 22, 2023 is the first day of the Caka New Year, which means it is a day of silence in Bali. The whole island is void of people on the streets as it is mandatory by law for everyone to stay indoors, or in my case, on the premises of the hotel. The purpose of this is that the whole island of Bali will appear deserted. Therefore, it is believed that the evil spirits will pass over the island.
Starting at 6:00AM on March 22 and until 6:00AM on March 23, I would not be able to leave the homestay. The day started with some yoga and a seated meditation. Every following hour of daylight was spent poolside. Thunderstorms and sunshine were spent swimming and sipping beers. Thankfully the homestay had a kitchen so there was no involuntarily fasting. Having a relaxing day by the pool was a nice use of the lockdown.