New Year’s Came.

2023/2024 New Year’s Eve. Probably my best New Year in the past few years for several reasons. One it’s truly the first real New Year without the damn COVID shit hovering over us all. Yeah, yeah, the damn thing is still around but we do not give a shit, so even if it is, let it be and do not post about it. Wanna get locked down again?

Anyway, back to the New Year… Seminyak Beach Bali is where we had booked a table at Anantara Hotel. Even though I had a long strand of hair on my fried rice there, we booked New Year’s there. Moonlight Kitchen is the restaurant on the rooftop and their claim to fame is the amazing view from the top floor. With some open and some closed areas, we booked the corner table with the best view!

The Food!

I am not a food blogger, but I can say it was good! We had a four-course meal with New Year’s Eve festivities that began at 8:30. We had figured that even though our villa was only 8 minutes away by car, it would be a 30-minute trip on Dec. 31. Well, it wasn’t. Bali was so quiet on the 31st that it seemed nearly post-apocalyptic.

It took us exactly 8 minutes to get there and had to walk the last 200 meters since the last bit of road was closed off. We met our friends at Moonlight Kitchen and began our meal shortly after.

Beneath us, 6 floors down the beach slowly filled up with people from all over Bali and all over the world. It was an amazing sight to see as the sun had already set but was still bright enough to see. The thousands of people before us eagerly awaiting the fireworks.

Oh, The Fireworks

I am unsure when the fireworks began but between the time we got there, to the time we left they never stopped. Our ears were ringing by the end of the night, but it was worth it.

As our meal was served, we noticed that the beach just became full, fuller, and then the sea of people by the ocean lit up the beach with their cellphones. The glittering screens and fireworks along with lights and lasers was an incredible sight to see.

I did a TikTok live at 11 and we went right through to midnight to the climax of the fireworks and cheering from below. Bali is ahead of Jakarta by an hour, so it was fun to see the festivities online for many. For many Indonesians, Bali is just a dream as they cannot afford the travel. So, they got to join us and we had a blast. I hope the rest of 2024 is as good as the New Year’s Eve party!