Canggu and Bali are a very different experience than I imagined. I’ve experienced a lot on my trip, seen different cultures, eaten many new dishes, met a lot of people. I’ve made a point of getting out and seeing areas that weren’t just tourist attractions, but also the dusty country roads, the small densely populated alleys, and the places where everyday life is lived.

The southern part of Bali, and especially Canggu, is extremely international and attracts a lot of people I can’t really identify with. The conversations I have with many of them at the hostel typically revolve around their escapades from the night before; how much they drank and who they took home to bed. I don’t seek out the nightlife. My friends are into live music, which I’m happy to join in on. There are many evenings where we listen to live music until 11 pm. We talk, dance, and laugh at each other’s strange antics. Those who want to keep partying head out to the clubs. I’m typically among those who go back and get a good night’s sleep. Yet I still ended up at a rave.

We were sitting at a music bar that we’d visited many times. The music bar closes at 1 am, and I’d stayed because it was a farewell party for someone from the group who was moving on. When the bar closed, people weren’t quite ready to go home, so it was suggested we go to a nightclub. There were 5 of us heading out. All except 1 of us hadn’t been drinking alcohol. Outside the music bar, the nightlife is in full swing. The party is going full throttle, and it doesn’t look like it’s about to stop. Canggu is one of those towns that never sleeps. If you want to party all night and keep drinking as the sun comes up, you have every option available.

We arrive at the nightclub. It’s called Island Beach Canggu and is located close to the beach. Long before we can see the club, we can hear the music. Heavy bass and techno beats. It’s far from the only club the music can be heard from, but it’s one of the ones playing loudest. When we get inside, we head straight for the dance floor and up close to the DJ booth. Even though the club is outdoors with only a thatched roof over it and it’s the middle of the night, it’s hot inside the crowd. The music is too loud to talk, so there’s nothing else to do but let loose and dance along. Personally I like a good techno beat, so I have fun with my hands over my head.

While I’m having fun on the floor, I can’t help listening to how the DJ controls the flow. The music is a mix of hardcore techno and hardstomp. My body shudders with every beat from the heavy bass. The DJ plays a lot of tracks I know, but his transitions from track to track falter from time to time. One track pauses almost right in the middle of its crescendo and cuts away from its climax. In another transition he has to drop in a 5-second sound effect to reset the tempo, because he misses the changeover. I don’t think anyone else notices, though. People are too intoxicated to catch it.

It’s a bit of a task to move around on the dance floor. On one hand, I’d like to use my arms and feet more, but when everyone else is just jumping, it only results in you bumping into others. Not everyone there is jumping, though. Among the dancers there are also some who just stand there swaying with unfocused eyes. They drift around a bit in the middle of it all and let themselves get pushed around. They’re either completely stiff, on drugs, or have found nirvana. A couple of times I had to stop and gently guide them onward. A bit like a Roomba that’s gotten stuck in a corner.

I last 45 minutes. It’s late, and I’m sweating from the heat and from moving around. The nightlife is very active in Canggu. Even though it’s nearing 2 am, the street and the clubs are packed with people. There are small food stalls where the drunk can get their snack needs met. A little way up the street, the long line of scooter taxis starts, queuing up to take the drunk party animals home. I get a ride home from one of our friends, though, and after a quick shower, I crawl under the duvet. I have to get up and work out at 9.30 the next morning.

I can count on one hand the number of raves I’ve been to, but never sober. I’ve never come away from a rave with a strong impression of what I experienced. It’s usually just a feeling of having been spun around in a washing machine for a couple of hours, only to end up with ringing in my ears. Sober, I can enjoy the music better, be more perceptive, pick up on more interesting details, and let loose better. Raves are fun for me when I get out there and punch the air a bit in rhythm with the music. In the middle of a tightly packed dance floor, no one can see how clumsily you’re moving. But sober, I can get a bit more out of the experience.

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