There is something about the laidback Bali way, maybe its the glowing smiles that leave us dreaming of a slow living island way of life. Eight years ago, Canadian born Seewah kept feeling the pull across the ocean to Uluwatu, where she met and fell in love with Tim Russo, Co-Founder of the Drifter Surf Shops.
Bali had cast its spell and became home. With their two year old son, Max, this trio are lucky enough to call the cliff-top paradise of the Uluwatu Surf Villas home. The family spend their time fishing, surfing, exploring all their island home has to offer and setting of on epic travel adventures.
Children of the Tribe spoke to Seewah about life in Bali and grabbed some tips for families visiting this laid-back holiday paradise.
When did you decide to make Uluwatu, Bali, your permanent home?
Uluwatu cast its spell on me for the first time 12 years ago. The power of this place is undeniable when you are standing on the cliffs looking out over the horizon. I’m from Canada, but something kept pulling me back from across the oceans. I met Tim who was already living here on one of those trips 8 years ago and decided to stay and marry him!
What does a typical day in Bali look like for you?
The blue kingfisher birds usually make an incredibly distinct squawking call at the crack of dawn and our 2 year old, Max, will bolt up in bed on cue. We don’t mind, as mornings are peaceful when we are up even before the family caretakers of the land light incense for morning offerings at the temples around the property. Tim will grind the coffee and take Max for a surf check out front whilst I make breakfast.
The ideal day in Bali for us would be chilled out and depending on the waves, Tim can get a surf in or spear some fish for dinner and we head to the beach or hang by the pool where Max can eat dragon fruit in the nude.
We work from home and we’re super grateful to be doing what we love but it’s easy to get caught up being busy. Max seems to be growing up and changing so fast, that it is definitely a reminder for us to slow ourselves down, enjoy the present moment and appreciate our time together.
Any hidden, family-friendly gems on the island we should know about?
The low tide pools at Uluwatu are amazing. They become perfect aquariums for little (and big) kids to explore. It’s pure Bali magic when you can line up the tides pools with a sunset out here.
Where's your favourite place to eat?
Drifter Surf Shop is at the top of our list. Who doesn’t love non-stop good vibes reggae, a huge collection of surf memorabilia and a big gallery garden space in the back for kids to run around. Max’s current favourite stop for smoothies & fruit bowls.
Last year you created Jordan River Cabin, back in your hometown of Vancouver Island, Canada. Tell us what that was like?
Jordan River is a sleepy little logging town on Vancouver Island with no cell phone service and home to amazing hikes, beaches, secret and not-so-secret waves. It’s totally Pacific Northwest temperate rainforests and rugged coastlines. We love it there and we want our son to experience being amongst the bears, eagles, otters and killer whales. We built a little cedar shingled surf shack nestled into 3 acres of forest that turned out really cool so we rent it out for others to enjoy while we aren’t there. It’s nice for us to leave Bali for a stint to get a bit of cold, we love being able to chop some wood and light a fire in the stove. It’s a really peaceful place for us where we can disconnect to reconnect.
What’s your dream holiday destination?
We are all about the island life. The ultimate dream would be to split our time between Bali, Byron & Kauai, while we aren’t road tripping up and down coastlines or through North American national parks in our future camper van! We also hope we can continue to make the annual pilgrimage to Sri Lanka. Max is an awesome little traveller so we can’t wait to discover more amazing places with him!
