Bali by Carsten K. Rath
A globetrotter reveals his secrets: "Bali is a place of inspiration for me."
14 March 2019
Carsten K. Rath
Carsten K. Rath is a keynote speaker and author on the topics of leadership and service. As a speaker, he gives impulses to a wide variety of companies worldwide on how to really inspire customers. His work is successful, as he has made an international name for himself in this field. When travelling, he is not interested in arriving, but in experiencing the world. Where he likes to do that and what inspires him every day, he reveals in the TRAVEL DIARY.
Bali
I think my friends wouldn't have to think twice if someone asked them how to describe me. "He's rarely here, but always there," they'd probably say. Because as an author and speaker, I'm on the road a lot. Travel is my passion. It is very important to me that gondoling around the world is not about arriving. On the contrary: because in the process you forget the real pleasure. I don't like it when everything is planned in advance. Spontaneity is what makes life really exciting. Exoticism inspires me and as a manager I need inspiration to be exactly that for my employees. Exoticism abounds in Bali and that is my favorite place to go. I associate the music of Simon & Garfunkel with Bali. When I hear the songs, I also feel transported to Indonesia for a moment at home.
When I'm in Indonesia, I stay at the Fairmont in the Sanur district of southeast Bali. The 5-star resort is located directly on a gorgeous golden beach and has 120 suites and villas. The rooms are individually furnished and have a fantastic view of the sea. The hotel is nestled in the middle of tropical gardens and therefore offers just the right kind of exoticism for my taste. When I am stressed, I switch off in the hotel wellness area and let my soul dangle. But that doesn't happen too often. Because I do yoga, very early every morning. I like to imagine that it expands my mind and helps me better withstand the adversities of everyday life. My friends always ask me where I like to dine in Bali. When I'm on the island, of course I like to eat fish. For me, the best place to do that is at Plantation Grill. But I am also often found at Breeze at the Samaya. Here I like the simple atmosphere in combination with the exquisite food. My insider tip is the Bali Aga village "Truyan". Fazsinierend is that the dead here are neither burned nor buried. The inhabitants are laid under the Taru Menyam tree. They are wrapped in cloths and protected from devouring animals by a bamboo lattice. The deceased are left entirely to nature and pass into the earth in the natural process of decay. There is no smell of decay there - but of lotus. It is a soulful place full of peace. I like to come here to rest.
Here I feel warmth on my skin, am surrounded by bright colours and hear people laughing.
When I'm stressed, I switch off in the hotel wellness area and unwind.
The best hotels
Fairmont Sanur Beach Bali
Bulgari Resort Bali
Alila Villas Uluwatu
The best restaurants
Highlights
My thoughts on travel
Which hotel do you love the most?
The Brenners Park Hotel! For me, the best managed hotel in Germany. As director and CEO of the Oetker Hotel Group, my friend of many years, Frank Marrenbach, lives there how leadership and service succeed in equal measure: You have to like people
The Best Way To Spend The Day There Is To...
A visit to the spa at Villa Stéphanie. There you can and may switch off everything that causes stress in everyday life.
What do you love when you are in Bali?
To buy furniture there
My idea of a perfect evening?
At the Taj Mahal Hotel in New Delhi - with a massage after yoga
The most extraordinary place for me is....
The Bali Aga village "Trunyan" - a cemetery where the dead are not buried. Nevertheless, it smells pleasantly of lotus and is a soulful place full of peace.
As a travel lover, what should you definitely have experienced?
Jogging along the Seine in Paris - always heading for the Eiffel Tower
Your favorite travel destination Bali summed up in one sentence:
I feel warmth on my skin, am surrounded by bright colors and hear
I love this place because of the spectacular mountain scenery and unique cuisine.
A look into my life
Her greatest passion:
Travel - not to arrive, but to travel. Because in everyday life today we only want to arrive, and the original pleasure of travelling is often lost in the process.
What is the best moment of the day for you:
Yoga, very early in the morning. I like to imagine that my mind expands so much in the process that it can withstand even the adversities of everyday life most of the time.
What inspires you?
People, colors, exoticism. My main task as a leader is to be an inspiration to the people in my companies. I can only do that if I am inspired myself. New places with their people and all their differences make me the most creative.
How would a good friend describe you:
He's rarely here, but he's always here.
Your lifestyle in 5 words:
Life is grand!
Her philosophy of life is
It's always about everything!
What else should we know about you?
The entrepreneur CARSTEN K. RATH is a keynote speaker and author on the topics of leadership and service. Around the globe he has led thousands of employees and as a speaker gives impulses for customer enthusiasm to the most diverse companies. As a management consultant he is internationally respected at board and management level and has the trust of successful entrepreneurs and executives.
Traveling means to you:
Not arriving. The best trips are the ones that are not planned from start to finish. Every now and then I manage to surprise even my closest friends and colleagues with a photo from the end of the world: What, he's suddenly in India? Often I didn't even know I would be there a few days or hours beforehand. This spontaneity makes life exciting. If I'm in one place for more than three days, I get bored.
carsten-k-rath.com
Picture credit: Carsten K. Rath; Bigstock www.bigstockphoto.com; Fairmont www.fairmont.com/sanur-bali; Plantation Grill plantationgrillbali.com; The Samaya seminyak.thesamayabali.com0
