I've been home in South Gippsland's frosty, winter temperatures for
almost two weeks, yet my thoughts continue to gravitate to the
mesmerising island of Bali, Indonesia, which I visited after not
having allowed myself a holiday, for various absurd reasons, in many
years. I now realise how ludicrous that was.
Exiting Denpasar airport, I was so pleased my first contact abroad
was with an enthusiastic, friendly, middle aged Balinese man named
Ketut, who spoke quite good English while he drove to the hotel,
which I had blindly and nervously booked on-line from home. It was
nearly midnight and the traffic was apparently minimal
during the hour long drive, however to me the roads seemed to be buzzing with life. I sensed this foreign place was somehow magical and I felt
free and excited, wondering what was to come. As we approached the
exquisite, lit up traditional Balinese accommodation, I already felt
completely comfortable and 'at home'.
It was a lovely 27 degrees as I was shown to my spacious bungalow,
which looked out onto green, luscious, maintained gardens lit up by
symmetrical lanterns. I was excited and relieved, as I had also
booked for two long-time German friends, whom I hadn't seen for some
years and who were joining me in the next couple of days. Thankfully
I had done well! So with that, my adventure commenced and with
gratitude and an open heart and mind, I intended to wholeheartedly
embrace and soak in as much of Bali as I possible could. I felt I was
in another world, another lifetime and my soul infinitely sang with
joy from the moment I stepped onto Indonesian soil.
I stayed in Seminyak (north-west of Bali), which portrayed a warm,
calm, uplifting vibe during daylight. Toasty warm, regular
temperatures of around 32 degrees and only swim suit or light
clothing was needed. I swam in the ocean, in between pleasurable
beach walks, and the inviting pool every day. Swimming was something
of a memory, as I couldn't recall the last time I bathed in sea water
or even wore bathers. I was in heaven!
The hustle and bustle of the narrow
streets of Seminyak, were
filled mainly with
cars (manufactured narrower to
suit Bali's
roads), and
electric scooters; some
uniquely fun
and creatively
spray painted. There
were
no road rules.
None! The speed was
comfortably low and as each vehicle operator wished
to overtake, or turn left or right, he gave
a short toot of the horn to let commuters
around him know he was
about to change his stance. I found it to be organised chaos. There
was
no road rage, no anger or disrespect. It
just seemed
to work
and I
was told road accidents were
minimal. Even stray dogs
sometimes slept
in the middle of streets
during broad daylight,
much to my initial horror, yet everyone detoured
around them as if it were a usual occurrence.
I melted into the extraordinary,
beautiful sunsets each
evening. On
the beach road
I discovered a secluded,
little rooftop above a cafe, where
I found
my
front row seat overlooking a sea of brilliant,
multicoloured umbrellas and
beanbags. These were set
up for the evening
trade just in front of the
hospitality venues, and
reached
half way down the surf beach
towards the ocean.
Right before sunset
commenced, a
Balinese
acoustic guitarist and a
singer would prepare
for their nightly,
three sets
just short of the water's
edge, perched
on a large, wooden pallet
to keep them and their equipment dry as
the tide rolled slowly in during
their gig.
Their mood-fitting,
soulful
tunes
sounded fantastic through
their accompanying speakers and
I seemed to feel every note in every emotional
cell of my body.
By this
time in the distance, the
usually calm, relaxed beach
came
alive with joggers and
teenage soccer
players, people walking their leashed dogs (or
groups of stray dogs joyfully
running and socialising
together), romantic
strollers and
children playing, while
their happy
voices echoed
on the back of a
gentle breeze. The
soft
winds
soothed
my warm skin as I sipped a cocktail and
overlooked the vibrant
surroundings; taking
it all in and not quite believing I had
finally permitted myself
time out from my norm.
Witnessing
Bali's
incredible sunsets,
with
ever-changing colors, as the
backdrop to
this tropical, spirited
environment was
indeed one
of the highlights of my amazing
holiday.
The
beanbags quickly filled,
mostly with
tourists ready for a 'sunset
drink'. The
waft of delicious food filled the air too,
which continually
teased my taste buds. A
few kites soared above, some cheeky
drones drifted in the sky
taking photos, and the local
Balinese beach sellers would appear
and approach any tourist who
looked vaguely interested in their craft; often
walking away after facing yet
another rejection, however
quite happy to move onto the next prospective buyer.
Suddenly luminous,
colored lights would
appear from all directions,
as the nearby cafes, bars and
restaurants prepared for the
darkness. Beautiful,
dancing
lanterns flickered
from huge,
ancient trees, which
stood proud, knowing the
structures had been built around them. Fireworks
would spasmodically light up
above the beach,
spraying more rainbows of colors into the already bright, lucent
atmosphere. It was
just so beautiful!
Each day I
continually felt my
worries melt away as I relaxed
more and more.
I was humbled
and grateful for this stunning opportunity to visit this endearing
part of the world, so close to home. Enjoying
the adventure with two life-long German
girlfriends
proved to be the icing on
the cake. We had much to
catch up on and the many
laughs we shared were
priceless.
I had intended, and did
attempt, to assess and work
through some personal
imbalances,
which I hoped to possibly see more clearly and objectively while
away. However I was so
continually drawn into, and in awe of, the present moment, I found
that
goal impossible.
In hindsight, the way I feel
post Bali, the concerns
are insignificant anyway.
I
look forward to sharing more of the magic of Bali in
my next blog... 💗
