wayan’s front yard. he and his family were flower farmers.
ask and the universe shall provide.
when wayan finally arrives, i am both nervous and excited to get on his motorbike. i assume he’s probably going to be extremely careful knowing that he has a foreigner on his hands, so i try to breathe deeply and relax. “plus, my boyfriend and my new hotel manager friend both have his information in case i go missing, so i really shouldn’t be worried.”
and i needn’t have been. he was an extremely cautious driver, compared to the other motorbike operators on the road, he constantly asked me if i was okay and he didn’t mind my constant readjusting, nor the super tight hold i had on him every second of the way.
when we finally arrived at his home, my butt was sore, my mouth was tired from the smile that had been plastered on my face for the entire hour and a half long ride, and my heart was racing with the anticipation of meeting and living with a family halfway across the world from my own!
saying goodbye to manorous was not easy. it was clear he was going to be a good friend and the girls at the desk were just as wonderful. i knew i would have a ton of fun if i stayed with them, but i also truly wanted to see the countryside and experience the way the majority of bali people lived.
this was also going to be my first experience riding on a motorcycle in a foreign country and only my third time ever even on a motorcycle, so although part of me was thrilled, another part was scared senseless because those streets looked crazy!! ”what am i getting myself into?” i thought as i waited for wayan to arrive. ”everyone warned me not to trust people abroad, but that just goes against my instincts…” i quickly called rajinder, my indian love in australia, and gave him wayan’s full name, the name of the hotel he worked at and his cell phone number, you know, just in case wayan was actually not as trustworthy as he seemed…
day one in bali, continued
upon arriving at the hotel which the two australian gentlemen happily escorted me to, i found myself unable to open the door to my room and had to call the bell hop for help. i struck up a conversation with wayan, who asked me what the purpose of my visit was. i told him i wished to stay in a village, that i was hoping to stay in a hotel only one night and that i wanted to explore the country. after a brief, and seemingly nervous, pause he said, “you can come to my village with me… it’s a very beautiful place… i just have to ask my wife if it is okay.” i agreed and we made arrangements for me to switch hotels so that he could take me to his village himself two days from then.
the next day, the australian men invited me to join them for lunch and massages. excited to explore a bit of this overwhelmingly congested city, i agreed and found myself navigating my way through a city that was truly unlike any other i had ever encountered. although there were many modern, western looking stores and restaurants, the culture, feel and flora were distinctly non-western. my excitement grew as we passed countless warungs (small street-side restaurants and shops, often in makeshift buildings), ornate temples, people dressed in traditional clothing and thousands of motorbikes kicking up dust in their wake.
afterwards i bid farewell to my new australian friends and checked into a smaller boutique hotel just down the road where i met manorous, the chain-smoking, always smiling, thought-provoking, fun-loving, ever-caring manager of operations. we spent much of the evening and the next morning chatting about life, adventure, dreams and love.
if i were a superhero…
my hugs would have the power to change destructive, intolerant, hateful and angry emotions into feelings of love and acceptance. those who received my gift would then have the ability to come up with logical ways to remove themselves from potentially harmful situations and find peaceful solutions to their concerns.
if i could be a character from a book, i would be…
first of all, i have not yet seen the movie, but since childhood, i have read the book three times!
alice finds herself in all kinds of pickles, meets such lovable characters, experiments with all kinds of magic, wanders from place to place, partakes in all kinds of adventures and has a grand time altogether, even if she is a little uptight! if you know me, this IS me!
Once you have flown,
you will walk the Earth
with your eyes turned skyward;
…for there you have been,
there you long to return.
He who has a why to live can bear almost any how.
palaurocks asked: Heard you made it to Palau, but you haven't posted a thing about the trip nor are there any photos uploaded. Was it a bust?
hi palaurocks! thanks for checking out my blog!
in answer to your question, not at all. palau (or, more acurately, belau/beluu) definitely did rock! it was the sixth country i visited and i’m still posting about the third, so i probably won’t get to palau for another month or two since i promised myself to post my experiences in order and i have so many things i want to post about each place i visit! it’s taking quite some time to finish each country!
in addition to this, i was unable to have consistently reliable internet access in many places (including palau). when i did have consistent and reliable access, there were many days i didn’t want to spend my time on the computer. therefore, my posts are written much later than they actually occurred.
Bootsie
I really have enjoyed ur Blog. I luv the pix of ur experiences. I feel blessed to have met u. Cannot wait to c u again. We luv u!!!
my first night in bali.
the first thing one can not help but noctice uponentering the baggage claim area is the huge red sign informing visitors of indonesia’s policy on drug trafficking: offenders get the death penalty. i knew right then that i was going to enjoy learning all about this non-western culture and getting to know its people. i took a moment to look around and soak in my surroundings.
my moment didn’t last very long as i was bombarded by people trying to “help me” with my luggage. after politely declining all offers, i watched the carousel for my bag. another man approached me, this time asking for my flight information and baggage claim ticket. as he walked off with my information, i congratulated myself for waiting to speak to someone in charge and not getting caught in a tourist trap. the airport employee promptly came back to notify me that the airport did not have my luggage- everything had been unloaded already and if my bag was not visible, it was not on the plane. a bit frustrated, yet eternally optimistic, i was directed to the lost luggage desk where i completed a claim. luckily, the form was also available in english. while i was waiting for someone to tell me what to do next, two older australian men approached me and asked if i needed help. i replied no with a smile, saying that i was fine and could live without my bag for a few days, or forever, as need be. they said they would wait outside for me to make sure everything was fine.
when i was told i could leave, i walked past the windows of money exchangers shouting out their offers and exchange rates vying for patronage, towards the taxi drivers and hotel bookers who were equally enthusiastic about yelling their best rates and service at the tourists. the two australian men who had offered help were waiting outside for me and talked me into staying at the same hotel.
the photo above is of the dinner we shared across the street from the hotel on my first night in bali!
the airport in denpassar, bali, indonesia. the traditional stone “gates” welcome guests to the island in lovely contrast to the warning sign for drug trafficers!
i choose
i am consistently amazed by the amount of excitement people get from counting down the days left until the next day off, pining for the weekend all week long, cherishing saturdays and sundays as if they were their only salvation. it saddens me to think that each day spent working at their respective jobs is so awful people feel the need to number the days that remain until they get even a one day break from the routine. how can you “wait to be happy” until the next day off? why not now? do people know it’s possible to be happy at a job? are they really happier being miserable?
while others have allowed themselves to be reduced by the situations they have created in their lives and live worshiping the weekends, vying for vacations, whining about the work-week and procrastinating for pay, i have always frowned upon such attitudes and behavior. i have always been excited about every aspect of my work- planning events, problem solving, generating excitement around a cause, multitasking, caring for children, organizing lives, collaborating with colleagues and students, staying late to get the job done, helping others and spending quality time with the kids. until today.
this morning i found myself peeking at another teacher’s paper to see how many days remained until the end of the school year. that was my cue. although i had already known for quite some time, the experience confirmed that i had made the right choice to leave my job, the job i love dearly, that i designed for myself, through which i have shared great joy with countless young people.
i refuse to be a teacher just “because i needed a job.” i refuse to get to the point where i can’t wait until the weekend to be happy or fulfill my desires. i refuse to make others listen to my complaining. i refuse to teach “because i get the summers off.” instead, i choose to try something new. i choose to expand my mind by working in a new field. i choose to take a risk. i choose to broaden my horizons by going into uncharted territory.
i choose to fall in love with a new job.
For Kelly, who shared this beautiful view with me.
eva, you are so wonderful. it was great talking with you yesterday- just what the doctor ordered!
one of the few things i appreciate about mainstream australian culture is their willingness to say it like it is, without reservation, when it comes to matters of public health.
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