Bali

Jun 23, 2010 17:25


I knew I was in love minutes along the route from Denpasar to Ubud. Just along the side of the road everything was so beautiful. Lush plants, giant banyan trees, intricate sculpture, art workshops, amazing buildings. Just sitting there in the taxi I nearly cried for the beauty of it all.

Two days later I sit in the patio of my bungalow listening to gamelan music from somewhere not far away. Peru feels a lifetime away. I have left the land of missionaries and the angry poor, made a beautiful and refreshing visit to several  of my beloveds in San Francisco, and arrived on the wings of great Chinese birds 26 hours later in one of the provinces of heaven.  The land is beautiful. The buidlings and sculptures are beautiful, the people are beautiful. The land and the buildings and the people radiate love. The air is full of butterflies and dragonflies and now in the night time, the songs of the insects weave into the sounds of the gamelan. My stomach is full of tofu and rice and strawberry juice and my heart is full of joy.

Where do I even begin with it all? Perhaps that I don’t want to leave. Or perhaps since there are other places like New Orleans and the Bay Area which I very much want to be that I have found my third home? I’m starting Balinese language classes as soon as I can. I’m investigating buying land. I’m scheduling classes in Balinese architecture, history, and ritual. I’ve made contact with the two yoga studios where I’ll be practicing and set forth on a Mysore Ashtanga practice for 8 of the next 9 days. Tomorrow I’ll wake up early as the sun rises, do my kriyas, and head to yoga. Then I’ll enjoy breakfast and make my way to the bi-weekly organic market down the street. From there, I’ll be picked up by the nice gentleman who drove me around today looking for houses to rent for the last month of my stay and go look some more. Done with that, I’ll head for a late lunch and post this journal entry among other  internet things.

Today, however, was a great lot of walking. I set out to find accomodations for the next couple weeks and went into almost every option on Monkey Forest Road. After visiting a great many places I found one that was central but set back away from the noise and crowds, beautiful, without AC or television, but with a minifridge, swimming pool, and internet.  I set myself up for two weeks at the rambling complex of stone bungalows.

On my way back I did my first successful haggling when I bought a large bottle of local honey made by the old merchant for just over half of his original offering price. Myself with honey, the old gentleman with money we both left sincerely smiling and I got a wine bottle size of fresh honey for the equivalent of  about $3.50 US. It’s uniquely light and tasty with notes of citrus.

In the evening I set out for a vaguely mentioned shadow puppet show and failed to find the location so I simply walked and explored .  I walk and walk and walk. Soon my legs will be made of steel. I did discover several beautiful dance and theatrical events for Tuesday nights that I can explore next week and found several inexpensive places for massage along the way. I also bought a really cool locally produced Balines phrasebook and as my final stop treated myself to a couple large glasses of fresh strawberry juice.

Now, it’s almost 11pm and I’m quite sleepy. With yoga a hlaf hour walk away at 8am it’s time for bed. The fan’s been on for a little while and the room is cooling pleasantly. The gamelans have ceased so it will be the insect chorus to sing me to sleep.

I now get the San Francisco Bali connection. I understand why so many of the community in SF have been here. Even if you’re in New England though, you should go, because it is simply one of the most glorious places on earth.

bliss, bali

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