Bye Bye Bali

    It's hard to believe that another large portion of my trip has come to an end. I am all packed up and ready to face Bangkok tomorrow morning, where I will have to deal with my Vietnamese Visa, before getting out of there and flying back up to Chiang Mai. I am very excited that as of only a few weeks ago, I will now be joined in Chiang Mai by one of my good friends from home. Jenny will be accompanying me through Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia for the next 34 days! 

BATS

    I managed to get one last thing on my 'Bali Bucket List' checked off yesterday with a trip to Tanah Lot Temple on the west coast of Bali. With Claire on her scooter and Leslie on the back of mine, the three of us set off for the massive rock formation out in the Indian Ocean (with the hopes of arriving by sunset). We hit a few bumps along the way, some heavy traffic spots, a handful of wrong turns, and ran over an already mangled snake, but eventually came face-to-face with the entrance to the temple. It was as though we were entering a North American amusement park with the large welcome sign, seperate lanes for car and motorcycle traffic to enter through, gates to pay at and a very vast parking lot. Considering we arrived as the sun was setting, we quickly jumped off our bikes and ran towards the water, to discover HUNDREDS of tourists lining the cliff facing the beautiful temple with the setting sun as it's backdrop. We had also strategically planned to go at low tide so we were able to walk around the beach below the temple as well as walk up to the temple, which is blocked off during high tide due to ocean spray. The drive and rush to get there was all worth it when we had the chance to take in the stunning sunset, the overbearing temple above us and the bats. Yes, the bats. As we were meandering through the rock pools down on the beach, we could here a very high-pitched noise coming from a cave to our left. Thinking not much of it, we ignored it, until we were no longer able to. All at once, thousands of bats came screaming out of the cave, flapping narrowly above our heads, heading out into the quickly changing nighttime sky. It was incredible! The sound they were making, plus the sheer number of them and how close they were, was such a sight to be seen. Naturally, they were quite hard to photograph as they just wouldn't stay still, so I videoed instead - http://youtu.be/5ps23SHQVmM.

    The drive back to Ubud was not as easy as our not-so-easy drive to the temple. Our way back was now dark, though roads were slightly less busy, we were without a map or satellite signal as our phone had used up all it's battery and given up on us. Confident in my somewhat trusty sense of direction, we set off as far as my memory could take us, which was a good hour-long stretch. Keeping in mind, roads here generally do not have road signs, and it is very hard to tell the difference between a main road and an alley. Just as we were getting ready to give up, a green road sign appeared saying UBUD with a directional arrow pointing left. Golden. A short 20 minutes after that exciting turn, my front tire popped causing me to swerve left and right and left again, again and again and almost completely lose control of my bike that I was going downhill on at 50mph. Unsure as to how I pulled it off, but I managed to keep us upright until coming to a complete stop on the side of the road and only scraping my left foot in the process. Pitch black, few cars on the road, no phone, not exactly your ideal situation. This was the starting point to restoring my faith in humanity. After a kind family had pulled over on the road to ask if we were alright and thankful for some obnoxiously barking, protective dogs across the road, Leslie pointed out that where we happened to stop was right outside of a (closed) car service centre and two people were coming down the driveway to check us out. Within minutes, with no English spoken, they were pushing my bike up the driveway into their centre that was filled with about 6 dogs and their whole family. After discovering pumping air into the tire was not going to work, a lot of hand gestures, some charades and a few giggles later, Claire and I were back on her bike, following Helpful Man #1 with Leslie on his back, and Helpful Man #2 struggling behind us on my bike to go the 200m up the road to a scooter 'service centre.' We waved goodbye and thank you to the two gentlemen and took a seat next to the very friendly son, baby daughter and wife of Helpful Man #3 who was tending to my tire. 45 minutes, a fixed tire, $4, and priceless memories and acquaintances even later, we were back on the road heading towards Ubud. Thankfully, my sense of direction held on all the way into the city centre of Ubud to where all three of us knew exactly how to get home. Starting with a 4PM departure from home to a 11PM arrival back, I could not have been happier to see Inka's wagging tail and my bed. But Tanah Lot...Tanah Lot was all worth it ;)

    Bali has been such a serene place I feel so lucky to have called home over the last 2 months (7 weeks). Living in the village of Penestanan has been simple, comfortable, humbling and at times surreal. Every morning I ran or walked by an older woman who spends her days walking up and down the roads picking up garbage - 'Selemat Pagi!!' - she would yell and wave at me with a huge smile on her face. I could routinely be walking down the street on my way home from class and coordinators would scoot by yelling my name, waving. Every day I could count on getting home from school to see Inka waiting on the veranda, and the wonderful family I lived with smiling, sitting on seperate verandas, quietly making flower offerings. Watching the way construction is done here has blown my mind. There are no trucks, no cranes, no shovels, no nothing. Cement blocks are carted around 2 or 3 at a time on the heads of women, making however many trips it takes to get them all from A to B. On the way to school one day, I saw a few men casually walking layers of brand new bed frames down the road. Everyone does everything themselves without relying on anything but themselves, yet for everyone other than themselves. If you catch my drift. 

My house

    I enjoyed the daily routine I had going on most days, and will miss it and the smiles of my Kindies as I move on to my next adventure. Running, reading, teaching, exploring and discovering new places, and new faces. This province is small and I think I got what I wanted out of it in the time I was here. I very much look forward to the next few weeks that lie ahead and the new discoveries and experiences I am about to make. Bye Bye Bali.

XOXO Nicky