Saturday: Avoiding Reality

I awoke with a jump at the sound of my alarm at 5:30. It's been a while since I've heard her songs and massage induced slumber is a deep one.

I threw on my running clothes and headed out the door. A little pup was frolicking by my bungalow so I gifted him with a few rice cakes. Although he was leery of me, he lightly grasped them and ran just far enough from me to enjoy. 

My goal was to run to the bridge and catch the sunrise. Despite hating getting out of bed, wanting more sleep, I knew I needed to experience the stillness of one more early Bali morning. Upon running through the streets I was greeted by the usual dogs, chickens and early morning routines of the sleepy eyed locals. One temple was playing music from megaphone like speakers high above, at 6 am! It was a beautiful soundtrack to the moment.
 

Eastern view from the bridge

Children in all different uniforms were dressed in military fashion headed to their  last day of instruction for the week. They all carry the large water bottles as this girl is above. Many of the girls had their little brooms used to clean the school yard as well. This must be early life training as clean up is done all around in the waking hours. When watching the girls sweep, they slightly bend at the hips and sweep with their dominate hand, resting the other in bent position on their lower back. This is exactly how all Balinese women sweep.

The temple playing the music

Morning offerings in the middle of the street. All woman dress traditionally in sarongs with sashes when doing the offerings, sometimes they wear the t shirt or uniform shirt from their workplace instead of the blouse if they are on the clock.

Temple details

The local Banyan tree that seems to be a meeting place as well. You can see a woman placing offerings at the altar underneath.

These steps to a temple fascinate me every time I pass them, but I was never with the appropriate clothing; sarong and something to cover my shoulders.

As I came closer to returning to Dream Beach Kubu, I passed a local man for the second time. When I set out he was walking and offered me a giant toothy grin and a thumbs up for running. In my return he passed me on a scooter and offered some sort if encouragement in Balinese. These people! They have captured my heart.

I managed to step in some dog droppings so I changed into my flip flips and headed towards Dream Beach. Knowing school was starting was a huge motivation to get me to the beach as well. Thank goodness it's ok to slowly pass a school and take pictures here unlike in the states. I swear I'm not a creeper! I'm just in love with these kids!

Today there were two different uniforms present, unlike yesterday's standard brown. These boys were performing the morning offering at the school sign, waving incense and leaving the banana leaf flower box. Some kids were sweeping and some had sticks they were skewering leaves onto. So clever and resourceful! When I passed by on my return a group was playing soccer. There was a pile of shoes off to the side and many of the boys were playing with only one shoe on. I found this quite comical.

Dream Beach with Ceningan's Secret Point in view.

The beach is accessible through Dream Beach Huts, another hotel utilizing old boats. This is swoon worthy.

This could easily be me if I didn't have to ever return. 

Last ocean post run rinse off

She's trying to show her face, that sun!

I couldn't pass up one last stop to Devil's Tear.

I love seeing the crabs scurry everywhere on these rocks. Occasionally you see a bright red one peeking from a crevice. 

Early morning snuggles and far off geysers. How I would love to be these cows.

I returned "home" for one last time.

And an offering! I was just chatting with someone about why we don't get offerings at our bungalows and boom!

They're so gorgeous! The way the incense carries through this country makes for pleasant smells rather than the garbage hiding around the corner.

Not even 5 minutes later and the birds have had their way with it!

I headed to breaky for my last true Indonesian meal along with my other mango! I had Nasi Goreng which is like fried rice mixed with veggies and spices with an over medium egg, accompanied by shrimp chips (made of rice). I always have a traditional "American breakfast" of eggs, but knew I needed one last taste of Bali.

Heading back to my room. Fresh flowers in the little nooks. Ahhhhh....

I showered one last time outside and somberly packed up my things. I headed to reception in hopes of getting a facial, but I didn't not have enough time so I opted to get my toes painted again!

As I was enjoying the moment the boat transport showed up, 25 minutes early! So much for island time! Thank goodness I was ready with bags out front. I hurried to pay my bill, which wasn't easy since the credit card machine wasn't working. I had to scrounge the remainder of my cash to pay, just short a few dollars. I hopped in the back of the benched pick up and headed down another jungle road.

The big hill that bridges the mountain top to the main part of town. I fondly remember my first ride on this just 6 nights ago and thinking this place was so removed.

Goodbye Lebongan...

I love nothing more than a mellow boat ride to lull me. I nearly fell asleep in the 30 minutes to Sanur.

View of Lebongan, Ceningan and Penida (left to right), complete with Devil's Tear geysers (or geezer as the Aussie's pronounce it). I saw what appeared to be a fish with wings fly out of the water. I have no idea what it was, but it proves the magic of this place.

My taxi driver took the toll road which is a massive freeway over the ocean that stunned me on my flight in. It was a 15 minute ride rather than the hour ride through the main part of town. 

As seen flying into Bali

I checked in with sand still on my feet from departing the boat. Oh the life!

I perused the airport a bit after paying my exit fee of about $12. I'm not sure if I mentioned, but it was $35 to come into the country. So strange! I managed to scrape together enough rupiah to purchase my last magnum ice cream bar (a Southeast Asia tradition for me). 

Every bathroom has an attendant here. On of the attendants has her daughter with her who couldn't have been more than 2 years old. I love how this is something that is allowed in their culture, the importance of family.

Still have sand on the plane along with a wet bum from the boat ride. Hopefully it dries sooner rather than later.

Bali has been magnificent. It took me a while to get into the feel of it, but once I did the islands captured me with their magic. I even had the desire to visit a temple yesterday! Apparently I needed to get into my groove and out of the cities! 

I am so thankful to have had this opportunity, the many experiences and a lifetime of beautiful memories. My 700+ pictures can take me back once I return to reality late Saturday night and when life gets ahead of me. 

I am excited at the thought of lots of running at home, seeing all my loves and especially snuggling my lil man so tight he'll whine I'm sure of it! 

Thank YOU for sharing in this adventure with me. For the countless blessings, wishes and encouragement along the way. Hearing your enjoyment from reading my experiences makes me so excited to write. And travel more!! Where to next?! 

Love each and every one of you!

 

Wednesday: Short Lived Adventures in Diving

Lebongan has proven to be lazy island time for me. I slept in until the last possible minute of 8:30 before rushing to breakfast. You must allow adequate time for meals here as they run rather slow and no one knows the meaning of hurrying. I love nothing more than taking my time, but my inner .hurried American self forgets this at times

The young man that seems to be the face of Dream Beach Kubu is named Kadux. He had picked me up yesterday and in chatting he said he is 23. Kadux is incredibly helpful and beyond darling. He calls everyone brother and sister. I am sister Jen. In asking what you want for breakfast, "What would you like, sister Jen?", or in delivering your meals or just a greeting. Adore him! 

I attempted to order breaky quickly, but Kadux was on his own internal Balinese time. I should have not been so lazy! My rush was to get ready for diving as Blue Corner Dive was picking me up at 9:45 for my 10 introduction. 

Restaurant/dining area of Dream Beach Kubu. They utilize recycled boat wood (back wall) a lot on the islands, it adds such charm.

After rushing through breaky and getting ready, I waited over 20 minutes for Blue Corner to pick me up. 3 local men arrived on scooters wearing some sort of tattered shirt with the company logo. Oh Balinese time!

Upon arrival at the dive shop I was greeted by Helen, my instructor from France and introduced to Giselle from Brazil who was also diving with us. Since we were beginners we were given extra attention and one on one instruction. After the basic overview we suited up in wetsuit, booties, flippers, mask, weight belt and the vest with the tank attached. It's much heavier than I had anticipated! Once dressed we were shown and asked to demonstrate a few things on our own. We had to prove we could take the mouth piece in and out of our mouth under water in case it were to come out when in the ocean, how to blow the water out of your mask (if any leaked in) under water and how to clear our ears from the pressure that comes with the descent into the water. 

None of the tasks came easy for me, starting with simply breathing. I am a nose breather through and through and struggled to get accustomed to only breathing through my mouth. Then blow out the nose to clear the water from the mask while looking up? Psh! As if! Far too much thinking for my vacation brain. I automatically use my nose and suck water straight in! Frustration was an understatement, but I did my best to keep my cool. Eventually I got it somewhat down, yet I wasn't incredibly comfortable. I felt dizzy under the water (I am a shallow breather, which is something I try to work on when I remember. Gotta breath deep!) I also wasn't liking the pressure in my ears. I was having flashbacks to when I was 9 and every weekend mom and I would go to my aunt and uncles and I had to learn to master how to pop my ears for the elevation change. The pain took me back to the time my eardrum ruptured and I missed my first ever trip to the redwoods. Yes, I was thinking all of this whole swimming in the deep end of the pool. I didn't like any of this one bit, but I silently gave myself a pep talk and encouraged myself to step out of my comfort zone. In reality I wanted to say forget it and leave...but I also didn't wanna be a quitter or have regrets.

I was fairly nervous after being in the pool and having such unsettled feelings. We were delayed getting on the boat as the tide was too low, so I was left with high anxiety. (That deep breathing would help right about now.) We loaded up about 45 minutes after we were scheduled to and headed to the western end of Nusa Penida, which is on the other side of Ceningan. The water was quite choppy. I kept telling myself to keep my eyes on it since I could feel if I did not, I would grow queesy. The boat came to its spot in the bay where the Manta Rays are known to be and Helen proceeded to give us further instruction. I watched her out of fear of forgetting all she had told me earlier. And then I got queesy. Helen assured me I'd feel better once in the water so I was beyond anxious to get in. And this wet suit is confining and gagging me at the same time. Blegh.

 I fell backwards off the boat as instructed and anxiously waited to get started. Helen got in after me and our little group started our descent. We had to stop frequently to clear our ears of the majorly uncomfortable pressure (obviously not everyone has this problem). We finally made it to the bottom, which was about 30 to 40 feet from the surface. 

It was gorgeous to be amidst the beauty of the underworld and all of the magnificent colors. The Manta Rays came within ten feet of us, probably about 6 total were seen within the first 20 minutes of the 45 minute dive. At about 25 minutes I was over it. My stomach was more than queesy at this point and I was feeling majorly lightheaded. I gave Helen the hand signal that I needed to go to the surface. She asked why and I pointed everywhere; head, stomach, mouth. After about 5 minutes, which felt like eternity, we were at the top. The two men manning the boat helped me in as I could barely lift myself with all of the weighted gear and my current weak state. 

I kept my eyes on the waves and managed to get a bit of a control on my nausea. I stripped of all gear and enjoyed the views...

The cove where we dove

Just before this a turtle was spotted. And then...

Dolphins!! Unfortunately I never could capture them out of the water. You can see fins in the middle of this picture. They were absolutely gorgeous!

The rest of the divers came up and we headed to the second dive spot near the Mangrove Forest where the water was much more calm. I was also provided with a tablet to take for the motion sickness. Thank goodness, it helped so fast. I ate lunch on the back of the boat before everyone fell back in the water. I was not about to go back down. Nope! Not happening! 

So instead I snorkeled! I have decided I prefer it much more as I am on the surface and can come up for air as I please! This area had a beautiful coral garden and thousands of fish. I swam through several schools before realizing I had drifted a bit far from the boat. I returned where Giselle was waiting. She had opted for only one dive beforehand as she knew a short dive was enough for her liking. I should have done that! Oh well! Lesson learned! I tried something new and pushed my own boundaries. Giselle and I chatted on the boat and watched the beautiful birds fly by. There was a massive parrot that flew overhead in the area that looked like a giant cockatiel, well over a foot in length. 

I anxiously left the diving school, ready for a shower and thankful that was over! Back at the hotel I met another traveler from Australia who had just arrived to the island. We hopped on scooters and headed to Ceningan as I shared the need to see Blue Lagoon and Secret Point. I love meeting other solo travelers as we seem to share independence and love of adventure. (And can have someone take our pictures instead of nothing but selfies!)

This is perfection. Mount Agung and rain falling on Bali, surfers and beach music. 

On the way back to Lebongan we caught the sunset over the bay. 

 Then again from Mushroom Beach. We grabbed a bite along with some beverages, sharing travel stories and watching countless hermit crabs.

I am so glad I'm no longer on Bali as the weather seems to be pretty stormy from what can be seen.

 Lightning after dinner over Bali. If only my phone could capture the true beauty of the moment. 

I came "home" and took another shower under the stars. I'm loving this little bungalow! 

Today was a day of pushing limits, yet learning to listen to myself. Upon getting out of the pool I knew I wasn't keen on diving, but I went out of fear of missing out. Next time I know not to scuba and to listen to my little voices (thankfully I don't hear too many). In the end, the beauty of the island made up for it all and being able to share it's magnificence with others filled my heart with joy.