blissful bali

last week was lunar new years and most of asia goes on vacation, all at the same time. back in september, lindsey suggested going to bali, so we'd been planning this magical week for a while. the trip began with a ktx ride to the airport, a flight to kuala lumpur, hours wandering the airport through the rainforest and starbucks, until my final flight to bali.

i landed around 6am and was picked up by the driver from my villa. he dropped me off and i crashed in the darkness of the teakwood house. that afternoon i spent on the porch, reading, wandering the grounds, resting. that evening i ordered food from a local restaurant to be delivered, i had to repeat the address so many times because i couldn't pronounce the words correctly, but eventually the food arrived. that night, i slept early.

tuesday, i took gloria, the scooter, out for a spin to the local grocery and through some rice paddies. i had the roads to myself and i took the opportunity to drive on the left and explore some on my own.

i took a nap that evening before being picked up around 2am for a sunrise hike on mt. batur about a two hour drive away to the north east. the hike up was climbing over slippery rocks with flashlights and ten-year-old local guide. we reached the crater just before first light and found good seats for the glorious colors we were about to witness. the guides made us a breakfast of coffee, banana sandwiches, and eggs over the volcanic steam. monkeys came down the crater in herds to take part and to steal what food they could. the volcano was wonderfully green (as was all of bali) and was last active in 2000.

after the hike, we were driven back to the south of the island where i was dropped off at bali buda and waited for lindsey and her driver to pick me up from their place in the mountains to our next spot on the beach. we drove a couple of hours to south kuta, a peninsula along the bottom of bali. finding our beach hut on bingin beach was tricky. we drove back and forth and had to ask many locals for directions. eventually we found a grouping of family huts, and a path, and some steep steps that led down to the beach where we eventually we found our hut and h napping in the bed. some kiwi friends of l's joined us for two nights before jetting off on the rest of their adventure. shelby arrived that night.

thursday, our first full day as a group, we rented motorbikes and scooted off to uluwatu. a temple and some beautiful cliffs. cliffs are one of my favorite of earth's landscapes (along with mountains and forests), and these were some of the most glorious cliffs i've ever seen. we wandered among some cows and hung our feet over the edge. the temple is overrun with monkeys who will steal sunglasses and hats in return for food and treats. 

that afternoon, we biked to a beach close by at low tide. it was full of pools of warm water and we floated from each one to the next. it was a relaxing afternoon among rock formations that were tall and mighty. (we later returned during the morning while it was high tide and the waves crashed among the rocks in a magnificent way).

the last days of our trip were spent scootering, getting pulled over by corrupt indonesian police, pretending to be mermaids, watching surfers, eating beachside barbecue, going to the cashew tree for smoothies as frequently as we could, swimming in giant waves, collecting treasures, climbing cliff stairs, adventuring in a calm, blissful, perfect way. 

this trip was peaceful and good to me. being close to (and in) the beach, collecting precious things, being reminded of lake michigan, driving again (even if it was on a scooter), being with friends from high school, filling in the empty spaces and enjoying our time together, waking up early, feeling normal again. 

as a "last trip" out of my home base in korea, i couldn't have asked for a better adventure or friends to adventure with. the next time i get on a plane, i'll be headed back to the states and to the greatest state in the union. there is something so sweet in that. i'm excited for the months ahead, and the months afterwards. 

bali was blissful and magical and gloriously green. everything i needed. 

on leaving and being left

it's that time of year again, and by now you would think i'd be used to it:

l e a v i n g and b e i n g l e f t

this season of transition, change, uprooting even in slightly less drastic ways. you think i'd be used to: being on the move, never feeling quite at home, waiting for something else to change, never feeling stable or sure or comfortable. you think i'd be used to: people leaving. saying goodbye. wishing them well. and one last hug.

i won't miss this part - the part where people always leave and you learn you can't depend on someone because soon, they'll be gone, and you'll be gone, too. it always surprises me. this time sneaks up. when i find myself growing closer, but still keep an arms length between them because i know that soon, one of us will go. soon, someone will be left behind. soon, it won't be the same. and it's easier to use an arm, a pole, five subway stops to separate and keep space. your friends. them. but still, over home-cooked meals, board games, and sharing: you grow closer anyways. and the five stops become less of a journey and you find friends. make friends. become a friend. so it's in this time that i grow nostalgic because those people became my friends, and my friends are going. again. they'll go back and start something new. a new job, a new school, in a new place, with new people. and i'll be here. waiting for it to be my turn to leave and leave behind. to move on. get going. feel the transition again for myself.

i hate that feeling. being left behind. the weather is cold and life is a little less full. i fill it now: with the memories of those nights with them, sunshine, and warm cups of lake michigan coffee.