Fellow Forumites,
I have absolutely nothing new to report!
If you want the tips on where to shop or change money, which driver to use, who has the cheapest banana pancakes or where to get your tootsies massaged, then you might want to log off now.
I only mean to share my enthusiasim with the people that I know understand it the best.
This trip included my two very good girlfriends who were on their first trip to Bali. I was a spectator on the fringe of their experience, and I watched through old and new eyes the mosaic of life that pieces together to form the balinese way. It is rich and simplistic but a beautiful thing to see. I was so pleased to share this with them and was rewarded time and again by their enjoyment which definately exceeded their expectations.
We laughed with the taxi drivers, we soaked in the sunset, we sipped cocktails and got drunk on the incense, we were voyueristic participants at the Kecak dance, we dined on the culture and savoured the flavours, we watched the ceremonies in awe and smiled with the children. We made new friends and immersed ourselves in the spirit of the people.
I saw my friends fall in love with this lovely isle, the same way I had some 20 years ago now. Nothing prepares you for the hold it will have over you, or the feelings of loss and separation you will experience when you leave.
That is my Bali. It's the that Bali I love.