Bali's beauty

10:30 AM
I showered outside this morning. The air is warm and there’s a light breeze. What could be better? I love this place and am excited about what the day will bring.

9:10 PM
After covering a lot of groud, we came back to our villa and were greeted by a bat and a cat. The bat flew in circles around the roof, and the kitty sprawled out on the limestone floor. I was surprised. I’ve never seen a bat so close before that wasn’t in a zoo. I was nervous that it might take a nose dive for my head, but it was a courteous bat and just did a few loops.

Things are different here. Like any good beach town, the island is full of bare-chested and barefoot civilians and lots of scooters.

Life moves at a slower pace. Natives take the time to smile and offer warm-hearted greetings. Taxi drivers close and open doors for you.

A dragon kite coming in for a landing

Life moves at a slower pace. Natives take the time to smile and offer warm-hearted greetings. Taxi drivers close and open doors for you.

The island is gorgeous too. Gardens act as walls. Their gigantic leaves pop out, robust and varied. The plants stand tall as totem polls.

Their magenta, violet, and yellow flowers are the garden's highlights. Glen and Claudia warned me,“Bali is a trance island.” Sure enough, last night we went shopping for my first sarong after dinner.

Bali’s product is different. My eye had to adjust. I traded marble for lava stone, Hindu for Buddhist, city for jungle, and unimaginable crowding for a more maneuverable environment. Life is easier here--perhaps too easy. One has to remind oneself that after a day of vendors, work still needs to be done. It’s difficult to come back to the villa and not immediately jump in the pool. The air is hot and sticky, but we must answer e-mails, write blogs, download photos, review what we’ve seen and plan before we sleep. Nonetheless, I vow that I will use the pool tonight.

Later, while I'm surrounded by the pool's warm water and the night time's chorus of toads and crickets, I don’t find myself preoccupied with the differences between Bali and India. Instead, my mind reflects on the treasures we encountered today.

A hypnotist demonstrates how   to wrap a sarong