Why is the last day of vacation always so good - it's like the universe is taunting you, daring you to skip out on real life and sell beads on the beach or finally open Naps & Apps.
I headed out early this morning to the temple at Uluwatu, on the southern tip of Bali. On the way there, my driver was chatty. But when we arrived, he got serious, and told me to leave my hat and sunglasses and water in the car. The monkeys, he warned. They are "aggressive." (That word again.) So, with some trepidation, I ditched my stuff - plus the three baby bananas I had stashed in my bag.
We walked up to the temple, and sure enough, there were monkeys. I was flittering past them in my sarong and sash, hoping I wouldn't seem appealing. (And as we walked along, my driver would point to any discarded item, such as a random shoe and say: See that? Monkeys.) They left me alone, but I did see two monkeys jump on a guy's head and shoulders. The guy seemed happy about it, so win-win. At least until he goes back to Australia and realizes he has Ebola or monkey-scratch fever.
There wasn't much to the temple itself. But the location was everything. A little temple-pagoda sits on the edge of a cliff, while 200m below, waves are crashing into the rocks at the bottom. Otherwise, it's pale aquamarine water out as far as the eye can see. So beautiful.
After the temple, it was an amazing beach day, and I am reading a good book. Even the French people on the chairs nearby did not bother me.
So now I'm off to the airport, and 25 hours of flying. I'm glad to be coming home, if for no other reason than my clothing - and ergo me - is beginning to pick up an unpleasant odor.
Some Final Tallies:
Hours traveled to/from US - 50
Places visited - 6
Miles biked - 120
Soaking tubs - 4 total, 1 freestanding
Rainshowers - 3, including one outdoors
Near misses on my bike - 3 significant
Weirdos on the trip - 1 (to be distinguished from 3 boring people and 1 know it all)
Fruit baskets in hotels- 5
Cups of monkey poo coffee - 1/12
Foot massages on arrival - 1
Rose-filled bathtubs - 1
Offers in Ubud for special massage - at least 3 (I inferred the special part)
Rooster, caged or free - hundreds, including 3 died pink
Chickens crossing the road - 1
Seaweed flavored Pringles consumed - 1 short stack (Yum!)
Fishes seen while snorkeling - dozens, all over this shipwreck
Fishes eaten while traveling - 1 (sorry, fish friends)
Minutes spent swimming in cholera river - 5 gleeful minutes
Days spent regretting swim in cholera river - 8
Dogs run over - 1, but not by me
Homemade chocolate Easter bunnies - 1
Blessings received - 4 (complete with rice on forehead and neck)
Sarongs worn - 3
And that about sums it up. Thanks for tuning in the past two weeks.
Thursday, May 1, 2014
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