My New Beginnings for 2012

When you let the sunshine enter your heart, the weather outside will not affect your feelings. Only then can you spread your radiance to the world around you.

More of that to come... Returning to our journey from Gili to Lombok, the Vila Ombak organised a boat ride to the next island, Lombok, where the crossing was possible. We got off, waiting for our taxi to take us to the airport on the more enormous island.  
Our driver, Zul, was most accommodating and suggested showing us around the island for the same price as taking us straight to our plane ride. We had four hours to kill, which allowed us to see Lombok. Brilliant.
The green island (well, it sure rained enough for it to be that green!) had an excellent feel. Bali is so over-populated now that I would love to return to Lombok again. Gili was great but a little too small for me! I like things rather 'big'. Haha

The road by the sea, going around the island

The happy school girls in uniform.
One is writing on her wrist! 'memories.'

The colourful Graveyard

The silk scarf factory, where we watched them being made

And our tiny plane, flying from Lombok to Bali!

This is where the pictures say a thousand words. My memories of Lombok.

When we landed in Bali, Lora confessed.
"Haldita, how could you sleep through that bumpy, scary flight?! Whenever I looked at you for reassurance, you were fast asleep through the half-hour flight."
I laughed and said, "Darling, I don't let fear rule me. I seem to fall asleep in such instances! Besides, Lora, you slept through our almost two-hour boat journey with waves as high as our speed boat on both sides while I watched and prayed, so now, it was my turn." 
We laughed and returned to the empty house where all the other guests had left.

Looking back at my three-week-long trip, I feel ever so grateful, and every day, I understand more and more why I had to be there. Let me explain.

It rained or poured every day in Bali. I know we were there during the rainy season. I do my homework and am a well-travelled woman, but even the locals were complaining about the constant heavy downpours. When you look, my pictures say it all.  
Now, I got dark, cloud-bathing! Had the sun come out, as a sun worshipper and a sun-soaking addict, I would have sat under those strong rayons with my usual Hawaiian Tropic oil, factor zero! And that would have been harmful to me. So that was a blessing. Always see the bright side.

From day one, we arrived at the house in Bali to be woken up every morning at the crack of dawn with the unpleasant sound of a rooster, which Lora's neighbours had acquired in her long absence. I told her one morning:
"Darling. Now I like being woken up by a cock in the morning, but this sure ain't the kind I'm talking about!!!"
We laughed hysterically at my naughty, comical remark but still woke up every day swearing at the noisy beast. By the end of the trip, even he didn't bother us much.

A frog managed to leap in the garden pool a couple of evenings, and boy had I ever heard such a noisy, coarse-voiced frog in my life. This one had it all. The first time around, Lora's help managed to catch and throw it outside in the street, but he found his way back when we returned from Lombok another evening, and we had to learn to sleep through his croak! Oh well, there are worse things in life, and he only stayed one night.

Had my dear friend Lora mentioned at the beginning that others would be staying with us in her four-bedroom house, I might not have gone there at all? Especially a couple with a ten-month-old baby and a nanny. The couple happened to be absolutely delightful; Annie and Benny, plus their baby girl, was the smiliest, most loving child I saw. She smiled big time every time she saw me, and that would melt my heart and bring back memories of my babies, now all grown up. Oh, I missed them being away.

Our last week in Bali was just Lora and me. She had work to attend to, and I had time on my hands with a rented 'Pink' Barbie car at my disposal as I love driving, and getting a scooter in that heavy rain was not for me. So, I found a good radio station and drove around in the rain, shopping in the Seminyak area where the wheels of my car were utterly sitting in water! One day, in slightly better weather, I spent my afternoon at the pool of the W Hotel, which was peaceful, reading and people-watching, and generally got time to spend in my own great company. Reflecting and thinking of my future.
As much as I love company, it was good to get to know myself better and my goals in life with a more transparent and productive perspective.

I had been smoking pot most nights of the week for the past, God knows how many years, and not having any during my long trip did not bother me one single bit. Ok, I didn't smoke like a rasta, but mainly in the evenings as opposed to the many drinks my friends would typically have. It made me a more fun person, perhaps a little madder than most. But actually, it was ALL habit. It becomes an unnecessary' habit if you repeatedly do something for many years. Hey, I'm not saying I'll never smoke pot again, but I realised it does not make me the person I am.
As my dear therapist of those eleven years ago asked me about five years ago when I went to see him for one session:
"Haldita," he said, "I understand why you had to smoke joints all those difficult years of marriage, to keep silent your inner child, to hide behind a clouded smoke to ease your pain. But you don't need that now. You're a woman with higher paths; there is no need to cloud away the bright future that awaits you."
God Bless you, Francois, for your loving support. I sent him a note again before Christmas to thank him for his wisdom and help finding myself. And that road is endless.

Thanks to that cock, or rooster in this case, I now wake up at the crack of dawn, still! And I want to go to bed around midnight, which is very early but good for me. 

Despite a blow I had on the night of coming home to London, I am absolutely determined to make my new business work. When I visited my lovely five-element acupuncturist yesterday, I asked for 'wisdom and strength'.

The entrance of W Hotel Bali

Lora has been visiting me in London for a few days now. I am so grateful for her friendship, hospitality, those magnificent yoga classes we attended, and all the learning we had in each other's company. The W here for me and my friends stands for the 'World-Wide Wonderful Women' in my life.  

Wonderful, Worthy, Wacky, Whoopy, Worldly, Wobbly!

 

Shroominating in Gili Trawangan

What is a day if not for the experiences experimented on?

Hence, my quest for mushrooms began. Rain poured on and off as we strolled around the island's wet, sandy pathway in the warmth of the air. The road was full of various board signs advertising the magic of the fungi. 

To the moon and back!

My latte mushroom cocktail

    

At a drinks stall, I asked the seller for directions as to how the banana leaf of handpicked mushrooms was to be taken, and she, in return, showed me the drinks fridge:

"Take one, Coca-Cola? Juice?"

I opted for the latte mix. She poured the can of coffee into a blender, topped it up with the magic goodies, plugged the machine in for the mixture, and handed it back to me in a plastic cup with a straw. 100,000 rupiah was the price, roughly ten dollars.

I walked around happily with my special drink, 'mushy cocktail' as I called it, while Lora looked for a place to settle in. We found a spot on the high bed of the open-air hut, cushioned by colourful fabrics, to lay ourselves comfortably. I watched the scenery of the sea, the early evening fall and the island of Lombok opposite while sipping half my mushy drink.

 

     

The view from the hut

 

We settled into the tranquillity of the scenery and watched the world go by as I drank half the mushroom-tasting cafe latte through the straw. Frankly, did not quite dare drink it all. We sat there for ages while Lora investigated my state of being too often by asking:

"Are you feeling it yet?"

"Honest Lora," I would answer, "No. Nada de nada."  

In other words, Nothing. But the calmness in the air was so relaxing that no substitute was necessary to get me high. Besides, who would I laugh with if my comic sense of humour arose and I wanted to giggle as the outcome of taking mushrooms led to? Lora and I were amused often enough at what we said!

I wanted more to report, such as how the roots of the trees nearby began coming alive in mysterious ways or the waves of the sea turning into some sort of creature. Still, I decided to leave that experience aside as the one I had trying chocolate mushrooms in Ibiza, which was a fun memory not to be repeated on this occasion.  

The night fell, and we walked to the Beach Bar restaurant. We picked the fresh fish lying on ice carriers, asked them to be grilled over a real fire, and served at our table.

One last stop was with our laptops in hand, on the loungy armchairs of Scallywags hotel, lying by the road, watching the traffic pass by and engaging in conversation with the Swiss explorer at one table and the Spanish traveller who had been throughout India and was continuing on her journey to Vietnam, before retiring to bed.

Our last day in Gili was partially sunny. However, due to the earthquake happening on the Western side of Indonesia, the speed boats were cancelled as the crossing, which happens to be one of deepest of seas, combined with the aftershocks, must have turned the waters turbulent with estimated 10-meter-high waves. There was another way of getting back to Bali on a small yellow speed boat to Lombok, a taxi ride of two hours through the island and a small plane ride, which would have totalled a seven-hour journey as opposed to the one-hour fifty-minute boat ride it took us to get there. The agent reassured us of a speed boat traversing the following morning at 11.30am.  

The weather was good, and we lounged on the beach beds, where we ate a Mie Goreng lunch (Indonesian noodle dish), followed by a long walk around the island now that the rain had stopped.

A branch of Lost Soles!

 

The walk by the sea took two and a half hours, during which we enjoyed the calm of the sea and the emptiness of the beaches we trespassed, each at her own pace.  

We returned before nightfall for a bite at Scallywags, which could have been better than the previous chef had left. At 8 pm, we were followed by an hour and a half of massage by the best hands a masseuse could possess.

Another last day approached, and we were informed that the waves had not calmed and the particular boat was not moving that day either. So, we decided to take the long route and drive through Lombok Island.

I just got home to London last night via a night stop in Dubai and am somewhat shattered. The jet lag woke me up at 5:50am this morning, and it has been a long working day. But before I left, a saying was engraved onto a piece of wood at the end of our walk that day; it simply read...

Happiness is Within

Giggling in Gili Island... Indonesia

Venture into life's new experiences and revel in the luxury of unaccustomed pleasures.

I woke this morning thinking, 'I wanna go home now'! Then, on second thought, I told myself...

"Hey woman, you're in Bali, in the heat, despite the heavy downpours, walking around in a light, chiffon dress at most, the generosity of Lora's hospitality, feeling the great vibe this island has to offer and... Wanting to go home?!? How bloody spoilt is that?'
So, putting on a new, fresh-thinking cap, I feel blessed and grateful.

On Sunday, when the whole house of guests was to leave, Lora and I went even earlier, at 7am, to venture out to a new island... Gili Trawangan.
We woke up at the crack of dawn, 5.45am, to be picked up at 6.15am by the minibus organised through the travel agent to drive us to the other side of Bali for a speed boat journey to Gili. Of course, the driver arrived 45 minutes late, but we still made it to the crossing.

Lora fell asleep during the 1-hour 50-minute journey while I watched the boat driver skilfully manoeuvre us through the very high waves, almost as tall as our boat of 40 seats and only ten fellow travellers. The only thing I could do was be positive and keep praying for our safe arrival.
We made it to the Gili Trawangan island, and I am here telling the tale!  
There were no cars but bicycles and horse carriages on the island, which we took to our hotel, Vila Ombak.

Drinks upon arrival

The route to our room at Vila Ombak

We checked into our room, left the one carry-on luggage behind and began our hike around the island as there was no sun in view. Shortly after, we noticed the modern Trawangan hotel. At the same time, the clouds opened their pores, and the rain gave us no choice but to take refuge in the restaurant situated at the back of the inn, watching the serenity of the scenery while sipping on our fresh pineapple juice mixed with mint, a taste I had acquired visiting Rio. We sat there watching the downpour onto the green fields of palm trees, standing across where we were seated. The landscape was a postcard.

As soon as the rain stopped, we passed by a tree house built on the beach belonging to the hotel and continued our walk. Not long after, another storm hit us, and we again had to hide under another straw hut, which happened to be a bar with great music called... What else but 'The Exile'! Here, we ordered a couple of Caipirinhas, on the island mode, sipping on our cocktails, watching the heavy downpour (yet again) and listening to 'Oh Lord! Please don't let me be misunderstood. How appropriate, yet I wondered why give a nickel as to how others perceive me? When there are always those who get me.

Another downpour over, we continued on. This time, we passed by white, sandy beaches with no one in sight. Except for the man carrying his goods the old-fashioned way until... What? More rain? I thought the weather was terrible in England with all the heavenly waters pouring upon us!

It was not long again before... Yep, you guessed it.
More wet? There were no open bars this time, but a derelict one appeared, and we hid under the elongated roof of the empty space. From the other side came two guys to do as we did. I started talking to them as there was nothing else to be done. Two Italians who had moved to Perth and were now on holiday in Gili.
The painter and the waiter!


The only dry space was a bench-like area on the floor, where we all sat in tranquillity, observing the rain with the view of the light blue sea ahead.
They left before the dry patch while Lora and I waited a little longer for the right moment before we made our way to another spot under only a cloudy sky.


For the umph time, we were not saved from yet another soaking moment, and this time round, we made a pit-stop at the hotel Villa Julius, where hunger struck, and we devoured the noodles with seafood.
There were no signs of the rain stopping, so we asked the hotel to call us a carriage to take us back to our residence. In fact, our estimated two-and-a-half-hour walk around the island took us four and a half hours halfway through!  


The one availability I was promised on the island was mushroom! Shiba had texted me from London to make sure I visited Gili on the same day we went to book our trip to the island!
As Lora put it: "Everyone on Gili is 'shroominating! Or getting high."
Well, the poster sale signs of mushrooms were clearly in view. Not long ago, they were sold in Camden coffee shops in London! It is organic, after all.


Now, my experience of the above 'organics' plus the delay of our journey back due to the 10m high waves in the sea from the Indonesian earthquake that we had no idea about...
To follow!