Our beautiful BaliBy Pia Richardson What is it about Bali that captures our hearts? For sure the tropical beaches, cheap shopping and buzzing nightlife add to the charm, but underneath it all there is something else. Something magical. Bali has an innocence, a certain humility that beckons us, pulling at our heart strings and drawing us into its warm loving embrace. The Balinese have a rich intricate culture, marked by their seemingly endless procession of ceremonies and festivals. They go about their day with broad smiles, and their work passes the time between offerings and prayer. These beautiful gentle people welcome us into their land and serve us with grace and candour. They humour us with their Gday mate and fill their stalls with our slogans and slang yet somehow never lose their own unique way. They charm their way into our hearts and before we know it, they have become our family and we have become theirs. It starts out innocently enough, a quick trip to Bali for a couple of days, just to get away. But a couple of days is never enough. We return home unsatisfied, longing for more, sneaking looks at airfares on our lunch break and going through photos to try and recapture the Bali spirit. Before long we have booked our return, this time for longer so that we can really get a feel for things, and when we step off that plane for the second time, it is the beginning of the end. We shop and eat and swim and play, exploring bustling streets and tranquil beaches, majestic temples and quiet humble villages. We see and touch and taste Bali in all its glory and it fuels an insatiable hunger for more, but before we know it there is a minivan waiting, and we reluctantly climb in and begin the somber journey home. We hug our new friends at the airport with promises to return soon, and start dreaming of coming back before weve even left. Its in our blood. Bali is certainly not for everyone, and there are many that would rather go anywhere else, but for those of us who love it we wouldnt have it any other way. We will continue to dream of our next quick trip, squeezing in a weekend here or there between longer and longer stays. We will research kosts and villas and visas and feed our obsession any way we can. Some of us are even lucky enough to make the move, to experience Bali intimately on a day to day basis. As for the rest of us, we continue to check out flights in our lunch break and count down the days until we see our beautiful Bali again.
Posted on: Fri, 19 Sep 2014 00:00:59 +0000
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