hard at work in the office sipping on a coconut.{yes, in the office. the Balinese aren't big on walls}
Work ended up being so crazy the last few days I did not even have a chance to write! I also spent half of one day worrying about a girl - Bridget - who did not come back to our hostel the night before. Please excuse the small rant I am about to share, but I am doing so as a word of caution for any young women reading this blog.
Bridget was traveling with a group of girlfriends from America all of whom were currently studying abroad in Australia. She ended up going out one night with some other hotel guests and left from the bar they were at with a guy, so reported the people she was with. When her friends woke up the next morning and realized she was not in her bed, everyone began worrying. After several hours passed and no Bridget, the mother me finally convinced her friends to began taking some real action: going to the bar where she was last seen, showing her picture and asking around, finding out who she left with, etc. In the middle of that conversation Bridget walked up with a "what's the big deal?" look on her face. I had not even spoken to this girl before and I wanted to slap her. Seriously. What's the big deal? Um, hello, Bridget, do you remember Natalee Holloway? Probably not. I did. The big deal is that you are across the globe in a 3rd world country, you are a young woman, you are Western, you left with a man you had never met before and you were drunk. All I came out with was, "What would your mother say?!" She looked at me like I was crazy, and I wondered when I officially got old enough to say things like that. Anyway, I am thankful she was safe but BRIDGET GET YOUR HEAD SCREWED ON STRAIGHT before you end up on a milk carton. Mkay? You can never be too careful.
Deep breath. I feel better now. Anyway!! The last few days, aside from potential kidnapping events, were great. I was able to see the samples of my bags and I diiiiiiiiiiied at their incredibleness. They took my breath away, and I will give you all a full rundown of what can be expected for next spring this weekend.
Heading to the airport, the taxi driver and I got to talking. By talking I mean trying desperately to understand one another through broken language skills, though I was beyond impressed at his knowledge of English. He began asking about America. I told him I was from Texas and he said, "like Wyoming?" Yes, kind of like that :) He then started asking question after question about horses. His fascination was immense. I then realized: he had never seen a horse. He was asking me about them as if they were unicorns. It was so endearing and I loved being able to tell him about my life with unicorns.
As the driver and I continued our conversation at the longest red light in the world {he could hardly believe I had actually ridden a horse/unicorn}, a mother and her two young children were walking alongside the taxi. Her with an outstretched hand, the baby, on her hip, and his brother clothed in sweatshirts in 90 degree weather to cover their little bodies because they could not afford sunscreen. I have never in my life rolled down a window to give money to anyone, but for some reason in that moment I was compelled to. I had a few notes left in my wallet and gave the mother and baby 5000 Rupiah, and handed the small toddler peeking out from behind her 1000 Rupiah. Total of roughly $1.00, which is much more than just a dollar over there. I know it does not teach them anything. I know it sets a terrible example for the children...to beg for what you need instead of working for it. Handouts. Not self-reliant. I know all of that. But in that moment I decided I would rather them eat and know that those babies would have a full stomach that night than worry about teaching them a lesson in self-sufficiency. Now, I am not going to start rolling down my window on a regular basis, but there in Bali in the taxi in that instant, it felt like the right thing to do.
After what was an extremely productive trip, I am glad to be home, although this jet lag is the stuff of nightmares so for now I will end here. Below are a few more snapshots for you to enjoy {from a real camera this time, not my iPhone}. I had such a wonderful time and already look forward to going back!!
my morning glass of ginger tea with a fresh lime.
i walked by this house every day through the alley to and from the street to my hostel, and was obviously struck by the gorgeous array of bright colors. somehow, they all worked!
ohhhh so this is what people travel here to see. i get it now.
typical traffic jam. notice the third motorbike back {if it's too small, click on the actual photo to see a larger version}. mother with BABY sans helmet. saw this daily.
my best attempt at looking cool on the motorbike and clearly failing miserably
me and my sweet friend M! miss you guys already. see ya next year!
Bridget was traveling with a group of girlfriends from America all of whom were currently studying abroad in Australia. She ended up going out one night with some other hotel guests and left from the bar they were at with a guy, so reported the people she was with. When her friends woke up the next morning and realized she was not in her bed, everyone began worrying. After several hours passed and no Bridget, the mother me finally convinced her friends to began taking some real action: going to the bar where she was last seen, showing her picture and asking around, finding out who she left with, etc. In the middle of that conversation Bridget walked up with a "what's the big deal?" look on her face. I had not even spoken to this girl before and I wanted to slap her. Seriously. What's the big deal? Um, hello, Bridget, do you remember Natalee Holloway? Probably not. I did. The big deal is that you are across the globe in a 3rd world country, you are a young woman, you are Western, you left with a man you had never met before and you were drunk. All I came out with was, "What would your mother say?!" She looked at me like I was crazy, and I wondered when I officially got old enough to say things like that. Anyway, I am thankful she was safe but BRIDGET GET YOUR HEAD SCREWED ON STRAIGHT before you end up on a milk carton. Mkay? You can never be too careful.
Deep breath. I feel better now. Anyway!! The last few days, aside from potential kidnapping events, were great. I was able to see the samples of my bags and I diiiiiiiiiiied at their incredibleness. They took my breath away, and I will give you all a full rundown of what can be expected for next spring this weekend.
Heading to the airport, the taxi driver and I got to talking. By talking I mean trying desperately to understand one another through broken language skills, though I was beyond impressed at his knowledge of English. He began asking about America. I told him I was from Texas and he said, "like Wyoming?" Yes, kind of like that :) He then started asking question after question about horses. His fascination was immense. I then realized: he had never seen a horse. He was asking me about them as if they were unicorns. It was so endearing and I loved being able to tell him about my life with unicorns.
As the driver and I continued our conversation at the longest red light in the world {he could hardly believe I had actually ridden a horse/unicorn}, a mother and her two young children were walking alongside the taxi. Her with an outstretched hand, the baby, on her hip, and his brother clothed in sweatshirts in 90 degree weather to cover their little bodies because they could not afford sunscreen. I have never in my life rolled down a window to give money to anyone, but for some reason in that moment I was compelled to. I had a few notes left in my wallet and gave the mother and baby 5000 Rupiah, and handed the small toddler peeking out from behind her 1000 Rupiah. Total of roughly $1.00, which is much more than just a dollar over there. I know it does not teach them anything. I know it sets a terrible example for the children...to beg for what you need instead of working for it. Handouts. Not self-reliant. I know all of that. But in that moment I decided I would rather them eat and know that those babies would have a full stomach that night than worry about teaching them a lesson in self-sufficiency. Now, I am not going to start rolling down my window on a regular basis, but there in Bali in the taxi in that instant, it felt like the right thing to do.
After what was an extremely productive trip, I am glad to be home, although this jet lag is the stuff of nightmares so for now I will end here. Below are a few more snapshots for you to enjoy {from a real camera this time, not my iPhone}. I had such a wonderful time and already look forward to going back!!
my morning glass of ginger tea with a fresh lime.
i walked by this house every day through the alley to and from the street to my hostel, and was obviously struck by the gorgeous array of bright colors. somehow, they all worked!
ohhhh so this is what people travel here to see. i get it now.
typical traffic jam. notice the third motorbike back {if it's too small, click on the actual photo to see a larger version}. mother with BABY sans helmet. saw this daily.
my best attempt at looking cool on the motorbike and clearly failing miserably
me and my sweet friend M! miss you guys already. see ya next year!xoxo Sheridan
Love it. I want to go soon. I'm so glad you had a great time. I'm anxiously awaiting your bags :)
ReplyDeleteYour Bali travel log was amazing! It looks like you had an incredible trip :o) This combined with imagery from Eat Pray Love makes Bali seem like a must-visit-one-day-SOON place for me. Your conversation with that Taxi driver reminded me of one I had with a security guard at my apartment complex from Kenya... I told him I was from Oregon... and he replies "Oh... California!" Um.... YES! :o) Haha! I hope you are having a great Easter weekend!
ReplyDeleteYour adventure is very inspiring! Thanks for sharing it with us. :-)
ReplyDeleteHave adored reading your Bali travel log. Thank you for sharing.
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