Returning To The Chaos

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It killed me to leave Paradise but reasoning put me in the right frame of mind to gather my things together and make it to the boat for the long journey home to Bali, from whence I came. I waited with patience under the shelter with numerous strangers all of them quiet like me, perhaps with the same foreboding I had. Like myself they too were heading to another destination and while I reminisced about the extraordinary time I have had I tried to put the future in its right place. To not think about what was to come but to take it as it came as I have been doing with faltering degrees of succes on my continuing journey.

But this time I couldn't help but feel this sensation was somewhat different as I would soon be departing Asia, where what I saw and experienced had captured my imagination. By leaving Asia I would be moving into another world, leaving the chance for adventure behind. In just a few days time I would be returning to the western world, the very words conjuring up images of order and familiar smells. I wondered if I was ready.

The very fact of stepping back onto the streets of Kuta filled me with a sense of dread as I was immediately overwhelmed by the sheer number of people, going hither and thither to wherever their feet and wheels led them. All moving to the rhythm of the city. The contrast of what I saw to where I came from did not fail to escape me and suddenly I was sad. Reality can be a harsh thing indeed.

I calculated that I had just 2 nights left in the city before I was due to board a flight to Singapore. I was grateful for that at least for I was truly exhausted to the point of dropping after falling. As a result of this state of lethargy I miscalculated my departure date and arrived at Denpassar airport a day too late. Foruntately there were an abundance of empty seats on the flight and a payment of $20 secured me passage. But, it meant that I would have less than a full day in Singapore and I had lost my booking at the hostel.

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