Phosphorescent Ebb and Flow: Indonesia Part One

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Where to start....

Stars? No, too cliche. No one wants to hear about how you rediscovered the immense empyrean that exists right above the hazy fog of Korean nights skies, and how somehow it opening up above you opens up the crevasses inside to reveal all kinds of vibrant emotions that were seized in the heart, like air embedded in rock. Too obvious. Start smaller...

White sand? Come on now, really? Toes tickling soft silt while the sun sets and the beer in your hand drips droplets of dew down your fingers and onto your bare legs? Really? Isn't that the title of a book? Probably...

Turquoise water? Very original. The least you could do is add in the cyan sky and soft puffy, perfectly white clouds balanced on the edge of the horizon. And use a different word than turquoise....like ultramarine...for crying out loud.

No, that's what pictures are for (which will be added ASAP). I need to start from within, as that really the only place I can work from, and the place where it all gets processed in its lambent colors.

I don't want to linger too long on leaving...as, technically, I have not yet left Korea. I said goodbye to my school...hard. I said goodbye to my kids...agonizing. I said goodbye to the general lifestyle I have built up and supported and ran with for the past 2 and some odd years....strange, but also strangely relieving. Change was absolutely necessary, and I was ready for it. But more importantly, I "left" Korea in a headspace absolutely ideal for travel: one of openness, eagerness, patience, and love.

I was ready, in all aspects of the adage, to welcome whatever Indonesia had with open arms, and an open heart. Afterall, to be totally honest, I wasn't sure that I could want for anything with the way my life was looking as I got on that plane.

All factors aside, Indonesia had all kinds of surprises, serendipities, and stories to offer to me, and every one of them has brought me to this place of complete and utter gratitude.

So I left Korea on the 1st of March, at about 6 pm. Spent the day wandering around Samsung Plaza, canceling my phone (ah!) and other odd jobs, and then sitting in the sun at the bus stop watching a woman flip, turn and toast red bean pastries, all the while trying to breathe in as much of the sugary, sour, stale Korean air as I could. Then Angele and I talked about our 2.2 years together in this country (first girl to meet, last girl to see off....it all comes back around) while we passed by every pitch I played on in Korea over the past year and thoughts of gaelic made my heart seize and swell. After a beer at the airport we were both on our own separate ways, so it goes, and off on very different (or are they really ever that different?) adventures.

Out the window for hours, it seemed, on the way to KL was a sky divided equally in two, one half a dark ebony, and the other cut by a line of vivid yellow and fading, hue by hue, into a deep cerulean. Breathtaking. Upon arrival in KL, I realized I had to actually change airports from the big International airport to the Low Cost Carrier terminal nearby (the airport security directed me to the taxi countere where I purchased a ticket at 1:00 am and then, moments later, realized I could have waited it out a few hours and taken the shuttle for a fraction of the price. Live and learn). So I sent an email to Adam, who I assumed was living it up in the city as he arrived hours before me in KL, and then taxied over to the other terminal. Only later did I find out that he had come back to the airport at midnight, when I was due to arrive, and desperately wandered the giant terminal, end to end, on and off the stupid transfer train, trying to find me...and I wasn't even there.

Slept on the floor for a few hours, adding piece by piece of clothing, sarongs, and sleeping sheets, until I was a little eskimo in bright beachy colors curled up on the cold linoleum. But once on the little Air Asia flight, eagerly awaiting Adam's face and Balinese banyan trees, everything warmed up. Found him standing, sunglasses already on, ready to get the hell out of the airports and start this trip (I wonder, at this point, if he was at least second guessing his decision to detour his trip to the Indonesian islands. Luckily, it didn't disappoint). Quick cab ride and we were on the...dusty beaches of Kuta, amid the bright lights (well, big gawdy steel signs during the day...only hinting at their soon to be gawdy bright lights of late night). With a little help from the locals at Starbucks, we found a lovely little bungalow around the corner of the beach, with a pool (that looked nice anyway), a garden, and high ceilings.

Went boogie boarding as the sun set. And by "went boogie boarding", I mean, had a boogey board that I occasionally kidding myself into thinking I could ride, then was quickly ripped off (along with my stomach flesh) by an oncoming swell, or my own clumsy balance and slippery skin (in all fairness, the garbage kept distracting me...how is a girl to board with all those styrofoam cups?). So it wasn't a huge advancement in my soon to be stellar surfing skills, but there is a learning curve....

Watched the sunset, ate ice cream, then a delicious dinner, while an acoustic quartet (complete with upright bass...hell's yeah) serenaded everyone else at the restaurant (I guess they assumed we didn't need any more romance to add to our night), and sat in big puffy red plush chairs. Wandered the streets to the far end and played with the color swap function on my camera while Adam made NOT funny jokes about dead babies in the street. Long story...not really. He's just not funny.

Then it was off to Gili....
or Tralala, as they say on the isle'.....

Alarm didn't sound, so the morning was a little more rushed, but nothing new (I seem to remember a very similar situation in Vietnam...and we survived flightless), and got off on the fastboat through BlueWater Express. Expensive in retrospect, but soooo easy, comfortable, and quick. And with only so many hours on the island, you gotta do what you gotta do. Slept soundly. Wake-watched peacefully, as the cotton clouds ambled along in the sky. The boat rocked up to the shore about 10 am to a picture perfect day (little did I know, they all would be), and we hopped off into the ocean flip flopped and ready to find the crew. One problem, where was the crew. I sent an email without reply to Allie and Katie the day before with our arrival time, but no response. And no sign of them at the..."dock" (more like 2 foot piece of white sand beach where most boats happen to unload, boats being the only things on the island with motors...and blenders....and fans). There was a line of locals ready to sweep us away to their respective resorts and us, our best defenses ready, prepared to fend them off with "just looking for our friends" explanations. But two guys seemed insistent right away that they knew our friends. And more conveniently, they were staying that the place right there, two feet from the dock. Good one. But we followed...what else do you do. And low and behold, first bungalow to the right, was Allie, Jon and Katie lathering up the sunblock for their first morning in paradise.

A discretion. I have been to a lot of beautiful places. I have seen many places that I would term "paradise", in the way people associate with and Eden-esque place....blue sky, white sand, palm trees, blue-green water, cocktails. I do not discount that these places are still as beautiful to me as they were pre-Trawangan experience, or that anyone going to them should appreciate each place in the world that has these traits as completely spectacular. But after arriving here, and most relevantly my experience here, I can honestly say I have never had a more complete experience of what heaven is, in all its serenity, beauty, love, and happiness. I realize, those that know me, are already shaking their heads, and fair enough. But I said it countless times over the course of the trip, and I'll say it again, that being the exaggerating extremist that I am, I have never felt more justified to speak in utter extremes than I did during that week.

Anyway....Tralala. First order of business, our bungalow. WE hugged, we laughed at the utter ease it took to get here and find them, and then we went next door to discover our little home away from....oh wait. Just home. Little patio, curving A-like frame with a bed romantically (and practically) laced with mosquito netting, big bedside mirror, little table, floor fan, chairs...and.....sigh.....and open air bathroom. At the back of the room was a door (and a window) that opened up onto a big open spaced, steps down into the room, pebbled with soft stones on the floor and a little garden, toilet on the right, ledge leading to a sink and giant mirror on the left, shower in the corner, and, above, blue sky. Oh yes, and a wall mural in stones depicting a tropical tree and other foliage. This became one of my favorite places on the island (and, maybe, earth...I have a new found appreciation for night showers).

With no time to waste, however, we grabbed the snorkel gear (a buck a day...pricey) and headed off down the bright (like, really bright) beach under a crystal blue sky and along side...aquamarine water. Jon said he knew where to go, having been to this amazing place before, and we plunged in a little North (almost at the top of the island, as it only take a few hours to walk its circumference). Now normally, I don't like snorkeling...or at least, I prefer diving. Diving is a completely different experience, but generally I hate the idea of filling my snorkel with water and breathing it in and choking to death. I have never been able to blow hard enough to get all the water out, and the sound of it gurgling around as I breath freaks me out.
Let me tell you friends, that these concerns are no more. Minutes after tilting my face into the water and paddling around we came across....a turtle. That's right, a big green (hawksbill?)sea turtle casually chilling along the coral and sandy floor, checking stuff out the way we were niches above him. My favorite animal is a green sea turtle. Prior to this moment I have only encountered them in books, documentaries, and occasionally on the other side of a double pane of glass. This moment was...epic. And as Adam and I followed behind him for what seemed like forever (and would have been if I wasn't pulled away), I realized this trip was going to be....something else.

After lunch laying down in a beach bungalow with strings of seashells hanging, and tinkling in the light sea breeze, we walked to the south end of the beach, taking a million photos including the classic hold hands and jump in the tide (took a few tries for the perfect, spontaneous moment to be captured), and then dine in a seaside bar while another quartet sings "La Bamba", "Have I Told YOu Lately That I love You", and "Knowcking on Heaven's Door". Allie, Jon and Katie go to bed. Adam and I stay out and wander a bit, and kind of...you know...shake our head's at the whole thing. Then, as we are walking, I happen to notice Adam's barefeet as kicking up fairydust. I am in so much awe of how "sparkling" everything is already that I don't really let it phase me. Why wouldn't there be stardust trailing after him? Then it happens to me, and soon we are dancing and giggling like children in the wake of our own path, which is twinkling in the glow of tiny phosphoresent plankton in the sand. They are also in the water, lighting the crest of each small swell as the tide brings in the incandescence of the tiny organisms. WE wade in it, dance in it, revel in it. I get lost in the felicity of it all. Day one and I can hardly breathe. This becomes a general state of being for the remainder of my trip.

Day two starts, once again, with snorkeling. We find a bar called "Horizontal" with, you guessed it, bed to lie horizontal on the beach. Beautiful naked tanning bodies and soft waves kissing the shore and warm water and cold sangria spells....happiness. Then we grab some bikes and "do" the island, every now and then having to get off and walk as the soft sand made it tricky to balance through (life's rough). Adam and I detour to find a little coconut grove and, possibly, my future abode, of the "beaten path" (ha). Then we work our way back to the path and find a spot of beach, laced in white coral, where we kick off our shoes and jump in, to wait for Allie and Jon and Katie. Soon after, superhero Adam goes back to rescue said sandals from the shore so my feet dont' entirely shred. Lesson learned...sometimes beauty has its dangers. Soon enough they find us and join in the afternoon ocean bathing, and we manage to take the world's most ridiculous photo that, to quote, "should be the poster for Travel Indonesia". Then back on the biks and up the main "mountain" on the island for a panorama view of it all. Spectacular. Found a little Japanese cave, worked our way back down, and watched the sillouette of children playing on the shoreline in the sunset over Bintang and Gado-gado ( a vegetable dish with beans, spinach, sprouts, and sweet peanut sauce). Later we experience the local nightlife at Blue Marlin, after drinks at Rudy's (that specializes in mushroom shakes which I have no authority to comment on), where Adam and I think we can own the dance floor and get swarmed by locals (well, I do, whenever he hits the bathroom). Little sketchy, but all in the name of fun.

Day three, yet again, takes my senses to new heights and once again blows my mind. It is Mandi Saffir, a holiday on the island celebrated by the other two smaller Gili islands as well (Gili Air and Gili Meno), where they are gather on one beach and bathe in the water together. It is a celebration of happiness and togetherness. Everyone was hugging, throwing one another in the water, smiling. We feasted on local cuisine after a presentation for the event on long blankets laid out with dishes in baskets, wrapped in banana leafs. Of particular taste is coconut shavings and palm sugar that you dip sticky rice into and eat with your fingers. And pelecing, a mix of coconut and bean sprouts. Sangat amuk (very delicious). On this day they also release some of the turtles from the hatchery into the sea in a big procession. Kerri and Allie get to set the animals free in the water themselves. A beautiful moment. I have never seen so many people smiling on one beach. Saya senang sekali (I was happy). Luckily, earlier that morning, Adam and I woke early and caught the sunrise, and walked down to see the turtles for the last time in their shore home before they were released (and also watched the swallows dip and swerve over the mosque, making the most haunting and interesting music I have ever heard birds make...like radar...very alien).

Then, as Adam and Katie drank on the beach at Horizontal, and Allie and Jon went for a long walk, I went for a solo bikeride around the island. Later, I had to play catch up at a mushroom bar on Jungle juice (arak, the local poison, works its magic quickly, and catching up didn't take long). We played cards, laughed, and then napped. After the nap we had a bathroom couples party (the bathroom also doubles as a party room), and then went to dinner and dancing at the Irish bar, TirNaNog. Our dance party, however, quickly moved to the ocean after Adam whisked me off down to the beach. Our posse followed. Dancing is better done when wet in a tropical place. Then, on the walk down the strip back to the room, we stopped in several local pools that were closed for the night and took a quick dip to rinse off the salt. Odi, a local who became a good friend while we were there, followed and videotaped.

Day Four took us to Lombok (Katie, Kerri, Adam and I) where there was to be a parade with ogoh ogohs, big statues that are designed to be frightening in order to scare evil spirits away the day before Nyepi (a Balinese holiday where no one speaks, goes out, uses electricity, in order to trick evil spirits into thinking they are not there). The statues are carried by large groups who get nice and runk early in the morning and run through the streets, carrying the ogoh ogohs on poles and shaking them to make them more menacing. Things got a little...scary. I can imagine many take one for the team in the streets on that day...enthusiasm reigns. All in all, an amazing displays. And some locals were very kind and explained the whole thing to us as we looked in, wide-eyed. On the ride back through the jungle we sang Marley tunes and U2 while the monkey tried to go after our van for goodies.

Nap in the afternoon almost ends up being the whole night, but Adam and I drag ourselves out for dinner with the group. Exhausting day.

Day Five was diving day. Everyone was feeling a little rough, so it was sketchy as to how people (being Allie and Jon) were going to take their first diving experience. I was rusty...it had been a long time. And Adam was enthusiastic and positive as ever. Skills tune up when swimmingly (lol) and Katie and I were super pumped to get back in the ocean. We went to a different dive site as the three newbies, and ended up seeing a shark, a cuttlefish, and several turtles. Took a million pics, but had some trouble at one point late in the dive clearing my ears (hard to equalize when you keep flipping upside down to try to catch the fish at the right angle, and haven't dived in over a year...hot shot). I paid the price later that day with an immobilizing ear ache. However, as yet another reason to be grateful for everything, all four of them took care of me, with hot clothes and kind words and, eventually, someone not to be named actually carrying my on my side all the way to the beach so I didn't completely miss the spectacular sunset. Sigh.

We go for BBQ on the top deck of Bluw Marlin for incredible fish and skewers, and then dance it up like never before at Rudy's. In the corner of the bar is Lydia, a little old lady who gave Adam a massage earlier in the week, dressed in spandex pants and toting a tray of dried fish she offered up to everyone who looked her way. We rocked out to songs like "Superstylin'", "One Mre Time", "Red Alert", and "Umbrella", and I once again fell harder in love with the place, the people, and specifically...the people I came here with.

That's what travel's all about....

Odi, Adam, Katie and I leave and take a detour to the dock (the real one) where Odi spinkles beer into the water and it sparkles and throws up tiny flashes of light. Adam and I secretively leave Katie and Odi on the beach and run back to the party, where we dance more and end up alongside a local "native" (Indian from Borneo) while he dances his tribal dance to deep house music. Later, the same guy will drive ink into my back. More on that later.

Then, as we are ambling back to Beach Wind, we come across a little singalong at Sama Sama Bungalows. There in a large circle in the dark of the "bar" (the tables out in the open before the beach), is about 12 locals, most in the band that played earlier that night, and a few foreigners, crooning away to U2. We sit down with them, and end up echoing out lyrics... "every thing is gonna be alright...." and "....i wanna love you, and treat you right", and "......one love, we get to share it....."

It's all too much. Literally....bad things can be agonizing. Sometimes, it can be hard to deal when things are this good. Everything comes spilling out everywhere. What to do with all....that?

I have yet to figure it out. BE grateful....that's all I've got.

Day six. Another delicious banana pancake, cheesy jaffle, fruit salad, coffee complimentary breakie catered by the Beach Wind. Intention to bike ride ends up being a morning on the beach with a couple from Montreal, and a New Zealander, and a few beers. Then suddenly sunburn and all, I decide it's tattoo time. So Adam comes with, and soon I am in a chair, back to Nicky (the Borneo tribesman), with a needle gliding in and out of the skin of my back, pounding the nerves along my spine. I had Adam's hand, and a positive attitude, to get me through. And natural adrenalin of course (note: do not get tattoos on a spone covered in burnt, red, peeling skin....not ideal). Then, as Adam was getting his stenciled on, I went to collect our things from the beach. Upon returning I found myself in a wave of guilt. Note: don't leave a boyfriend who is about to get his first tattoo, no matter how much time you think you have before the needle hits. Luckily, Katie was there to take the blow. Not that he didn't take it like a champion....he did. But tattoos are never easy on the ankle. Katie also got letters done to compliment her ankle tattoo. It was nice doing ti as a group. A nice little memory to tuck away with...the thousands of others I collected that week. Went for a walk down the back streets to see the "real people of Tralala" with Adam before a nap (man am I ever gonna miss naps. I have just rediscovered their beauty and value), and found, as we walked the beach for one last sunset, a bonfire being built in the sand at Horizontal (earlier that day Adam commented on the fact that there had been a party at every bar on the beach, but not our favorite one yet, and it would be rad if we could dance there).

Went back to Sama Sama that night after dinner (with Kerri, Allie, Katie, Jon, and I) and tried not to think about the goodbyes I would be doing the next day. Met up with George, our diving instructor, and talked about how we have the same tattoo (hers is color and on her pelvic bone, but it is still a turtle with the ocean in its shell....what are the odds). Went to Horizontal to find the party, but no one was really there. Adam and I danced alone anyway, and enjoyed some conversation with Odi and Katie and Allie before bed. Heart aching (to "Heartbeats") I fell asleep........

To be continued.....

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Photos

Economy Airport, KL
From my sleeping grounds

Dinner...
How did we always end up on the same corner?