April 11-Our Passions Make Us

What is passion? It is surely the becoming of a person.  --John Boorman

     Some of my passions are travel, baseball, art, numbers and various forms of exercise. Those help to shape who I am. I would be a very different person if my passions were engine repair, marine biology, social work or baking. The more I enjoy my passions, the more comfortable I am with myself. 

Even in impossible situations, have faith that a higher plan is at work and that your requests for assistance have been heard.  --Mary Davis

    As I continue to struggle with sciatica pain, I am challenged to follow Davis' advice. Crying is the main way I can cope with the pain. I am wondering how much one human can cry?!?!? Multiple prayers by myself and caring others have not yet brought me any great insight. I am certainly aware of impatience and my frustration and anger at too-slow healing. 

    The "wise woman" whom I met in Bali told me that I make a big deal out of everything. This is an idea I have been pondering. I can certainly see some truth in that sentiment. Acute pain is causing me to be concerned about my mental health. Dealing with pain takes a lot of mental energy which leaves me foggy. I don't care for that challenge any more than the physical pain. 

    One step at a time,

        Leta

April 10--Grief Overload

Live the full life of the mind, exhilarated by new ideas, intoxicated by the romance of the unusual.  --Ernest Hemingway

    Today is the one-year anniversary of the transition of my dear brother, Arlie. I miss him every day. 

Lift up my fears and rain down love.

Lift up my tears and rain down joy.

Lift up my blindness and rain down sight.

Lift up my darkness and rain down light.

Lift up my doubt and rain down faith.

Lift up my grief and rain down grace. 

Lift up my challenge and rain down ease. 

Lift up my worries and rain down peace. 

           --Mary Davis

    I'm living all of those "my" things right now. I'm inviting a monsoon of all those good things. 

        Leta

Mt. Agung, Bali's highest
and most sacred mountain

April 9--More Light Please

An awake heart is like a sky that pours light.  --Hafez

    This is Richard Rohr's Daily Meditation from March 30 titled "Islands of Sanity."

Richard Rohr explores the nature of evil—and our collective complicity in it.

After all our religion, higher education, reformations, and revolutions, it seems we’re still quite capable of full complicity in deeds of death. Religions, governments, corporations, and organizations are all highly capable of evil while not recognizing it as such, because it profits us for them to be immoral. Evil finds its almost perfect camouflage in the silent agreements of the group when it appears personally advantageous.

Such deadness continues to show itself in every age. This is what the multifaceted word “sin” is trying to reveal. If we don’t see the shape of evil or recognize how we are fully complicit in it, it will fully control us, while not looking the least like sin. Would “agreed-upon delusion” be a better description? We cannot recognize it or overcome it as isolated individuals, mostly because it’s held together by group consensus. We need to be in solidarity with alternative communities and minority groups to see it. The dominant group normally cannot see its lies—in any country or context. It’s the air we’re breathing, reaffirmed at every gathering of like-minded people.

The beginning of a way out is to honestly see what we are doing. The price we’ll pay is that we will no longer comfortably fit in the dominant group! Mature religion must train us to recognize the many camouflages of evil, or everyone’s future will always be dominated by some form of denied deadness, and not just for the oppressed group; the oppressor dies too, just in much more subtle ways. 

Brian McLaren writes about contemplation as a way of sustaining our spirits and minds while suffering under systems of domination:

Solitary contemplation becomes the doorway into communion—communion with the Spirit in whom we find a new relationship with ourselves, with others, with history, and with the cosmos….

Contemplation may start in silence and solitude, but it never stops there. Especially in times of crisis, when truth is drowning …, we are drawn from contemplative solitude into contemplative community. We find ourselves hungry for communion with others who are also seeking to live examined, mindful lives, to pull aside with even two or three mindful people for deep, honest fellowship. We might come together to sit in silence for a period of time or take a walk together, letting the shushing of our feet passing through autumn leaves hush the noise of a million monkey-minds clacking to the beat of a million keyboards, hankering for our attention….

When even two or three of us gather in the name of truth, honesty, and love, in the name of courage, compassion, and kindness, we find ourselves feeling joined by another presence—the presence of Christ, the way, the truth, and the life. We listen to one another with compassion and curiosity. We speak to one another with wisdom and wonder. We turn together toward the light. And that helps us create islands of sanity in a world that is losing its mind.

    I'm thinking we could use many more "islands of sanity."

        Leta

Artwork from Sydney, Australia

April 8--Most Unexpected

To love is to burn, to be on fire.  --Sense and Sensibility, 1995 Screenplay

    I'm not making any promises on blog posts for the time being. Re-entry is proving to be extremely challenging. I figured I would take a day or two to rest then return gradually to my normal active pickleball and swimming life. My body, ravaged by travel and the emotional/spiritual journey that was Bali, has elected a path of acute pain from sciatica. Pain does not lend itself to comfy sleep. Last night I tried sleeping on a recliner coach. I did not sleep at all, and spent several hours crying. Were it not for my sweet angel-love Barney staying all night on the couch with me, I don't know if I would have made it. 

    I am so scared. Scared that this pain won't ever go away. Scared that I don't have what it takes to get back in shape. Scared of the loneliness that accompanies pain. Scared of being a crippled old lady. Just plain scared. I'm getting in plenty of soul-rinsing. 

        Leta

Sweet Barney snoozing
next to me all night

April 6--"There's No Place Like Home!"

There is no instinct like that of the heart.  --George Gordon Lord Byron

    After a warm welcome by husband and doggie, a Culvers cheeseburger and malt treat, and about 14 hours of sleep, I can finally report that I made it home on time but way over budget!!

    

6-16-16-47

    We were gone 6 weeks, went on 16 different flights, stayed in 16 different hotels. We left Taipei around 11:45 pm on Friday and arrived in Seattle at 7:30 pm on Friday, before we left Taipei. (No wonder my brain is scrambled!) #47 is the fire truck number arriving just after midnight at our Seattle Marriott where some prankster pulled the fire alarm and caused an evacuation. That was great fun for a pair who had been in planes for a very long time, sleep-deprived, and still not home. 

    We are thankful for great travels and the fact that Lanie and I are looking forward to more travels together--two weeks max, however!!!

        Leta

April 3--Last Day of Bali Tour

There is a sun within every person.  --Rumi

    This is a good reminder for me. Some shine more brightly than others. 

    Today was a very relaxed last day of our Bali tour. After chanting, meditation and breakfast, I spent several hours relaxing in or by the pool. 

    Cricket found during the pandemic an excellent massage therapist, and he had him come to our room at the resort and give us the most excellent massages. I've been dealing with nasty sciatica, and he was most helpful to me. This man makes a good living by massage, even though he charges only about $15/hour. That's how inexpensive things are here. Returning home will be a shock to the purse, for sure. 

    We had our farewell dinner this evening with the whole gang: Komang (our driver), wife Julie, children Theo (5yr) and Tasha (8mo); Edi, Cricket, Lanie, Eric (joined us a week ago) and me. The weather was reasonable and there was no rain. It was great to relax together over an excellent meal. 

    SO ready to head home tomorrow! I'm not sure when my next post will be... stay tuned.

        Leta

Flowers, flowers everywhere!

April 2--Nearing the End of Our 6-Week Journey

It is the soul's duty to be loyal to its own desires. It must abandon itself to its master passion.  --Rebecca West

    Less than 48 hours till we head home, yippee!

    Today we left Ubud and went to a sound-healing pyramid. We reclined inside on comfy mats with pillows under our heads and knees. There were assorted gongs played for an hour. It was heavenly relaxing!

Inside the pyramid;
note how they decorate with 
colorful flower petals

    We had a fabulous healthy lunch afterwards, and this cutie came up for some loving:

    Then we visited a wood carving establishment, which had some amazing, intricate carvings, from little sea turtles to full-size dining tables with glass tops over the carving. There were even life-size statues of Jesus and Mary. Several men sit out on the porch of the place and carve all day. 

    Our next stop was a silversmith shop, where we saw the jewelry being hand-made. Though it was beautiful handiwork, I didn't find anything I couldn't live without. 

    We have returned to our first hotel (same room even!) that is in Sanur, near the airport where we leave on Friday. Lanie and I had pizza and drinks for supper and are ready to turn in early. 

    Eternally grateful for air conditioning!

        Leta

April 1--No Foolin'--I'm Homesick

Love is many things, none of them logical.  --William Goldman

    April's quote theme is PASSION. My passion right now is to get home. The calendar turning to April means that time is getting much closer. Hallelujah!

    Today after chanting, meditation and breakfast, we drove to a coffee growing/harvesting/roasting operation and had a brief tour. Then we got to sample the varieties along with delicious fried bananas. I paid a ridiculous amount to bring home a special variety which I shall describe in future detail in another post. They also had trees in the area for many different spices such as vanilla beans, pepper, cinnamon, and nutmeg. 

    Then we drove to a hot tourist spot--rice terraces. These are on a steep hillside and we watched farmers preparing the area to plant rice. It is also an adventure spot with ziplines, giant swings and bike on a wire. 

Our view at lunch

Bike on the wire

    After lunch we drove back to our hotel in Ubud, and I spent a couple hours in and by the pool. 

    Now I shall content myself for the evening with a Cubs game and an NBA game. 

    Your party animal, 

        Leta

This is a decoration in the lobby 
of our hotel. The large golden design
in the center is made of 
corrugated cardboard,
I kid you not!

March 31--DIY

Certain things in life simply have to be experienced--and never explained. Love is such a thing.  --Paulo Coelho

    I am way tired and looking forward to a soak in the luxurious bathtub this evening. I attempted that last night but could not get the drain to seal. That has been fixed. 

    We were given sessions this morning with a faith-healer? intuitive? wise woman? I'm not sure about her title. I had only one question for her, and the answer I got was basically, "You have to figure it out for yourself. You have to create your own happiness." She told me nothing that I did not learn in practitioner training or the 12-Step program. Therefore, I went about creating my own happiness with a lengthy swim (the gods seemed to know that I need the whole large pool to myself) and two margaritas. 

    Lanie and I went out shopping in the afternoon heat. We kept going into air-conditioned stores to cool off, but we did not buy much. My only purchase was a small wooden statue of Ganesha (to go with my small Buddha at home). We had an early supper of hummus and salads. I have finally learned not to order hot food if I am in a place with no AC, which includes most places except our hotel room. 

    I think somewhere along the way I promised to give a bidet a try. Cricket refers to them as a "bum gun." 😏 Up until this hotel, the apparatus was merely a hose and nozzle hooked to the toilet (think garden hose & nozzle). No thanks on that type. This hotel, however, has the built-in apparatus and even has the directions on the inside of the toilet lid. I got brave this morning and tried it. I like it! Another fear conquered--maybe this was part of "creating my own happiness." 😏

    Below is some of the fine greenery around our hotel. They grow fields of marigolds here and use them in temple offering baskets. 

        Leta

The tall plant is in dirt, but
the rest is floating in water.

March 30--ICE!!!!!!!!!!!!

In matters of the heart, nothing is true except the improbable. 
--Germaine de Stael

    We sadly (me) left the oceanside after chanting, meditation and breakfast. We drove to Tirta Empul Temple in hopes (not me) of getting into the spring-fed cleansing pool and praying in the temple. The place was PACKED, with hours-long waits to get into the pool. Fortunately we just had a tour. Despite the ultra-clean spring-fed water coming into it, with that many bodies "purifying," uhhhh, no thanks. 

The centuries-old banyan tree outside the temple

    Let's just say that for me personally, Bali has not been the paradise I expected. In some ways, yes, in many others, no. The thing that has consistently made me smile is the dogs. The best thing that happened at today's temple visit was befriending this one, the closest I have found to my dearly-missed Barney:

Check out those smiles!

    Next we drove to Ubud and checked into our hotel. OMG! This is by far the most luxurious hotel room Lanie and I have ever been in. It is huge and we have ICE!!!

Couch and TV are behind me

Half of our patio

And the best part...

Plus a separate room for the toilet

    There is a huge infinity pool on the grounds and an excellent restaurant, too. 

    Lanie and I walked down the street to get some beverages other than water. We are planning on relaxing with room service this evening. Edi and Komang took our dirty laundry to be washed. My big pile costs just under $6, Lanie's under $3, ready in 24 hours. Ready means washed, dried, folded and tightly wrapped in plastic. 

    Homesick, but loving this luxury!

        Leta

March 29--A Day to Chill

The meeting of two personalities is like the contact of two chemical substances: if there is any reaction, both are transformed.  --Carl Jung

    Today was Nyepi, Balinese day of silence. Things were pretty much as usual on the resort property, except we were not allowed onto the beach or outside the resort. It would have been lovely to see the streets of the town without the usual insane traffic. We had a nice time lounging and reading outside, just up from the beach. Our whole group dined together at the Italian restaurant on the resort property. All outdoor lights are shut off, so we had to return to our rooms by flashlight. Unfortunately it is cloudy and rainy so we can't see the stars. 

    Tomorrow we head to Ubud and away from the ocean. I shall sorely miss the crashing waves. 

        Leta

Money doesn't grow on trees, but 
orchids do here. They are everywhere.

March 28--Ogoh-Ogoh

There were thousands and thousands of forms of joy in the world, but ... all were essentially one and the same, namely, the joy of being able to love. 
--Michael Ende

    This morning started on a foul note due to sad news about a friend. I skipped chanting and meditation to do some writing. 

    Tomorrow is Nyepi, the highest holy day in Bali, the day of silence. We spent time after breakfast learning about the preparation for it. I had some beach and pool time, then had another massage. This one was interesting for two reasons. First, it was done by a blind man. Second, he put a hot substance on my back, knees and ankles which turned out to be gritty mud of some sort. Here you shower right after a massage, obviously a very good thing.

    Back to Nyepi prep... Tonight we joined several local Balinese in a noise-making parade around the resort grounds to scare up the evil spirits, which hopefully then go into the ogoh-ogohs. The ogoh-ogoh is a large, very artistic statue which the Balinese make each year to parade the night before Nyepi. They are hand-carried on bamboo racks through the streets to the central ceremony area. After the parade, the ogoh-ogohs are burned. It is a big cleansing ceremony. Here are some ogoh-ogoh samples:

    This truly was a once-in-a-lifetime experience for us!

    Tomorrow we are able to move around the resort and talk quietly, and the restaurants will be open, but the lights will be off from 6am Saturday to 6am Sunday. Any remaining evil spirits are fooled into thinking that there is no one left by the Nyepi silence, so they just go away. (Methinks they go and have been going to the USA.) 

    A sweaty, tired Leta

March 27--More Than Monsoon

Love is space and time measured by the heart.  --Marcel Proust

    Chanting and meditation this morning was to the sound of ocean waves crashing on shore. It was glorious. 

    Backing up to talk about fruit. Yesterday after the temple visit, the guys bought a durian to try. It is quite sharp and spiny on the outside. Inside, it has a nasty flavor, including a wretched aftertaste, and the texture is disgusting. There was no trying to pretend it was even close to OK. Komang and Edi love it. 

YUCK!!!

    At breakfast this morning, we had mangosteen. It is "the fruit that does not lie." Each one has a small multi-petal flower on the skin, and the number of flower petals indicates the number of fruit segments inside. This one is the exact opposite of durian--super delicious with great texture. 

YUMMY!

    After breakfast, we headed for Pura Agung Besakih Temple, the highest and holiest temple in Bali. We were re-routed on the way there due to a road closure. Further on, there was one hairpin turn going up the mountain where a truck was stopped that could not get its heavy load up the mountain. Traffic was able to take turns getting around it.

    Before going to the temple, Lanie and I had to put on lace shirts over our t-shirts in order to go in, and we all had on our sarongs. We climbed the stairs and had the same prayer ceremony as yesterday. However, this time we had a holy woman who did the water-flicking and rice distribution. We roamed around, did some picture-taking and started back down. It started to drizzle. 

Looking up to the temple and the
many stairs

Our view from up high

    By the time we got down to the place to pick up the shuttle bus, it was pouring like I have never seen. "Monsoon" doesn't even begin to describe it. Even with umbrellas, we got soaked. The lanes and pathways were flooded, which stopped no one, not even the scooters. I stepped in water up to my ankles many times. Finally the shuttle came, which got us back to the parking garage and our car. It rained all the way down the mountain and followed us to our hotel. This is the stuff that floods the rice fields.

    We stopped at the "Balinese Walmart" to get snacks and water. The aisles are barely big enough for one person to squeeze through. 

    I believe it will be a lovely evening to stay in and order food delivered--the restaurants don't charge for that! 

    Ready to chill,

        Leta

March 26--A Ceremony to "Let That Sh(*&(*t Go!"

It is with the soul that we grasp the essence of another human being, not with the mind, nor even with the heart.  --Henry Miller

    We did our morning chanting and meditation, then had our closing breakfast at Griya Santrian Resort. I had time to have a workout in the pool before leaving. Also before leaving, we had a lesson in how to do the prayer and releasing ceremony at the temple. It involves incense, various colors of flowers, holy water and rice. 

    We were extremely fortunate in that when we arrived at the temple, there was no one else there. It could have been packed. Where we did our ceremony was in front of a cave that has thousands of bats. They were "chirping" throughout our ceremony. We had been told to bring an object that represents something we want to release, so that is where I left my painting. 

Those are bats hanging from the rock.

    We drove from there to Candidasa and the Candi Beach Resort and Spa. Cricket gave us a tour. As nice as our previous hotel was, this one is even more spectacular. The pools are larger, the ocean and wave-sound is much closer, and there are three restaurants here, including an Italian one, which sounds heavenly!

Komang (our driver), Cricket, and Edi 
at temple, in sarongs (a requirement
to go to temple)

    Let me put in a plug for these three men. They are incredible gentlemen, so gracious and helpful. They have answered a multitude of questions from Lanie and me. Komang has driven us through insane traffic. (Today I said, "Are red lights just a suggestion here?!?! and Cricket replied, "It was sorta green.") Komang is a great driver! 

    Lanie and I, after settling into our room and having a tour, had a drink at ocean side. I have learned that to have a good drink, one must ask for a double shot of alcohol. It was wonderful to sit and listen to the ocean waves breaking, despite the fact that I was pouring sweat. (Trust me, Antarctica sounds like heaven to me at the moment!)

    The five of us went to a local restaurant, Vincent's, for dinner. Cricket had raved about the desserts, and the place did not disappoint. I had a Balinese noodle dish. The highlight, however, was the lemon dessert:

The perfect lemon-lookalike on the 
bottom opens to fabulous fluffy stuff
and more lemon in the middle. 
It is all edible and fabulous!

    By the way, here's a photo of the baby turtles we released, prepping for their life in the ocean:

    I think I am slowly adjusting to the heat and humidity. Being in a pool is a lifesaver!

        Leta

March 25--Bali Stories

The more I wonder... the more I love.  --Alice Walker

    I could also say, "The more I wander... the more I love."

    I'm a bit late with this one. We had a very LONG hot day yesterday. We visited GWK Cultural Park to see the world's 4th largest statue representing Wisnu, god of protection, riding on his mythical eagle Garuda, wearing a crown of gold (Kencana). We took an elevator up to the 23rd floor and enjoyed great views of Bali. There was plenty of glass floor to wander on, but I avoided that. 

    Then Komang drove us to Uluwatu for the Bali Kecak Dance. In the area around the stadium where the performance is held, there are awesome views of the cliffs along the Indian Ocean. There are also mischievous monkeys roaming around who will approach and swipe loose objects like hats. Our guides over-exaggerated the dangers--we didn't lose anything. 

    We sat for an hour waiting for the show in the packed stadium. The backdrop was a magnificent sunset. There is no musical instrumentation. All the "music" is supplied by a group of at least 50 men chanting and clicking and moving and clapping. The story is mythical and the costumes fantastical. There is even a fire dance. It is impossible to describe adequately. Here are photos of the cast and sunset:

On the left in white fur is the "monkey,"
who went into the crowd for playful harassment

Nature's backdrop

    Traffic made the trip back to our hotel almost two hours long, hence the late post. 

    More sweating ahead!

        Leta

March 24--Mellow to the Max

All the world is made of faith, and trust, and pixie dust. 
--Peter Pan, 1953 Screenplay

    We started the morning with chanting and meditation outdoors, one of the many daily mellowing-out exercises planned for this tour. Then we were off to breakfast. I tried some Indonesian noodles and chicken bites that are delicious. The coffee here is strong but excellent. Dairy products are imported from Australia and New Zealand, and the milk is creamy and much better than US milk. 

    It's a miracle! We have had two sunny days in a row, so it was pool time. I alternated between easy movement in the pool and lazing on the lounge and reading. 

The infinity pool about 50' from our door

    At 12:45, we set out with Komang, our driver, to Royal Orchid Spa. It was a long drive which carried us across a huge bridge with views of the harbor. At the spa they greeted us with cold towels and sweet ginger tea. A lovely worker took our information such as had we had a massage before, and any areas that needed more attention. We were offered a choice of three massage oil fragrances and three pressures--strong, medium or light. I chose strong. Then we were led two to a room where we removed clothes and put on (weird!!!) disposable panties and a cloth wrap. We had our feet scrubbed and rinsed with flower water. Then it was onto the table for a "big slice of heaven." "Strong" was a combination of massage and a chiropractic adjustment. It was glorious. When the women finished with us, we took showers, then enjoyed warm ginger tea. I felt like I needed a wheelchair to move me, and I could barely assemble a thought. Except! The first thing I said to Cricket afterwards was, "Can we do this again?!?!" 

Some of the beauty at the Royal Orchid Spa

    It was a fairly quiet ride back to the hotel as we were all mellowed out from the massage. We relaxed for a while, then headed down to the beach for dinner. 

    We had a super evening with Cricket, Komang and family (wife Julie, son Teo (5yr), daughter Tasha (8mo)) and Edi ("Eddie"). They had Teo present Lanie and I with a string of beads with a pendant of Ganesha, Hindu god of protection and travel. It is an outstanding way to learn local customs by hanging out with a family. 

    Everyone here is so kind!

        Leta

My beads presented by Teo

March 23--HUGE Joyful Surprise!

Wonder is the heaviest element on the periodic table. Even a tiny fleck of it stops time.  --Diane Ackerman

    We had only one rain shower today. I actually had pool time with sunshine!

    There are now two baby turtles swimming in the Indian Ocean named after my grandsons. 

    Cricket told us to be at the beach at 10:30 am. Yes, sir! We arrived to find a bucket of water with 16 excited baby turtles. When the babies hatch on the beach, they are collected by members of a turtle conservation group and kept for three months to grow, so that they have a better chance of surviving in the ocean. At three months old, they are released. We got to do that!!!!!!!!! Talk about wonder!!!!!!!!!!! 

    We were given wooden bowls to scoop out a turtle, then we took them down to the water. There was a line hooked along the sand just up from the waves which we stood at to release the little ones. We were told to name them and give them a blessing. I released two, each one named after a grandson, with the blessing of "live long and prosper." I was in tears the whole time, it was so cool. My first release was the one that made it into the ocean first--the winner! These little ones are about 4" long. Even quite a ways out in the water, we could see their tiny heads poking up for air. I told Cricket that it would be extremely hard to top this experience, and he said, "Challenge accepted!" I would also note that the tour company we are here with is a donor to the turtle conservation efforts. 

    Then I enjoyed alternating between being in the pool and reading pool-side. Cricket and Edi brought us Pad Thai for a late lunch, which we enjoyed on our patio. 

    Lanie and I walked over to the convenience store outside our hotel grounds for snacks and drinks, whereupon we managed to cross the very busy street twice without getting killed. Before we went, we learned from our hosts that the signal to stop traffic is a raised arm, and by-golly, it works! 

    We are well set to read, snack, relax, shower, and get a good night's sleep. 

      Leta

Me in the center celebrating my little one's efforts.
Those little black dots are the babies.

March 22--I Wish I Could Take Some of This Rain Home to KS

Keep some room in your heart for the unimaginable.  --Mary Oliver

    Here's one I didn't expect--playing pickleball in Bali. They play "no rules," so it is a lot of volley practice, never a bad thing. I made it about 45 minutes before the heat/humidity did me in. It was miraculous to have a rain-free morning to play.

    Although Cricket tells me that this is really fine weather for this time of year, I am really struggling with the heat, humidity and torrential rains. I am sitting on our patio, my only movement is my fingers typing, and I am sweating. While sweating is my superpower, I do not like to be doing it every moment I am outside here. This requires huge water consumption, so last night I got up at least six times to use the bathroom, which, trust me, does not make for a good night's sleep. 

    Lanie finally let Cricket take her to the doctor where she was diagnosed with bronchitis and given lots of good drugs, so hopefully she will soon be enjoying the heat/humidity/rain with us. 

    Cricket was a sweetheart and retrieved our clean laundry for us. My huge armful came back as a compressed little bundle. It will be lovely to have clean clothes as I am sweating through them quite quickly. 

    Every time I have felt motivated to take pictures of our lovely resort, it has been pouring rain. Our Aussie/NZ tour spoiled us with only one rainy morning in almost four weeks. 

    I did get in the pool right outside our door during a break in the rain earlier. My body is missing swimming terribly. I was chased inside by rain--the wind causes some sort of quarter-sized nuts to come shooting down from the trees like hail, so one does not dawdle in a downpour. 

    Early on, Cricket told us about his being in the hospital for six days with dengue fever, brought on by mosquito bites. So now I am paranoid about bugs even more than usual. 

    There is much to "get used to" here, and I'm feeling like it is very slow coming for me. 

    Stay tuned...

        Leta

New Zealand road caution sign--
below it is a smaller rectangular sign
that tells the danger, such as
"ROAD WORK AHEAD"

March 21--The Dentist Adventure and Traffic Terror

To be fully seen by somebody, then, and be loved anyhow--this is a human offering that can border on miraculous.  --Elizabeth Gilbert

    Our first full day in Bali... at breakfast we tried new-to-us dragon fruit and snake fruit. I had a made-to-order omelet that was wonderful. 

    Then followed a harrowing ride to the dentist. Traffic is insane here, plus add torrential rain and questionable drainage on top of it. Despite the jokes about me staying in Bali, I could not do it just because of the traffic alone. My dentist appointment was amazing--25 minutes and I had a pain-free filling that cost me just under $50 US. We also got rupiah from an ATM, and hauled our dirty clothes to a laundry service. My huge armload cost me about $6 for wash/dry/fold. We'll pick it up tomorrow. 

    Weary from the non-stop activity of the previous tour, we took the afternoon off to read and relax. I met up later with Cricket by the beach where we had coconut water straight from the coconut, and I had a light salad for supper. Because this spot is so close to the equator, sunrise and sunset are almost exactly 12 hours apart, currently around 6:30 am and pm. Early darkness suits me just fine. 

    We were warned immediately not to drink the water here--bottled water only. Even the "natives" don't drink it. It smells kind of nasty, too. This is truly a case of "water water everywhere but not a drop to drink." 

    Cricket is staying at the hotel with us, but today he took us by the house he rents here. It is a two-bedroom, two-bath place with a pool that is a mansion in this area. His Balinese friends consider him "filthy rich," but he's very middle-class by American standards. Just down the way from his place is a huge pile of trash. Living conditions here are dreadful for the average Balinese worker, whom Cricket says makes an average of $300 per month. There is no such thing as our Social Security. 

    Feeling extraordinarily blessed,

        Leta    

Cricket and coconuts!

March 20--In Bali

The world changes when we change. The world softens when we soften. The world loves us when we choose to love the world.  --Marianne Williamson

    We flew yesterday (Mar 20 over here) from Queenstown, NZ to Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia. It was about ten hours total flying time. This completed 13 of the 16 total flights of this trip. We sailed through immigration and customs much more easily than we were led to believe possible. My friend Cricket, who moved here several years ago from Chicago, and is our tour leader, picked us up with a couple friends. It was raining buckets, which they say is "nothing." It was also dark, so we couldn't see much. The drive to the hotel was exciting with scooters weaving in and out of traffic through the rain. Cricket labeled it "organized chaos." Our hotel and grounds are beautiful, even in the dark. We are on the beach, but we didn't see it last night.

    After a very long day, made longer by a 5-hour time change (I can no longer keep track of my jet lag), it was a joy to climb into bed and go to sleep to rainfall. 

    Leta

The last goofy picture Wayne took:
Kathy, me, Lanie, Kathy, me, Lanie

March 19, Part 2--Last Day of the Australia/NZ Tour

If you are in love--that's a good thing--that's about the best thing that can happen to anyone. Don't let anyone make it small or light to you.  --John Steinbeck 

    We slept in on our last day, a glorious treat. After breakfast, we made the trek downhill to town (after getting the full scoop on the bus that would bring us back up the long, steep hill). We walked along the lakefront, then headed back uphill to ride the Skyline Queenstown gondola. I was not all that terrified--it was a lovely ride up with a worker who told us about the other things we could do--ride the luge, mountain biking (the trail is insane), bunge-jumping or even para-gliding. And here I was proud of myself for doing the gondola! Truly NZ is a thrill-seeker's (do stupid, dangerous stuff) paradise. 

Note the bike inside the gondola

Note the parasail in the background between us--
we saw many taking off

Awesome views!

    On the way to the gondola, we passed an indoor skydiving place. Despite the lovely offer, we passed:

    Riding the gondola back down gave us a clear view of how steep it is! We roamed through some shops and enjoyed another Pad Thai lunch. A bit more wandering led us to the last pub visit of this tour, where we capped off our good lunch with a beer. Then we rode the bus back up the hill--we agreed that we would have paid a much greater fare just to avoid that uphill hike. 

    After some much-appreciated downtime, we joined the group for our "Last Supper." It was a lovely meal but much too loud and long. We had a group photo afterwards. Hopefully our guide will post it on the group photo site eventually. 

    Words to live by:

    Tomorrow we fly to Bali!!!!

        Leta

March 19--Mr. Robertson

    This is in appreciation of our guide Wayne. Lanie and I have been on several Collette tours, and he is far and away the best guide we have had on any tour. 

    Wayne gave us the phrase "rattle your dags." Dags are the dried pooplets at the back end of a sheep that rattle when they run. Although I must confess that I have seen literally thousands of sheep on this trip, I have rarely seen any running. Anyway, "rattle your dags" means to hurry up, and I shall think of Wayne every time I use it. You can google it--this one is true.

    Wayne enjoyed pulling out legs. Here's one of the better ones. You can see paths worn into the hillsides where cattle and sheep meander (few pioneers there). Wayne tells us that since they always walk clockwise (?), genetically over time their right legs have become shorter than their left. When an earthquake hits (often here), they get disoriented and turn around. Because their right legs are shorter, they roll down the hill. This is a stock avalanche. 

    Wayne also told us to be on the lookout in Australia for shamels--a cross between a sheep and a camel. Let your mind wander on that for a bit!

    Wayne has an outstanding ability to share history, geography, geology and "Local Culture." He has been especially good at helping us learn the indigenous Maori culture. 

    He has kept us laughing with his great sense of humor. He has been a tour guide for 26 years and is still ultra-enthusiastic about sharing his countries with tourists. Even sleep-deprived, he is fun, maybe even more so. He kindly took several of us, including me, to the medical center as the crud made its way through the group. 

    Somehow he was able to keep us all on time for nearly four weeks of adventure. 

    Wayne truly made this trip through Australia and New Zealand spectacular.    

    Thanks, Wayne!

        Leta

March 18--Waterfall Day

Like all magnificent things, it's very simple.  --Natalie Babbitt

    Another early start took us over the mountains to Milford Sound, which is a fjord, not a sound. We learned that a fjord is created by glaciers and a sound by a river. It seems that for every waterfall we saw, there was an even more awesome one around the next bend. We did a deep-woods walk at The Chasm, where there were many smaller falls coming off of a good size stream:

    I learned a lot about avalanches. Our bus driver, Andrew, said that the road we used is often closed in winter due to avalanches. This confused me since the mountains are not near the road. What closes the road is the amount of debris that the snow pulls down with it, plus the avalanche creates incredibly dangerous high winds. 

    We started the morning in rain and heavy clouds, but by the time we reached Milford Sound it had cleared, and we were quite lucky to be able to see the top of Mitre Peak, highest on the South Island:

    We cruised for two hours on the fjord, enjoying the sunshine and amazing scenery. Waterfalls ranged from pencil-thin so that you could barely see water moving to the big gushers:

    It was a long bus ride back to Queenstown. We don't have to get on a bus again for almost 22 hours! We can sleep in!

        Leta