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