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