so much more than a destination...

I spent the weekend in Bali. We arrived on Friday afternoon, and in the cab on the way to our hotel, I was looking out the window and I said, "I think we might have to come back...". I had barely been there for two hours, and already the place had captured me. The big fancy mall (Discovery) with the likes of Marks & Spencer and Topshop was so beautifully juxtaposed with little prayer offerings in containers made out of leaves, placed outside every shop and inside some cars. Walking down the little streets, we constantly had to look out for these, and the way in which the shopkeepers reacted to our swerving to avoid them ("never mind, it's okay!") told me that they were completely used to people walking into and over them, which didn't bother them at all. The contrast between old and new, modern and traditional, reminded me of Thailand, as did the people, who could seriously give the Thais, famous for their hospitality, a run for their money. Taxi drivers wait patiently and never use their horns, except to warn animals who wander into the street. Stuck behind a horse carriage (I think it's called a doka)? They wait until overtaking is possible and not a moment before. Tourists walk around shirtless. They drive motorcycles barefooted (and shirtless). The McDonald's in Kuta has a rack for surf boards outside, and instead of the usual pose on a bench, Ronald is catching a wave.

All of this made it seem like Bali is really more like a lifestyle than anything. I loved it. Details soon.