Wanderlust

The sky is a brilliant blue, unlike any I have ever seen. It’s clear and bright and full of promise. I am in the land of dragon chasers and fire dances. Standing atop a cliff, I look down at a sea that seems deceptively calm. The waves are gentle and almost seductive in their foamy allure.

All that is visible is an endless expanse of azure – the sky almost melting into the sea or perhaps it is the other way around. And then slowly, the surf swells. The waves gather momentum, building up to an impossible climax. It doesn’t look like anything a mere mortal can ever hope to conquer. These were waves made for dragons and kings who ruled the seas, once upon a time.

I wind my way down a narrow serpentine staircase built into the cliff and made of stone with walls of grass and vine-covered leaves serving as bannisters. I can hear the sound of the surf breaking against the rocks, calling to me. My feet finally sink into the soft white sand and all I can smell is the sea. Happiness, that day, was the smell of sea spray and the colour of sea foam.

It is said that a lucky few who come to Bali experience the wonders of a lavender sky. As I sat with bated breath, watching a blood-orange sun sink ever so slowly into the waiting sea, I hoped fervently to be one among the lucky few. The Gods must have been listening. The sky was an artist’s muse, coquettish in lavender with slashes of rose streaking across and wispy clouds in silver-grey and salmon, dressing it up for a paramour. All set against a magnificent cliff standing tall and majestic, lord of all it surveys.

Post the spectacular sunset, I felt my way up through the cliff with nothing but moonshadow and instinct to guide me. Flashes of lightning in a faraway sky lit the path for a few seconds, making it come alive. The smell of freshly barbecued seafood wafted up from the beach and the only sounds were that of the cliff, the sea and the air around me. I wondered if, in the years past, this is how princesses met their lovers in secret. With the moon watching over them, in secret hideaways and caves known only to them, their laughter disguised by the sound of the sea. Hearing the waves crash down below you while you climb into what seems like the sky is a whole different kind of magic.

It’s not very often that you get to experience an uninterrupted sky with the stars and lightning both vying for your attention at the same time. Perhaps if you’re very lucky, you get one such sky per lifetime.