The cool morning sea breeze is blowing softly over the black volcanic sands of Sengiggi beach. The sea is calm this morning with the smallest of waves gently tumbling over one another creating a rhythmic lullaby. The sun slides behind some of the thicker clouds and as I lean against a small tree not far from the water's edge, I feel every worry I ever had drifting away behind me. Beside me the small pregnant cat that adopted me at breakfast continues to demand fussing and purrs loudly in return.
Jo Je bungalows are on a quieter cove than the main resorts of Sengiggi and my bungalow is just steps from the beach. Leaving the front doors onto the patio open, the sounds of the sea drift in, whilst the rear doors open onto a postage stamp pool. There are just five bungalows and it is peaceful. I choose to close my eyes to the dilapidations and instead enjoy the many positives. The room is huge with two double beds and a sofa, while the bathroom is large enough to host a small party, should one feel so inclined!
Arriving here on the fast boat from Padang, Bali it strikes me that had plans not been forced to change so radically, I would today have been arriving in Lombok from Perth, having spent the last month there. The alternative route has been quite a journey, where I have been forced into introspection and into slowing down my quest to see everything in record time. It was time to change my method of travelling from 'just passing through' to 'integration'. I don't think I could have chosen a better place than Ubud and it was truly my good fortune to meet some wonderful people on my first weekend at the workshop I attended. There are endless possibilities here to explore the inner you, the one that we hide from the world at large, but also from ourselves, the one that perpetuates repetition until the lesson is understood and resolved. I am fortunate that Shavasti's workshop put me in exactly the place I needed to be, introducing me to people I needed to meet. What progress I have made will perhaps become apparent at the November workshop!
A feeling of celebration is in the air as the Balinese celebrate Galungan, described to me as something equivalent to a Western Christmas. I'm told that the traditional local calendar is very complex but Galumgan represents the end of a 210 day cycle when the ancestors are invited back and welcomed into the homes and daily lives of the living population. On the 11th day, named Kuningan, the spirits return and the 210 cycle is reset. Panjongs - large decorated bamboo poles - tower over the roads outside almost every homestead. The shrines and temples are decorated and redecorated and piled high with offerings and incense.
The people I have met here are gentle and if there is a land of smiles, then I think this must be it! It is common to see both men and women wearing a sarong with sash tied around the waist of an over-shirt. The effect is quite striking. A headscarf for the men worn with a point at front. Inevitably everything will be decorated. This is perhaps the most striking characteristic that I will always associate with Bali. Flowers are strewn, placed and worked into arrangements. Anything remaining stationary for long enough will be adorned. Scooters buzz through the mayhem of traffic, their female passengers sitting gracefully side saddled, and at this time holding large woven leaf baskets full of offerings (although I notice the odd can of soda tucked in there too). Young boys parade the streets playing instruments around a steady beat. Two of the boys are dressed up as a dragon and I ponder the similarity to the famous Chinese dragon symbolism.
With all these spirits roaming around Bali, Lombok is soothingly grounded! The late morning sun is warming up the sea breeze and the glittering water is becoming an irresistible draw. Here too the beaches are strewn with washed up litter. Sadly there seems to be little understanding or perhaps total disregard for the consequences of this pollution. A little effort would go a long way! Today the sea has brought in golden sands so that instead of the blacks sands of yesterday, there is an effect of wispy gold streaks where the water touches the beach, not dissimilar to highlights!
Being just a short weekend break, I fully intend to recharge my batteries and allow myself the luxury of doing nothing more strenuous than enjoying the warm sea water or reading my book on the patio that somehow transports me back to family holidays spent at Maweni Beach Cottages in Mombasa.
