Riane's Adventures jiak hong

I stare out at the vast expanse of blue, lulled into a comfortable rhythm. Up and down, the boat slowly bobs as I turn to my diving instructor who hands me a snack.

It was to be our last dive here in Bali and my best friend and I were resting on a traditional Indonesian boat that looked straight out an IKEA catalogue, if IKEA were to dabble in fuss-free-but-aesthetically-pleasing-boats next. We had spent the previous day diving in the world-famous Liberty wreck off the coast of Tulamben, and now here we were at Padang Bai, a gorgeous, but pale comparison to the shipwreck. Padang Bai was a sheltered coast in the East that was more popular with tourists grabbing a boat to Lombok than it was for diving, especially during this low season. Because of that, we had this stretch to ourselves with virtually no other boats or divers nearby.

“Isn't this amazing?” I turn to my best friend. “No. I feel like puking”, she says, her face green as she glares desolately out into the blue. “Stare out into the horizon it really helps,” I start fussing over her, running through all I could do to solve her sea-sickness.

The instructor laughs, the easy Balinese attitude apparent as he hands her a snack, “Don't worry, eat something, you'll feel better!' He talks to her about the sea then, about the diverse fish we've seen, and I settle down on the plank, my back to the lazy bustle of the jetty at the coast. I gaze out towards the sea again, listening to him as he continues on about the best times to go diving here, confident in Bali’s charm that would bring us back again, and again.

I gaze at him; skin a deep brown, arms muscled from hauling scuba tanks and eyes lit up warmly. He gestures out towards the coast, and I see waves falling over other in a rush to touch the soft sand. I see other boatmen on docked boats sluggishly smoking cigarettes and exchanging relaxed smiles. I see sunglasses-clad seekers swept up in boats, lured by the promise of sunsets and new friends.

And all at once I get it.

I get the scores of foreigners who have settled here, with their accented Bahasa and deeper tans than ever possible in their own countries, proudly advocating Bali as paradise on earth. I get the magic that infected them, the magic this island offers with a sun that warms you to the bones, the magic in the offerings to the gods that adorn each street, the magic in its people. On this tiny boat, I finally understand Bali’s charm.