Bali.

With the large swell subsiding it was time to come home to Canggu. Having been in Bali for five days and still barely having dipped a toe in the ocean, I was gasping to get out there. Blissed out from my time in Ubud, I grabbed a taxi at dusk, looking forward to sleeping in my own bed and waking up for an early to surf.

Canggu is small enough that (while I assumed no taxi driver would know where I was staying), you just ask and figure it out. Still, the innocent young man had to pull over a few times to phone friends for directions and finally, in the dark and in triumph he pulled off the road to show me Echo beach. His exuberance was short lived as all of a sudden 'BOOM', into a bloody great hole went his side of the vehicle. "Oh shit" I thought, "this isn't good". As we both clambered out, I observed the taxi's rear passenger wheel was up in the air, slowly spinning aimless and confused. Yet in true Balaniese style, all the scootering passers by simply stopped and as if on cue, some directed traffic while the rest heaved and hoed the van out its hole. My poor driver was shaken but not stirred and I was beckoned back in the vehicle.....oh lordy, what to do, what to do? Still, we'd come this far together so I wasn't about to ditch him now. 'Ditch' being the operative word, as I walked in blackness toward the van,  'BOOM 'I fell into a bloody great hole (a different one) and heard myself whimper 'help me'!

Oh boy.... as the same van pushing blokes now hoiked me out of the pit, I hitched my skirt and saw blood. Crikey, not ideal and all I could think was 'fuck  - how am I going to get in the water now'? Again, in the no-drama community way that is Balinese, my driver acquired a third passenger from loony tunes corner who became our human GPS. He guided us home and I handed over my money to rapid fire "sorry Miss, sorry Miss, sorry Miss".

Just a flesh wound and sprained ankle, 'lucky' about covers it.

As the next morning unfolded, conditions were still stormy, so it was time to put the kettle on and chill.

"Pero, get out of the kitchen"!

You can't make this shit up and as I retold my latest misfortunate incident to my friends - (given my  track record so far), we were all in stitches.

I believe I neglected to mention on day one, I couldn't find my scooter key, only to discover it was in the helmet, which was firmly on my head. On day two I accidently toppled over two other scooters in an unsuccessful attempt to steady myself, having not putting my kickstand down all the way! After the ditch tale, I was wondering if Patrizia and Andrea would simply lock me in my room for two weeks to keep me out of harms way! Not a chance, my daily calamities were a vast scource of amusement and they were not about to rob themselves off that. "Toast-catch"!

Day six - gashed leg, swollen ankle and rain. Perfect for pool surfing.....

And underwater baby stone training......

And band practice..........it was good to be 'home', surely tomorrow I'd get in the water?

Bali

With the surf too big, I headed up to Ubud to meet a good friend and practice some yoga. Nothing like rocking up and finding a perfect room, $15 a night, hot water, wifi and breakfast!

This was what I looked like after I lost my credit card. Which is exactly the same as before I lost my credit card!

Ubud is intense. It's a small place with too many people, too much traffic and a lot of energy, yet look to your left or right and magical sanctuaries abound. A brief glance gives the senses enough breathing room to focus forward again, step around the dog, over the uneven pavement and onward to where ever it is you're going.

All yoga studios should have the fantasy entrance of the Yoga Barn. Blending function with nature, they've got it down and classes are diverse with innovative teachers from around the world. Plus everything in Ubud is walking distance, which merely adds to the experience of living healthy.

Sound healing was incredible, an hour and a half of laying on the floor listening to the didgeridoo, percussion and your own mind. I've done many such journeys and am on intimate terms with my thoughts, most of which I tell to piss off!

The only thing to do after communing with one's higher self was to head to Sari Organic. It's a healthy trek through the rice padis with stunning food, tranquil views and a bliss factor 10.

Cute beyond cute, I've never seen a duck with a pom-pom on its head. 

Bali is an endless source of 'just when you think you've seen it all' moments. Here there is nothing that requires footware and can't go on a scooter.....

......and they're off, down a very narrow alleyway like a crazy video game, with no desire of getting to the next level.

And here it is, a small visual (that for me) represents the constant contrast of offering and waste.

Nothing like death to bring people together, and here it's true, as death is a celebration - a temporary departure with no cause for sadness. This shindig is going to be quite a knees up.

The body gets put into the holy cow and it, along with this ginormous cremation tower are carried to a sacred spot (not in a straight line so as to confuse the evil spirits) where the whole thing goes up in flames. This releases the spirit from the body allowing for the next reincarnation. 

As an egg plant perhaps?

Bali.

It feels like years since I've been on vacation just for me. The constraints of my own mind on Maui moved in one step too close for comfort and so, two weeks ago I booked a ticket to Bali. I packed my sarong, my lycra, grabbed my Ukulele and stepped out on a spontaneous surf trip with friends.

There is a dirty beauty to Bali that I loved 13 years ago on my first visit and the chasm of time hasn't changed the counties housekeeping habits or my feelings one iota.

A woman on a surf trip might want surf, but be careful what you wish for as (upon arrival) it was so big none of us could venture into the water.

Still it was a sight to behold, so we walked and watched and talked and walked and watched and talked some more. 

Hmmmm, not sure what deity this is.....!

I already know I will miss the decorative, noisy, polluted, crazy, sweet, kind, gentle, simple, nuts, beautiful, stinky melting pot of constant contrasts that Bali is.

Not to mention my new look!