The Blessings of an Inconvenient Life

It can be said that convenience is a wonderful thing, and it truly can be, however my recent travel by bus from Billings, Montana back to Sacramento, California is a testament to not living a convenient life.

The Greyhound Bus trip was a total of 34 hours and supplemented by two 14-passenger vans and a brand new experience for me in the US. I had taken several longish bus rides in SE Asia, but 11 hours was the topper. I was actually looking forward to this adventure and challenge.

Kelvin, Dale and Taylor

Sleep was nearly impossible for me, so I managed about 5 hours the entire trip. I had considerate seat mates the whole way and really enjoyed one of them, Kelvin from Nevada. We got close enough while riding that we were the seeds of a small group, who watched each other’s things during a six-hour layover in Salt Lake City. Kelvin was my junior by a few years, but Taylor was significantly younger at 17. The Salt Lake City security guard asked me, Kelvin and Dale (a fella more my age whom we had drawn in to our clan an hour earlier) to watch over her a bit. So the four of us passed our time together, bonding, giggling and trying the bus station food offerings, limited as they were.

A couple of hours before I thought I would land in Roseville, California, I discovered the bus didn’t stop there and I would be dropped off near downtown Sacramento. I panicked a bit – not wanting to incur a $50 taxi ride to my sister’s house on the other side of Metro Sac. I googled transportation options from the bus station and realized the light rail was a mere block away so I relaxed and ultimately hopped onboard.

When I changed trains about 30 minutes later, I met and talked to a homeless woman, Deb, for a good twenty minutes and it truly was a GOOD talk. At the end, she thanked me for treating her like a person. I nearly cried but instead answered, “Well, you are a person!” I asked her if I could give her a few dollars as respectfully as I could. She accepted, saying “You didn’t have to do that.”

When I got to my stop just a 1/2 mile from my sister’s house, I had to borrow a phone from a stranger. Although, borrowing phones is a well-known scam, the gentleman was kind and trusted me. I left a message for my sister that I would wait 20 minutes and if she didn’t come I’d start walking.

A few minutes later, I began a long haul uphill dragging my rolling suitcase with a duffel atop it and it wasn’t but a few blocks down the road when I stopped to catch my breath. Moments later, a cab pulled up with a driver from India asking if I needed a ride. I answered “yes, please” but told him I needed to go to an ATM because I didn’t have much money on me. He tried to refuse my money, saying he was just concerned about me, but I did give him the $5 I had on me. He was incredibly sweet to me.

In the course of a very inconvenient journey; I met three wonderful fellow bus riders, cheerful and resilient Deb, a trusting stranger with a phone and someone from a part of the world I’ve just visited who offered me a free ride just because.

Thank the Universe for bringing me such riches!

The Gauntlet and Other Bali Stuff

The Gauntlet

In my last few days I’ve faced my greatest Bali-related fear – the Gauntlet – with a little help from my new friend Phil. This particular ordeal brought out the anticipatory wimp in me to the max!

The picture I’ve included will give you a tiny idea of the string of vendors that line the beach side road and form what I’ve come to call the Gauntlet. Ah, you say, that’s not such a big deal – walking by a bunch of pushy vendors. Ha!

In the life of a people pleaser, saying no is absolutely painful. To have to say it firmly and repeatedly – 25 or more times in a 10-minute period – is truly torture. So, having taken one very short foray into the territory when I first arrived here, and turning away as quickly as I could, I’ve avoided leaving my safe little area where I never have to say no more than 5 times in 10-minute period. 

Phil at the Greek restaurant

It was an invitation from Philip to try out a Greek restaurant on the other side of the Gauntlet that moved me to tackle it. Not only did I have a set destination to head towards, but I would also be accompanied. So we went.

It wasn’t nearly so bad with Phil to take some of the heat, and I realized if we just kept talking to each other then we were less likely to be bugged anyway. It was wonderful to have someone to giggle with over the silly approaches of the sellers. Phil also had a nickname for one particularly persistent woman – Madame DeFarge – the hard-hearted peasant woman from A Tale of Two Cities and the French Revolution. Does that make me and Phil the hard-hearted aristocracy, I wonder?

Doug & Chris

The Greek restaurant was a real treat – air-conditioned with great food and wonderful service.

Lovina Beach Dolphin at sunset

Here in Lovina, I’ve gained a few new friends: Phil from Melbourne, Australia and Chris & Doug from Calgary, Canada. My wonderful driver, Made Merta, is from Lovina and our very engaging second-in-command here at Puri Bali Hotel is also a Made (a very common name here meaning “the second child”).

Made Merta - terrific driver!

I’m off to America the day after tomorrow – an epic journey with an 8-hour layover in Kuala Lumpur, but I’ve discovered that humongous airport has a movie lounge and even a place to take a shower. So my return may be as much of an adventure as the anything else this journey has offered.

 

See you soon from Phoenix, Arizona!

Sunset at Lovina Beach

The End of the Line – Bali

One of my favorite Lovina eateries

I arrived in Bali on April 6^th and bounced around for two weeks until I finally found a comfortable spot in Lovina, a small tourist town on the northern coast of the Indonesian island. Although geared to tourism, it is quiet and the people are laid-back. I’ve been here a week now, with another to go before I head back to the US. So, Bali truly is the end of the line for this, my first foray into international travel – an eight month quest.

Lovina schoolboys

Bali has the misfortune, in my travels, of following Melaka, Malaysia – a place I shall always regard as a second home and where I found myself again as a writer.  It has also suffered from overblown expectations.

I don’t know how much of that to blame on Eat, Pray, Love – the book and movie which I happily consumed – and how much to shell out to the urgings of those who have absolutely loved their Bali experiences. 

Seminyak Beach - surfers and vendors

My experience of the first two weeks was deeply disappointing. I found the beach towns over-crowded, filled with aggressive vendors and hampered in one by a filthy beach. Ubud, a tiny artsy town in the hills of central Bali, was a nice relief from that and after four days there and an unfortunate two-day return to another southern beach town, I asked my driver to take me to Lovina. Here I found the peace and quiet I sought from Bali.

Rice terraces - Ubud

It took me a couple of days to nestle in and find my stride again, especially in writing, but I’ve done that and found simple pleasures: poolside and at the area restaurants – eight within a few meters of my hotel.

The Monkey Forest - Ubud

So, while I cannot actually recommend Bali in total, I can tell you that if you’re looking for relaxation, a quiet space to enjoy island beauty but still have lots of dining options and with plenty of water-related activities available, head towards Lovina.

One of the many temples in Bali