Holding Hands in a Fast Ocean
After about 6 hours, I was ready to get off…the flight. Since we were flying at 38,000’, somewhere over the Aleutians, it wasn’t a practical idea. I shifted from one “sit bone” to the other (for about the dozenth time), punched up my travel pillow, re-adjusted the blanket and looked enviously at the 2 young Chinese women in my row who were sleeping like stones. They went out shortly after take-off and had barely twitched a muscle. I wondered if they had taken a sleep enhancement. Mine certainly wasn’t working as I had hoped. The quarter of the “medicated” oatmeal cookie that I had baked 2 days earlier and taken just before departure wasn’t carrying me through the flight. 7 more hours to go! Our first stop in HKG was barely a blip on the In-Flight Navigation tracker glowing on the monitor embedded in the seat back just 12” from my face. No matter how many times that I swiped away to graze through movies on the In-Flight entertainment: “Pirates of the Caribbean (2 thumbs down), “Alien Covenant” (1 up, 1 down), a Will Ferrell/Amy Poehler movie which name escapes me was a silly premise and outrageous situation; the air miles and minutes seemed to crawl by.
Michael selected aisle seats for us. Jeanne & Jeffrey sat 2 rows ahead, M was across from me. In the dim light of the cabin, as the 777 Dreamliner roared along the SFO runway for an on time 1:30 am departure, we reached across the aisle and clasped hands. It’s a little ritual that started on our first flight and commencement of this great life adventure. We were
Kauai bound with Jeanne & Jeffrey in November 2014. Our momentary clasp was just a drop in what was starting to feel like a vast ocean of minutes in the 26+ hour voyage to Denpasar, Bali.
If you choose to be trapped in a narrow metal tube practically flying the the stratosphere at startling speed then I highly recommend Singapore Airlines. Even for Basic Economy, as the likes of us, the service is stellar. Every effort is made to ensure each passenger's comfort. Remember hot towels? It used to be the standard on international flights. We received 3 sets of hot towels during the flight. After 13 hours, we gratefully stumbled off the jet into Hong Kong International. We walked the length of the terminal a couple of times as the sun rose to break the mist over the islands dotting the bay.
Mt. Agung, at over 10,000’, is the predominant feature of the island. It had been rumbling for months, however, the frequency of the earthquakes that signify the upward movement of magna had significantly increased in the previous week. The area around Agung had been evacuated and experts were predicting an imminent eruption.
Anxiously, we discussed the possible scenarios… Would the flight depart? Could an eruption occur while we were in the air? If it erupted after we arrived, would we spend our holiday covered in ash? Fortunately, we did not fall victim to the “Chicken Little” mentality of the news media. Singapore Air was flying and so were we.
The Hong Kong layover was a blip compared to our 5 hour stop in Singapore. The first thing that we commandeered as we deplaned was the massage chairs. Even with very little sleep in the last 30 hours, we enjoyed the distractions offered by Singapore Changi Airport, a huge, upscale shopping mall with Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Swarovski just to name a few ways to spend your money. We toured the Butterfly Aviary, the Orchid Garden, the Glass Sculpture Garden and the many Duty-Free shops. We were advised to purchase alcohol before arriving in Bali.
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From Singapore, we were scheduled to fly to Denpasar Airport, Bali. We were a bit edgy, not just from the lack of sleep. The western news media were reporting that Mt. Agung, the largest active volcano on the island was “about to blow!”
It was dark when we landed. Next stop and resting place for the next 4 days was Frangipani Homestay in Nusa Dua. We trundled through the cavernous Immigration & Customs Hall, swift process of bureaucracy to emerge with suitcases to open air Arrivals Hall. Hundreds of expectant people, taxi drivers, hotel transport drivers holding signs. J&J opted to stay at Sadara Resort, a full service hotel just up the road from the Frangipani. Kira & Garrett would join them there in the next day after their flights from Vancouver.
M & I wished to experience a local host. The Frangipani is owned & operated by Wayan 1 & Wayan 5, a husband & wife who have many years experience in hospitality. A side note about Balinese naming tradition. The Balinese have only 4 names for children according to their birth order. Wayan is the name given to the first born child (means eldest). If there are more than 4 children, the fifth child is name Wayan Balik (means Wayan again). That’s why our hosts have the same first name.
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Frangipani Homestay is tucked away along a narrow lane off the main road of Nusa Dua. Just 5 rooms in a Balinese family compound with dining tables under umbrellas surrounded by tall frangipani trees with arcing branches and full blossoms. We found this charming hideaway on booking.com- 4 nights at $25/night including a huge delicious breakfast. No pool or beach access, though the rooms were spacious with air conditioning and a bar fridge. A perfect set up for us because we could mooch off our friends at the Sadara Resort with its beautiful pool, swim up bar and beachfront.
Our stay was my first experience of the warmth & generosity of the Balinese people. The Balinese practice an unique form of Hinduism. The spirituality of their beliefs permeate every aspect of their daily lives. Family compounds have alters placed in auspicious areas. Each morning one of the older women in the family makes an offering to the spirits. These offerings are rice, flowers, sweets & sometimes a couple of drops of alcohol placed in a woven palm leaf basket. Then incense is lit. As you walk along the street, most places of business have an offering set at their front door on the sidewalk. The offering is for the “lower spirits” to satisfy their needs and go away, therefore, their bad energy doesn’t enter the store. It does get a bit messy on the sidewalks with all the detritus of the offerings spread about as people walk over and dogs eat the rice.
This daily practice of asking the spirits to help and guide the good fortune of the family is reflected outward to every person encountered. Of course, all the people that we met were involved in tourism and had a motivation to be engaging. I found that everyone that I met was genuinely kind and truly interested in making our experience memorable. Balinese believe strongly in karma.
Wayan 1 (the husband) is a chef at one of the top resorts. booking.com reviews mentioned that a dinner prepared by Wayan was delicious. And the reviews were accurate. On our 2nd night, M & I dined on a fish curry Balinese style with the fish poached to perfection, the chicken satay was melt in your mouth with a creamy peanut sauce. It was so good that we invited J&J, K&G to dinner the next night. Kira & Garrett walked from their hotel and sat under the soft night sky with the scent of frangipani and the music of the gurgling fountain. This was one of the best meals that I’ve had.