Thursday, October 15 - Getting Ready to Depart Bali

After one more snorkeling trip this morning, Made and a female friend of his picked me up after lunch and drove me the 2+ hours from Candidasa to Seminyak, not far from the Bali airport (Denpasar) so that it would be an easy trip in the morning to get me on my 10:40am flight to Singapore.

The traffic was horrendous and Seminyak very much another very gentrified shopping and eating tourist district -- but my inexpensive accommodations are perfect, and I have used the evening to catch this blog up, go out to get my end-of-trip meal (I've eaten only Balinese or Indonesian food for every meal) and get some cash at an ATM to make sure I had enough to pay Made.

I already want to return and stay longer -- and Made suggested that I return for a large celebration at his temple in late April -- where he said I'd be welcomed but that I would, of course, be required to wear the traditional Balinese/Hindu sarong and hat (all white for their celebrations).  I could have stayed a month or longer -- as the peacefulness and friendliness of the Balinese is apparent everyday. But, alas, time to move on -- as this trip was planned without the knowledge that I now have about this wonderful spot in the world.  I truly hope that Robert Frost's poem doesn't have it just right when he wrote: "Two roads diverged....and knowing how way leads onto way, I doubted if I should ever be coming back."  For I don't know when, but I've added to my always growing bucket list: return to Bali and explore more of Indonesia.

One of the Candidasa restaurant/bars had these three signs hanging -- seemed like fun messages I wanted to remember from my Bali holiday: