For those of you who may not know, I put a fair amount of faith in the influence of the planets on our lives - having a mother as a practicing astrologer will encourage that belief. No more proof do I need than the frustrations caused by the planet Mercury than the morning Bob and I had trying to get to Gaia Oasis, a beautiful retreat and resort run by a German woman who is friends with Bob and Colleen. First, since Colleen was stable, Bob and I decided it would be good for me to see the north coast, and good for him to get a bit of space from the stress of both trying to entertain a daughter and take care of a sick partner. When we first called, the said they had no availability, so we tried to find a number for a similar place in the same area, but we couldn't get through. A few minutes later, Bob gets a call from the owner, who informs us that there is room at Gaia Oasis, so we head out for what should be no more than a two hour drive, ready for some serious relaxation.
I should explain something about maps and roads in Bali. First, they don't have street signs visible at intersections. Also, when a road is drawn straight on a street map, it is usually a steep switchback. Roads and turns appear when it appears on your map that there is only one way. Keeping these things in mind, you might be able to imagine how Bob and I ended up on a very sketchy, potholed, cocoa-lined road in the middle of the mountains. Luckily, a kind stranger pointed out the right way, eventually, but not after I had hopped out of the car with Bob's iPod nano in my lap, and hopped back in without it. I soon realized the lack, but when we went back to retrieve it, we had run over it with the Jeep. It was yet another glorious moment in our frustrating day. Still, even the most annoying day in Bali is not too shabby.
Fortunately, the beauty of Gaia Oasis soon soothed all our irritations. This retreat has a beach side section and a satellite mountainside resort in one of the most glorious settings I have ever seen. Pictures just don't do it justice. We stayed in the lovely guesthouse on the mountain, with a view of palm trees and the Bali Sea. After a welcome drink of a whole young coconut and a drip in the pool, we headed to dinner with the other guests. Turns out, most of them were German, and since my German is limited to "thank you", "goodbye", numbers from one to ten, and a couple of dirty words, we didn't have much to talk about.
The next morning I awoke to the dark silhouette of the mosquito netting above my bed, the clock reading 5:30am. In the hope of seeing dolphins, Bob and I had hired a fishing boat to take us out for sunrise. No dolphins came to visit us - I tried to call them, but I doubt these dolphins have much fluency in English. However, I did get a close personal view of the fine, delicate art of catching tuna, using kites and buoys. The early sunlight casting shadows on the ocean and illuminating the mother mountain, a volcano by the name of Agung, made it worth the scratchy eyes and early bedtime. Being on the water always makes me feel at home.
I spent two nights in the paradise of paradise, having facials, reading, swimming and trying to make conversation with Germans. Bob went back one day earlier than me, so Dewa picked me up and we drove home along the north and east coasts of Bali, past two shipwrecks, a great deal of fabulous snorkeling that I plan to try next time, and a floating water palace. We ended up back in Denpasar on Saturday to visit Colleen. We are hopeful that she will be out of the hospital soon - it would be great if she could be out before I have to leave!
I certainly covered a lot of ground on my trip...I have seen nearly half the island...and the end of my trip draws near.
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