from Cambodia to Bali

Ready for this? Lizzy and I are now in Bali, Indonesia - a bit of a break from Cambodia. On Thursday morning we flew into Malaysia and then onto Bali. I'm here for a conference beginning Monday for VSO with delegates from a number of countries, including Thailand, Philippines, Indonesia, Cambodia, and Guyana.

So we decided to come a few days early to have a mini-holiday over the Khmer New Year and to celebrate my 50th birthday, which is on Sunday, April 15. Bali is a very special place that is like paradise in Asia. From what I've seen these last couple of days it is a place that is very beautiful to the eye - lots of culture, stone buildings and sculptures, all very primitive and encapsulated in a rain forest atmosphere.

Two things have been noticeable here for me. First, the people are serene and hospitable - so welcoming and gentle. They know tourist dollars are important but they seem to be satisfied that if you say "no" they will accept that as okay pretty easily, which makes for a more pleasant experience for me. Contrasted to Cambodia, Bali is so much further developed for traditional tourism, but it also means the stuff I don't like about a place that has already been discovered - tight obnoxious traffic, oodles of "toot" in endless strings of stores, and higher prices. Still, this place is amazing and worth a good visit because of its intense beauty.

The second noticeable thing is how tightly configured things seem to be. Different from Cambodia, Balinese seem to use every square inch of things and yet tastefully done. For instance the houses are more like compounds with several small buildings and always double doors. And there are a number of stiles for offerings to the gods (Hindu) on every property. So very different from the way things are from where I come from, both places that is.

We're staying at a very nice place in Ubud, which is up in the center of the island away from the coast. It's very mountainous here and steep terrain abounds. Just today I was sitting on the porch reading when I noticed a pair of rather large monkeys playing on the thatched roof next door. No need to go to the zoo here!

So, tomorrow I'm 50. I didn't plan it this way, so far from everyone, but here we are. It's just another year, but NOT just another one too. I get it's significant if for the fact that it gives me a place to look back and see what has been, as well as look forward to what will be. Probably a good practice to do everyday, eh?