We live a short flight (and a cheap one!) from Bali. This week we attended a conference with more meetings than expected and more people on outings than we thought. For an introvert, that's not the most restful combination.
I stretch my feet out thrice on the porch, swim twice and take a couples of hot baths in a real tub. We had hot running water from the faucets. (That in itself qualifies as a holiday.)
The hotel is beautiful, from the foyer with its "3 Kingdoms" ceiling painting
to its grounds and ponds
to the shoreline. Even mornings with swirling clouds are relaxing.
Some vignettes take our breaths away as we walk by.
The hotel takes good care of us. Upon arrival, one of the hotel staff writes your name in the sand. The next day, it's swept clean and he writes down the names of newcomers.
The meetings and collective worship are inspiring.
The women have a few hours to ourselves one afternoon.
Another day, our friends are ordained to Christian ministry.
All week, I'm stunned by Bali.
I love the unfolding of God's world, from enormous leaves to grasses and flowers. We watch this lotus bloom mature
into a seed pod.
Every corner offers a new view.
We spot this decaying boat hull along the shore.
Nearby, the storms have washed out the paved walkway beside the bay.
Whether we're on the hotel grounds or walking along the beach, Bali is its own world.
We are surrounded by ponds and greenery, even at meals. Most conference attendees choose air-conditioned dining, but we're used to air flow in Bandung. (Our house doesn't have air-con.)
There are many food choices.
We eat familiar Western meals and delicious Indonesian offerings.
Posted above the egg station, this sign makes me laugh at breakfast.
After conference attendees help themselves to the goodies, the shelves are emptier. But the food supply seems endless!
One night, the whole company heads to Jimbaran for a seafood supper on the beach.
There were one or two restaurants open on the strand the last time we were in Bali. Now, most of the restaurants along the beach are lit. There are not many people though.
The nights are warm and peaceful.
One evening, I eavesdrop on a group of musicians with their Balinese instruments and traditional tunes.
We have 1-1/2 days to explore Balinese culture and art - like this glass recycling and glass-blowing in Ubud. The cups, glasses, and vases are stunning.
I shouldn't complain about washing dishes: these ladies laugh and chat as they wash broken glass day after day before it's melted and shaped.
A bubble of molten glass is taken from the furnace. As it expands and drips, the glassblower tamps it onto little branches. The glass shapes itself to the wood before it is blown into a bowl that will sit atop the branch. The wood smokes and occasionally catches on fire. It's clever - and beautiful. It's hot work. Bali temps are in the mid-90s. Add in rows of furnaces blazing at the edges of the open-walled room, and you can imagine.
We admire ceramics ...
rayon sarongs ...
pre-sewn quilt tops and cottons ...
handmade carpets ...
wood and stone carvings on the smallest details, like these rope fasteners for outdoor blinds ...
whether big pattens carved on the walls ...
or examining the wood up close ...
the brick walls carved into traditional scenes ...
The colors are intense on the life-sized murals.
Even the recycling bins are artistic, like this 12' (4 meter) turtle along the path.
Every neighborhood has Hindu-style temples. There are statues in most yards and in front of businesses. Every morning, little squares of rattan are filled with flowers, seeds, and other offerings and placed before the statues. The birds are well-fed, picking up rice and seeds from these trays.
In town, bricks and blocks are stacked along the streets. They're redoing the sidewalks.
There are miles of work, which will be done by hand.
The ladies snuck away for a $20 massage in Ubud. The "sit-at-your-desk" kinks of the last months are gone. What a relief.
The knees I fell on before leaving home were multi-colored most of the week. The massage helps them heal. By the time we fly home on Saturday, they're sore to the touch but getting better.
We're on the flight home to Bandung on Saturday afternoon. Everyone has said goodbye until next time. We pack away memories, renewed relationships, and fresh information, along with a few souvenirs.
It's a joy to walk into the house and unpack. And sleep in our own beds. No matter how comfy the mattress elsewhere (and the Melia has the best), there's no place like home.
Read more:
*Seek the Lord while he may be found, call upon him while he is near. Isaiah 55:6
*Sing joyfully to the Lord, you righteous; it is fitting for the upright to praise him. Praise the Lord with the harp; make music to him on the ten-stringed lyre. Sing to him a new song; play skillfully, and shout for joy. For the word of the Lord is right and true; he is faithful in all he does. The Lord loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of his unfailing love. Psalm 33:1-5
*Put my tears in your bottle. Are they not in your record? Psalm 56:8
*This is what the Lord says: "Let not the wise boast of their wisdom or the strong boast of their strength or the rich boast of their riches, but let the one who boasts boast about this: that they have the understanding to know me, that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight,” declares the Lord. Jeremiah 9:23-24
*And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life? Matthew 6:27
Moravian Prayer: God of hope, living word that makes us free, deliver us from the fear of grief and grave. Let our hearts endeavor, instead, to look trustingly to you and lovingly to our neighbors.
Almighty God, ever-present and all-knowing, we cannot thank you enough for being ALL to us. We thank you for your kindness, bearing our sorrows, and holding us in your heart. For that, we are forever grateful. Amen.
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