Island to island

It would be amazing to spend the rest of my life on islands.

Life seems to move a slower pace. It is okay to linger longer over an extra cup of coffee. Meeting people at 9 could mean 8:30 or 9:30, but since I haven't worn a watch in almost three weeks, it matters very little. 10:30 at night can feel like 2:30 in the morning and vice versa.

Right now I'm staying at the Bali Sorgawi, which I was told last night means "heaven-like." It is clean and nice and cheap, and they pick you up from the airport with a sign with your name on it. Makes it a million times easier than dealing with fighting your way through the crowds of touts in a new country. Then you arrive and are tucked down a lane, close to shops and markets and ATMs, but away from the bustle of the street. They give you lots of coffee at breakfast, which is awfully nice.

Last night I was wandering around the courtyard, and a group of people invited me to sit with them and have some fruit. I couldn't bring myself to try the durian (if you read the wiki link, when they say "unique odor" they mean "smells like hot garbage") but I had mangostien, fresh mango, lychee, and got to have some interesting conversations with a strange mix of people.

In a few hours I'm going to make my way to meet up with Virginia and Nina in Ulu Watu. I have already repacked my bags so that all the warm things that I wore most days in CatBa are in one bag and swimsuits and tanktops are in the other. I will add a few sarongs and am good to go. I need to ask at the desk if they can help me get to the bungalows where we will be staying, but last night I was told that I might be able to have one of the people from the hotel drive me over there. I know that both Vietnam and Bali are built on tourism and when they see a foreigner, they see dollar signs, but here it feels less constant, less invasive, a little kinder. One person in Vietnam said that if tourists are cows, Vietnam uses them for the meat, rather than the milk. Quite an apt description. I want to go back to CatBa, but I'm not particularly enamored with all of Vietnam - granted I didn't see a lot, but so much of the time I felt pressured to spend/buy/consume, and here everything seems to be easier.