Bali Was Phenomenal

After a glorious 5 days, 4 nights farewell vacation to Bali, being back home is utterly dissapointing. Bali was so simple. You are taken care of by the tourguides. You get morning calls, you get food around the clock, you get supplied with basic medicines and all your needs in Bali is catered kindly.

I kinda miss the Balinese smell, the flowery smell you have going on around everywhere. Or the salty and warm smell you get whenever you're near a beach. Bali was so colorful it fells dull when you go home.

I got sunburnt. Became darker. Got skinnier. Fell down on a severe fever. Got a hangover. Was stung by a jellyfish(es?) when diving. Bruished my knee. Caught a wave.

But still, Bali was awesome.

It's the place where you can stay under the sun for a long time without feeling guilty, and got burnt eventhough you applied a spf 50 sunblock on your skin. It's where you can easily get out from the hotel at dawn with a girlfriend and a guy (who happens to be the tourleader) to call a cab and went down for a couple of drinks. It's where everyone is smiling at you and you can smile back freely. It's where its OK for you to be who you are, regardless.

It's where you pretended not to be able to speak Indonesian when a stranger, shameless old fat prick asked you for a dance. It's where beautiful she-male whores asked where youre from. It's where its fine for you to be tipsy after a shot of tequila and a glass of cocktail. It's where you go to Mbargo with your friends, and flee to Bounty next door for a quick look.

It's where you can laugh at and with each other unburdened, because hell, highschool is over.

And now you're back home again. You finally realized the date after 5 days without time and date contraints. It's November 12th, 2007. Everything seems so final. In 4 days time we'll be having our graduation and prom night at once. That is, our final night together.

Right after farewell, the time when you finally talked and laughed with and get to know some of the people that you spent highschool with but never actually talked. Ironic isnt it, to be able to know how great someone is at the end.

Above all, Bali was an experience that provided an extensive soul searching. To acknowledge your wrongs and to make amends eventhough it is too late.

To stand by yourself in the water, eyes closed, ears focused on the sound of the waves, nose breathing in, out, slowly inhaling and exhaling the warm salty smell around you. And let the waves touch your thighs mildly, and even roughly at times. Then you open your eyes, and you see the equator, so glorious, untouched, unknown and free. At times like this, you are fortunate enough to get a glimpse of your future: unwritten.

To sit on a bench with a friend and talked. Talked without hiding anything. Talked without fearing of being judged. Talked and listened, cried on their shoulder with relief and grief of finally getting it out of your system. To realize that you are not alone, regardless.

We made a promise. Someday, I dont know when, 3, 5, or even 10 years later, when we are older and hopefully wiser, that we will get together once more in the island of the Gods sitting and reminiscing of these days to come.