Ubud-Lovina: At the bottom of a Waterfall

I left Sri Sunari Inn with a mournful heart...such jung had developed over the last week for the place, for Ubud, and for Nyoman and his nephews Agus and Wayan.

I loved my time in Ubud and never wanted to leave. The rice paddies, the delicious food, the staff at Sri Sunari that made me feel like family. Nyoman told me when I left, "I will miss you." The day before my last, I went with Agus and Wayan to their tourism vocational high school's English club and helped teach them and their classmates English. The students were so delightful I seriously thought about living in Bali and being an English teacher.

I fell in love with Agus and Wayan--they were adorable and I watched youtube videos with them in between trying to make reservations for the next leg of my trip. When we watched a Chris Brown music video of "With You" and oohed and ahed at Chris Brown's dancing moves sliding over sidewalks Agus stood up, shook his head, and said, "I don't think he can do this in Indonesia."

I said, "Why not?"

He said, "Because...in Indonesia, too many holes in the ground."

I laughed really hard. It's true. Way too many holes in the ground to be able to dance like Chris Brown.


Things I loved about Ubud:
The inn--the view, the breakfast, the room, the breeze. It was far from central Ubud but riding a bicycle and learning how to navigate Balinese traffic helped me feel like a local. I'll be writing a glowing review in tripadvisor.com when I get the chance. If I ever go back to Ubud, I will stay there.
The food--Ubud is known for having the best restaurants in Bali. I loved the baked goods at Casa Luna, the ginger fizz and Putu's chicken special at Wild Ginger Warung (Nyoman's wife's restaurant), and the Balispirit Kafe with lounge areas and a groovy atmosphere for reading and journaling.
The climate--never too cold, never too hot. Gray clouds with the occasional bright sun breaking through and lush green paddies everywhere.

I felt like I could live in Ubud for months and be very very happy.

The next couple of days, I will be in Lovina in North Bali. Lonely Planet describes Lovina as "The place to do nothing and love it." When I read that, I knew I had to come. Lovina is laid back and has a wonderful balmy spirit to it. Nothing too touristy or frenetic here.

From the south, it is a three hour drive to Lovina through mountains, rice terraces, volcanos, and lakes. On the way, we stopped at GitGit waterfall. I sat near the bottom of the waterfall and watched the water fall down and hit the rocks below. Green trees and foliage surrounded the sides and a calm stream flowed down the mountain. I sat there taking it all in and the realization that came up in my heart was this: My life feels balanced.

I let that sit for a while and then remembered why that was important. One year ago, I had sat in a therapist's office and she had asked me why I was there. I said, "I want my life to be balanced." She didn't understand and didn't seem to know how to help so I never went back. But I remember feeling so desperately that I needed balance--balance in my warring emotions, my angst, my fears, my doubts, pain, and sorrow. I felt stuck and vulnerable and knew that something was very much off kilter.

Just as a waterfall is both the crushing force of water on rocks below and the stream just a couple feet later gently flowing onward, I feel as if I've come to a place where all of that can happen at the same time in my life. I can accept the strong rush and force of certain situations and emotions and also see that a gentle stream is always present and never gone. All flows into one and comes from one. (I have to laugh at this point now--I can tell I sound very zen)

I am grateful for this time to experience and receive from God. My heart has been stirring a lot through these travels and so much has been coming to my awareness about vocation and calling and how I want to live my life. I'm excited to share with my friends in the days to come.