This morning I received an email from my friend who lives in Singapore. She didn’t write earlier because it took her longer to adapt to being back home than she anticipated. She was gone for one month. It takes time and there is nothing a person can do but give it time, be patient and gentle with yourself and let the transition occur.
Last night, I said my good byes to Nyoman, Wayan and friends staying there. It felt like I was leaving family behind. It’s a natural part of travel, attachments form, people move on, there is an organic rhythm and it will happen if you travel. Knowing that with certainty doesn’t diminish the emptiness inside when parting company with wonderful new friends.
This morning, my friend Putra stopped by to say good bye. I was surprised as he’s working more than 15 hours a day between the store where he works and the Bali Spirit Festival where the store has a booth. He sat with me the final hour I was a Dewa’s talking and he invited me to come stay at his house next time I am in Bali. Saying good bye to him and the Dewa family was the start of my day today.
Lugging a heavy pack is not a fun experience. This trip, I’ve done a minimal amount of lugging. Now, toward the end of my trip, with the extra weight added from shopping, it’s really heavy and awkward. Sometimes, I feel like it’s tossing me around. Yes, I’ll be looking for something with wheels for future travel OR traveling with one tiny pack taking only essentials along. Since my last visit to Singapore was so grueling and miserable in the heat, I have learned. This time, I took the most direct train which meant only about 30 minutes of travel and less than 10 minutes walking. Last time, I traveled nearly 1 hour 15 minutes to reach the same location, got lost twice and walked for half an hour. Much better this way!
How’s this for fast travel transition. My flight landed at 3:40. By 4:10, I was through immigration, had my backpack, passed through customs and was getting on a shuttle to the train into Singapore. By 5:00, I was checking into my room. By 5:30, I was in the local swimming pool exercising and cooling off. Quite a fast transition into Singapore!
Stomach pain: yes, I have stomach pain tonight and it’s the first time on this trip I have had any trouble. I’ll blame it on Shirly! I left Dewa’s after having breakfast at 7:30 and didn’t have but a light snack at the airport. Once I arrived at my hostel, after a full day of travel and then having a swim, I went out into Little India to eat. Shirly recommended a restaurant. I found a way to get there quickly by MRT. Once there, EVERYTHING looked great and I didn’t realize how much I ordered until it arrived. Chicken Tika and Butter Chicken, Samosa, two nan, dipping sauce for the nan bread and I was so stuffed! I walked all the way back for some extra exercise. Fortunately, the stomach seems to be smiling along with me so I’m sure I’ll be fine by morning. Pleasantly stuffed with amazingly good Indian Food my first night in Singapore, a gentle wander through the streets listening to the sounds of music and meditation, smelling spices and fragrance of Indian food in the air, what a nice way to experience Singapore.
Photo pain: notice there are no photo’s of the dinner I had tonight. Since dropping my camera, it’s such a pain to open manually and close it the same way, I forgot to take it along. Add photo’s to the list of travel pains. Not only for the pain of a partially functioning camera but the pain of always having one with me. Some times, having a camera causes me to see the world differently searching for a lens angle rather than simply being with what surrounds me. Yes, that’s what I did, I savored my dinner without even a thought to taking a picture. Of course the photo’s in my mind will always be there.
Ciao….