Emotions
I wrote at the end of the first article that my heart would probably be filled with a thousand of emotions once I’d be seated on the plane. The last days prior to my departure were quite intense with all the last logistic aspects to look at. I was also busy getting all the love that I wanted from my dearest friends and family. I was living in the present moment not thinking about my future.
The present moment followed me all the way to here. Flying for thirty hours to get to Bali is a long time. Thirty hours to become fully aware of this huge life change, is not that long. On the plane I realized that you were right. It takes a lot of audacity and courage to leave everything for the unknown. When the plane took off my adrenaline dropped and new emotions emerged.
A strange feeling of sorrow took me by surprise. Not fear, not regret, just a huge emptiness despite the feeling of peace that cocooned me when I arrived. I understood that it was best to accept those mixed emotions and simply be.
First impressions
My intuition was right (it always is), Ubud is a great place to land to develop my blog and think about my future.
People are polite, respectful and always smiling. I think they look serene which automatically put me in a state of calm and trust. How many times I asked them to help me out with their bills full of zeros (1.5 million rupiah is about 150$ CAD). You quickly understand why they are always inclined to help (without asking for money) when you get to know more about their culture.
Bali is ruled by the doctrine of individual karma, a key concept in some of the Eastern religions including Hinduism and Buddhism. Good intent and good action contribute to good karma and future happiness, while bad intent and bad actions contribute to bad karma and future suffering.
In Bali, they practice their own unique form of Hinduism which is related to the cosmic order. Their cults are defined by their ancestors and by the forces of the nature. Balinese believe they are surrounded by gods and demons and their role as human is to maintain a perfect harmony between the forces of good and evil through many rituals.
Very quickly, one is overwhelmed by the mystical side of Ubud. You can smell it with the incense burning everywhere. You can see it with the beautiful frangipani flowers placed carefully outside each house, shops and restaurants as offerings to the evil spirits. You can contemplate it when looking at the temples, statues and other Ganesha. And you can hear it when performances of traditional dance take place at one of the temples. Their beliefs greatly interest me and I will be pleased to elaborate on this in future articles.
The day starts early at around 5h am. In the morning, I wake up slowly to the sound of birds and the gentle sound of the broom on the cement. Another day has begun.
The heat comes quickly in the morning and disappears as soon as the sun goes down at around 6:30 pm. Yes, that’s early! In the evening, it gets dark and quiet. I feel that as soon as darkness falls, locals go back home except the taxi drivers. They are always sitting patiently on the sidewalk offering their service. When tourists respond “no, thank you”, they reply with hope: “maybe tomorrow?”. Tourists are the only person walking in town to the great despair of the taxi drivers. Everyone travels by motorbike, including children.
Despite the hectic pace of the city center with an impressive number of motorbikes that go in all directions, not to mention that they drive on the left side, people remain relaxed.
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It is easy to unwind in the luxuriant nature through large rice fields.
The appeasing sound of the water, either from a river, a canal or a fountain filled with flowers, is also omnipresent.
No wonder that Ubud attracts more and more Westerners in search of serenity. The town became a kingdom for yoga, esoteric massages (or any sort of massages), vegetarian, vegan or raw restaurants. The offer is quite amazing!
Through this exponential boom that continues to transform the city, locals still succeed in maintaining their authenticity despite the 30,000 tourists arriving on the island of Bali EVERYDAY! I do not know how many choose to come to Ubud, but there are many – too many – say locals. The high season is now over. I hardly imagine how it looks like during the high season. Rice fields disappear for luxurious villas and resorts. Tourism is great for the economy, but it can also be a source of disturbance. And in Bali it causes an imbalance between the good and bad spirits. I will tell you more about this in a next article.
Reflections
Before writing this article, I read the touching words that my colleagues, family and friends wrote in a notebook that I received from my former colleagues. I enjoyed reading your words again. One of them written by one of my mentors caught my attention. He wrote:
“I have always told you that the most difficult is the first step. But what I’ve never told you is that the easiest is to never coming back. “
It is too early to say if I have found my nest here in Ubud but I can certainly tell you how much I relate to this environment. I am at peace, serene and happy. I feel like I have been living here for months already!
In a few days, I will move to Penestanan, a small village near Ubud where I rented an apartment until early November. The house is facing a paddy field where I will have the perfect setting to write my next stories.
Speaking of stories, let me finish with this one. Two days ago, I came back home and oh, what a surprise, a little frog was quietly waiting for me on a pile of clothes placed on a bench. I have no clue on how it managed to jump there. Nature is everywhere, but still! Some friends told me that it’s a symbol of resurrection and metamorphosis. The frog represents the culmination of a long process of development and evolution. Next time I will make sure to kiss it to meet my prince charming:)
Happiness and serenity,
Nathalie
