Leaving the best for last

Bali is a country within a country. It is a state of spirit. A fairytale. A revelation. A senses’ delight. A prayer. An open air museum. A joyful encounter. A feeling of freedom. A feeling of limitless in a confined space. A contradiction. Bali is not Indonesia. 

After spending a couple of days in the mountains and a few days in Ubud, Bali’s cultural hub, we understood why everyone refers to Indonesia as Bali, despite the multitude of islands that make up this big country. 

People are made of the same silk fabric across all the Indonesian Islands. However, the island of Bali is different. Bali is not religious. Bali is spiritual. Bali is not simple. Bali is rich. Bali is abundant in every aspect of existence. In the diversity of the landscape. In the arhitectural richness. In the abundance of temples. In the daily offering ritual. In the artistic performances of traditional Balinese dance. In the food you eat. In the air you breathe. You feel elevated. Levitating somewhere between the earthy and the etheric. The present and the eternal. The flash and spirit.

Like guardian angels kites are hovering above the terrestrial agglomeration, that unlike elsewhere, it never bothered us here. In fact, the Balinese Kites are part of the sacred Hindu customs. Flying a kite made from colorful paper is meant to thank the Gods that watch over Bali.

You transform into a being that you never knew before. 

We never knew that we would not be compelled to negotiate the taxi price, although we knew that this was what we should be doing. We never knew that we would want to eat local food with the locals by the road side, despite having read about the infamous Bali stomach bug. We never knew that we would want to do what everyone else does in Bali and ride a scooter, despite reading that riding a scooter on the island is a risky endeavour. With this one we had to think twice before giving in the temptation. When we sought our taxi driver opinion about road safety in Bali, he rhetorically asked:- “Did you see any road accidents?” Given our tight sailing schedule, we could not afford spending any time in hospital, but the taxi driver’ answer put our mind at rest. Of course, there wouldn’t be an accident when everyone gives priority with a smile! 

The island of Bali is one of the last fortresses of Buddhist Hinduism in Indonesia. Despite its shores being washed by Islamic waves for centuries from every direction, it holds its integrity with grace. 

Every second we spent in Bali felt like a Godsend. After months of every day sailing and some longer passage too, we reached Bali very tired. Stressed. We were exhausted. On reaching Bali, like you press a button, the clock reset to zero. We charged up as fast as our boat batteries charge when they are plugged into to shore power. We needed this break from the usual daily sailing routine that had been going on since April, more desperately than we knew. 

We returned to Mehalah renewed. She needed a break too. However, this meant that her hull was now full of marine growth. In only 10 days of being stationary! Sorin was going to dive in and clean her button before setting off. We booked in the check out of Indonesia. After avoiding at the last minute a potential disastrous situation that could had been caused by a faulty home battery, whilst Sorin was undergoing the usual pre-departure checks, surprise, surprise, he discovers a small leak coming through a warn seal between the hull and the steering system. 

We didn’t think twice. We cancelled the check out and booked Mehalah for an emergency lift out at Medana Marina. They thankfully accommodated our short notice booking without a problem. It was the quickest and the most expensive lift out/drop in we ever paid for. Nevertheless, we were relieved once the small leak, bound to become big in the tumultuous Indian Ocean, was taken care of. With a new coat of antifouling, Mehalah also felt re-assured. And there we were, ready for the Indian Ocean crossing. 

Taking into account the logistical complications, navigational challenges and the unforeseen circumstances that we had to resolve before taking on to the big ocean, we declare our sailing Indonesia a success.