Tulamben

Well, we survived the road trip, and found very clean beds to lay our heads. I do not know what I was so worried about....after all Ketut told me I will live to be 100, maybe longer. Sitting in the back seat with a pillow to cover my eyes was the ticket. I only screamed out loud twice. Having navigated through rumored drug cartel waters during the middle of the night in Mexico, and also enduring 30 knot plus head winds, which made it seem like our hulls would split apart at any moment, was a piece of cake vs driving in a car here.

Our destination turned out to be a pleasant surprise. Having no expectations is certainly helpful while adventure traveling. Tulamben is a small beach village on the East side of Bali. It is known for its diving and snorkeling right off its black sand beaches. It is quiet and peaceful on this side of the island, and the smell, sound, and sight of the ocean warmed my soul. It took us a little over 4 hours to get here. We got lost only twice.....which is amazing, since the roads twist and turn and you just have to guess which way to go since there are no signs. Or at least none that really make any sense to an american. We found a Dive/spa resort and checked in for two nights. Patrick and Jack logged another 5 dives, including their very first night dive. The night dive was Jacks favorite. He saw his very first white tip reef shark, which followed them for awhile, in addition to several spotted manta rays, and black and white moray eels. The big guys come out at night it seems. Talk about a brave kid......there is no visibility at night, other then the flash light you get to light up a path. While my boys spent their time diving, I sat by the swimming pool reading and spent time snorkeling the beautiful reef which was just a few steps away from our ocean front resort. This was the best snorkeling I have ever ever done, and beats Mexico by miles and miles. So does the diving according to Patrick and Jack. The visibility was awesome, and there were so many different kids of tropical fish and brightly colored coral and brilliant star fish. Our under water camera is still on Santosha, so sorry...no photos.

I am still debating if I should get certified to dive.....I did love the experience in Mexico, so one day perhaps. For now, I am completely content having time to myself, and floating above the surface watching the life below me swim around. I also took advantage of my alone time and checked into theonsite spa for a full body lulur salt scrub down, seaweed body wrap, and an hour long indonesian massage, followed by a hugh bath filled with lavender and fresh flowers floating at the top. Bliss is a word that comes to mind. ( total cost for this 2.5 hour spa pampering.......$40 ) And to think my Damn fear dragon almost stopped me from getting in a car to drive here. Living a fearless life started this whole year adventure, and I vow right here and now to put that Damn fear dragon right back where he belongs.....in a closet, shoved under a bed, tied to a dock, what ever....no more fear I say. When we plow through fear, It really is a powerful thing, and makes one realize, it is all just silly Maya. (Illusion) Although I did still sit in the back seat with my pillow on the ready for impact on the drive back......just in case.

On our drive back to Sayan, we stopped at the temple, Pura Goa Lawah. This, so far, was our favorite temple. It is home to over 10,000 bats. Thats right....bats. There was a ceremony taking place, and we were invited in. This temple is very important for post-cremation rites. On the beach, across the street, the soul is called in from the sea and a container is symbolically filled with seawater and brought to the cave. Everyone made us feel very welcomed, and did not mind being photographed at all.

The photos posted show many of the beautiful sights on our drive East to Tulamben. It was definitely worth the risk.