2/27: Dragons, coral and the sun

sun rise from my deck

Two hour boat ride to Kinca island to see the dragons

Still Flores island from the boat

Komodo dragon - the males get to about 10 feet long.

Two males - they are normally solitary. The male in the background made this huge hissing sound to try to drive the other male away, but to no avail.

We went on a beautiful, but hot two hour trek on Kinca island. Seeing the dragons was one of those things you have to do, since I was in the neighborhood. But was it worth the $55 - I don't think so. We ended up seeing 14 dragons, though 12 of them were within 100 meters of the park entrance. Mostly what the dragons do is nothing.

On the way back to Labuan Bajo, we stopped at this little island to snorkel. We spent 1 1/2 hours snorkeling around the island. Only one word to describe the coral - amazing!

Sunset

Sunset from my deck

Quote from Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert, p. 79:
"I think that perhaps my life has not actually been so chaotic, after all. It is merely this world that is chaotic, bringing changes to us all that nobody could have anticipated. . . . one must always be prepared for riotous and endless waves of transformation."

I leave tomorrow for Kenawa island, an hour boat ride from Labuan Bajo. There are only little huts on the beach, and a restaurant, and supposedly some of the most beautiful snorkeling in Indonesia. I'll be back in a couple of days.

Synchronicity

The synchronicity between what I write and what I read continues to amaze me. The day after I wrote the passage below about "Buddha nature" in each one of us, I read this passage from Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert, p. 128: "The yogis say that human discontentment is simply a case of mistaken identity. . . . We have failed to recognize our deeper, divine character. We don't realize that, somewhere in us all, there does exist a supreme Self who is eternally at peace. That supreme Self is our true identity, universal and divine. . . . a notion nicely expressed in the exasperated line from the Greek stoic philosopher Epictetus: 'You bear God within you, poor wretch, and know it not.'"

2/26 in Labuan Bajo

Sunrise from my deck (Can you believe how lucky I am! I definitely feel blessed.)

One of the magical things about this place is that at sunrise, you can walk on water.

I am back in "Muslim territory" (though the majority of people on the island of Flores are Christian) - I am pretty sure I heard the call to prayer from competing mosque loudspeakers before 5AM this morning, though the chanting was lovely. One aspect Noah would like about the return to Islam is that the goats return home in the evening to wander in the streets (Noah's favorite thing about India - the goats).

The one disadvantage to the place I am staying is that lovely little dock right outside my window is where they dry the morning catch of two million fish. Some might say the smell is nauseating. Having grown up without a sense of smell, I am thankful just to have all five senses now (there are very few smells that would evoke a value judgment from me - maybe that attributes to my love of India).

Morning dialogue:
The young worker at my hotel asked me this morning, "What is your plan today?"
"Yesterday I walked to the left, so today I will walk to the right," I replied.
"Good plan," she answered.

Morning thought:
I am, each day, interacting with my destiny - both creating and accepting. And the play between the two creates the next step on which new possibilities emerge.

I am really enjoying Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert. There was one point early in the book during her marriage crisis where she asks God for help, and God answers in her voice, though a voice she had never heard before. It reminded me of the first time I sought help during a crisis, though it was from Buddha. I remember so clearly be surrounded by love (he even gave me some wise advice). I've sought out the Buddha a few times since then, and never have I been disappointed. I have always been totally accepted and loved exactly as I am. I have no doubt in the truth that the "Buddha nature" is in each one of us, and has always been there. As Adyashanti says, we are all already enlightened, so what is getting in the way?

I booked a day tour tomorrow to trek on Rinca island to see the Komodo Dragons (They live on both Komodo and Rinca island, though, of course, Komodo island is the more famous one), then go snorkeling in the afternoon. I met a couple a few weeks ago who had been to Indonesia seven times, and they thought the snorkeling on the islands off of Labuan Bajo was the best in all of Indonesia.

2/25: Flores at last!

The main road of Labuan Bajo

I am so happy to be out of the traffic jam that has become Bali (to be fair, Bali is still spectacularly beautiful, and I only visited Ubud and Kuta this trip. I am told that if you go to the east coast it is very quiet. And even with all the development in Ubud, it doesn't take long to get to the rice terraces. But I was wrong when I said that Ubud is like an upscale Kuta, for that is the Kuta of my memory. Now, Kuta is like Beverly Hills. Well, at least part of it - with huge shopping malls and hotels.)

But back to Flores - I am so happy to be here. (For those of you who do not know Indonesian geography: Sumatra is the furthest west large island, just west of Malaysia, running north-south. Then Java takes a left turn, running east-west, like the bottom leg of the letter "L. " Continuing on our eastern journey are the islands of Bali, Lombok, Sumbawa, Komodo, and then Flores. And to the east of Flores are Timor and Papua New Guinea.) I flew to Labuan Bajo, the main town of Western Flores. But it is not really a town, it is more like a village. The picture above shows a good segment it. It was been a long time since I have been to a place like this.

The next five pictures show the 180 degree view from the deck, just outside my room, roaming clockwise.

Really, I'm not kidding. I have a room right on the water, and these views are what I see. The room itself is not very nice, but one can't beat the view.

I love this dock (or is it a wharf?)

There was something about the colors and shapes that caught my eye.

The next four pictures are just the faces of the people of Labuan Bajo

It just wouldn't be complete without a picture of laundry (I don't know what it is that is so attractive about laundry to me).

I went for a walk out of town, and passed this village.

About 1.5 miles out of town I found this beach. See all the people. That's right - it was all mine! I went for my first swim. Unfortunately, the beach was full of litter.

A pretty view on the walk back

and another one

Sunset from my deck

I guess you can tell by all the pictures I got a little carried away (photographically ) in my "puppy happiness" at being here

2/24 and still in Bali

7AM: I have been thinking/dreaming about going to the island of Flores for a long time. I first came to Indonesia in 1984 to the island of Bali. Then I returned in the summer of '88 to Sumatra and Java. I took my first Evergreen student group to Java and Bali in 1992. I spent the summer of 1994 on the islands of Sulawesi and Lombok, and then a student group to Sulawesi and Bali in '97. I think it was then that I dreamed of going to Flores on my next trip to Indonesia, never imagining that it would be 13 years before returning. But I am going there today.

8PM: So here I am, still on Bali. My flight was scheduled to depart at 1PM. Being a domestic flight, they told me I didn't have to be at the airport until noon. Luckily, I don't like to cut it close at airports, so I arrived at 11AM. They told me at the counter that the flight was rescheduled, and was leaving right now, so I rushed up to the gate. First they told me 10 minutes. Then they said, "soon." At 12:30 they said that the President was flying so the airport was stopping all flights for an hour, and we would leave at 2PM. An hour later the flight was canceled, or should I say rescheduled for tomorrow. We shall see. So the airlines, in the most disorganized way possible, eventually got our luggage, and then transportation and rooms in Kuta, in maybe the worst hotel I have stayed at (well, maybe not, come to think of it). But I can't complain about the beach, which stretches on forever, nor the sand, that is so soft it seems to melt under your feet when it gets wet, nor the water temperature, that has not one bit of chill in it and is maybe warmer than the air temperature.

And surely I cannot complain about the sunset.

2/24: Leaving Bali for Flores

Offering at the entrance to an alley way

I had a wonderful last morning in Bali. I walked to my favorite spot in Ubud, which I first found 26 years ago. It is not so nice now, with rice terraces turned into homes and guest houses, but it is still beautiful.

I remember wondering about the impact of tourism on the Balinese culture more than 20 years ago. And still, with the growing wealth and westernization, I watch a man sweeping around a shrine, in what I imagine is the family compound, then a woman following him, picking up yesterday's offerings. I watch a woman place an offering in front of her shop, light incense, sprinkle water over it, say a prayer, and move on. In fact, there are offerings in front of every shop, home, bridge and street. I think their culture is holding up quite well.

My observations of Bali:
Gamelan music everywhere
Incredible artisans - wood carving, dance, music, batik, jewelry, ceramics, painting, even the architecture and furniture
Ubud has become so touristy - even more than Goa. It feels like an upscale Kuta
There are a lot of beggars - young women and children - I don't remember this from before
The people are still really warm and friendly
No Israelis - they are not allowed in Indonesia
The Balinese have an incredible aesthetic sense, especially with the integration of plants and structures

2/23: Poppy and late night reflection

My boys, Natan and Noah, with their new cousin Poppy

A couple of weeks ago (or maybe months, who knows) I was thinking that maybe our sixth sense (not the prescient one) is our heart - feeling our connection to the universe. But now I think the heart sense is not a sense at all, but a state of being. It is a faith in the "present," a faith in the five other senses, a faith in the possibility that analytical reasoning might not be all there is and it might not be the best way to feel one with God, for the presence of God might only be felt in the moment, in the immediate intimacy of reality when the identity quiets and just listens, steps back, so to speak, and opens the door, a faith that there is nothing (and everything) to lose.

2/22: Food

This is where "they" eat

This is where I eat. This is my martabak maker. He makes both egg martabak, and chocolate & peanuts martabak. Yum!

I have to walk pretty far to get out of the tourist restaurant area. It is quite a different class of tourist from those I met in India. Here they wear high heels and evening dresses. I didn't really see that in India.

She is like a tempura lady, making mixed vegetables, sweet potato, tofu, tempeh, and banana tempura. Yum!

This guy grills this fish paste on a bamboo sticks - 10 pieces for a dollar. Yum!

My favorite - gado gado (spicy peanut sauce over steamed vegetables and hard boiled eggs). For it to look this nice, you have to eat where "they" eat.

I have had some other interesting meals as well:
bakso - meatballs (I don't know what type of meat) in spicy soup
oleh oleh - deep fried mixed vegetable balls
mie goreng - fired noodles with vegetables
cap cay - mixed vegetables

It is nice to eat vegetables not cooked to death.

Thought for the day:

As I rode my bike today, I was thinking about "equanimity" - practicing being present in whatever environment I am in, not just they really beautiful places. HH Dalai Lama once said that it is easy practicing compassion when you are around the people you love. The Chinese government has been a great teacher for him - to practice compassion towards everyone.

2/22: Petulu and Tegalalang

I remembered another place in Bali that I thought had beautiful rice terraces, so I rented a bicycle and went searching for the spot. After finding it, I have to disagree with the two travel agents yesterday. But first, my morning ride.

Five minutes after leaving the center of town of Ubud heading north, I was in the rice fields.

I ended up riding to the village of Petulu, famous for its white herons. You know when you made it to the town, for the road is white with heron shit as they hang out in the trees above it.

Laundry, once again.

In the afternoon I road out to the town of Tagalalang. Once again I have to apologize for the number of pictures, for it was so difficult to edit. Not to take anything away from Jatiluweh and the vastness of the rice terraces there, but these are my favorite terraces. I remember going here with Christy 26 years ago, and then again with my first Evergreen student group to Indonesia in 1992.

To give you and idea of scale, that is not a minature house. I was able to stand up in it (which isn't saying a whole lot).