Katrina K. Photography

Yesterday we were extremely lucky and were able to attend a Balinese mass cremation. Even though we are in Nusa Lembongan, and island Southeast of Bali, people here follow Bali customs and religion. Seeing a cremation was on our wish-list, so we were stoked. It being in a place we really like was the proverbial icing on the cake.

Last week we left Flores and Kanawa behind, and made our way to Tulamben, in Eastern Bali.  Toulamben is home of a volcano that was last active in 1965, USAT Liberty wreck just offshore, and black sand/rock beaches. 

We are back in Bali, and spending time hanging out with the two friends we made in Flores, Alberto, an Argintinian who lives in Bali, and Cynthia, who is from Olympia, Washington. Both are great fun, nod interesting people. We plan on keeping in touch with them.  I suspect that Cynthia may actually know our other friends in Olympa, Chrisanne and Webb,  as they seem to have a lot in common. 

The view from our lounge chairs at the Komodo Resort (which is not on the namesake island) We left Kanawa Island Resort on a cold, rainy day. The Flores Sea was choppy and white-capped, which wasn't the best of news for us since we were taking a boat to Komodo Resort, on the nearby Sebayur Island. Lucky for us, on a good day  our boat ride was only 15 minutes by speed boat, as opposed to the hour needed to get back to Flores.

After my moonlit dip, I slept like a rock, as I often do when there's an ocean nearby. Unless there's also a fog horn. Or a mosque.  I woke up to use the bathroom and realized that dawn was just breaking. It was a gorgeous morning, so I decided to climb the Kanawa Island hill to watch the sunrise. It was beautiful.

The beach view from our accomocations for the night, a bale-bale* I write this sitting on a secluded beach, under a full moon and a cloudless sky, listening to the lapping waves of the Flores sea. The sound of the waves is commingled with nearby crickets and the dull hum of a distant generator.  The air is warm -- perfect, in fact. A light breeze keeps the bugs at bay, and I am perfectly content in my tank top and shorts.

The port of Luanbajo This evening something remarkable happened. Tadashi and I went to the night market for dinner. No, that's not the remarkable part--you'll have to wait for that.  In Luanbajo, the night market is a bunch of food stalls set up along the waterfront promenade. We found a stall that looked good, sat down, and ordered dinner ( mie goreng  and goreng,  fried noodles and   fried chicken). The stall didn't serve beer, so I went to go buy some. Although it's totally legit to BYOB, finding the B turned out to be a little more difficult the it sounds. 

We've been in Luanbajo, Flores for three days. Most people come here to scuba dive or see Komodo dragons.  Us? we came here to get in a little beach time and do a little snorkeling on some (supposedly) awesome reefs, but mainly, we came here to try and see the quiet side of Indonesia. We had hoped that Ubud, Bali would give us that, but we were disappointed.

Buying fruit local style, including the squat and the bargaining I have been a foodie my entire life.  Even when I was a little girl, when my mother would ask me how my day was, or how camp was, I would give a rundown of the food I ate--including critiques of dry carrots, I am told. The same is true today. Indeed, I remember the exact moment that I discovered how salt can add flavor to a dish: It was at summer camp when I was about twelve years old; I don't recall exactly what I was eating, but I remember it was extremely bland so I thought, "Let's see what salt does to it." It was a game-changer.

I love Hoi An, and I'm sad to be leaving, but I'm also excited to be going to Labuanbajo and Komodo. Every time we visit Hoi An, we have a wonderful time, and this visit was no exception. Of couse, seeing My graduate from university was fantastic, and hanging out with her family was a lot of fun. We especially enjoy chillin' with My's father, Can. Add the beautiful, (relatively) cool evenings in the old town, and our stays in Hoi An are always relaxing.

I  write this siting on a quiet beach on the South China Sea, south of the (in)famous China Beach, sipping Biere Larue, chilling  with Tadashi and our new friend, Pengodactyl. Our new friend's  favorite color is blue, and his favorite foods are trash and humans; trashy humans are the best of them all.