The journey is from a far end, possibly amidst thoughts like: Should I have? What awaits me? After this, what next? But I have to do it; this is what I love to do. Why the anxiety? Oh, get thee behind me, these thoughts!
Then I got to my destination, and it all became a different feeling. I breathed in and out. My hotel was in the middle of nature. I could hear the birds sing, the quiet stillness of the spring, and the silent waves of the tree branches. I breathed in and out again. Maybe I should extend my stay here for two weeks. Bali is a very beautiful city.
In the pool of my thoughts, I heard a knock on the door. It was the waiter. “Madam, the buffet is ready. We tried to reach you many times, but we couldn’t get through to you.”
I was in a deep sleep. I managed to raise my body and disconnect the phone lines. Not surprising, I slept late while engrossed in the nature surrounding me.
The buffet was made up of different intercontinental dishes. “Variety is the spice of life,” but variety to me is boredom, indecision, and confusion. I walked around the buffet stand and could only pick a few pieces of meat and some broccoli. My tour guide would be here in 20 minutes. I chewed the meat aggressively, devouring and savoring its taste.
My tour guide, a tall, dark Latina man, picked me up exactly 20 minutes later. I was going to visit the Gates of Heaven at Lempuyang Temple. As we arrived, we were asked if we had brought a sarong and were requested to rent one at the entrance if not.
“These shoes don’t look like they can climb the 1,700 steps,” the tour guide said.
“1,700 steps? You could have told me to wear comfortable shoes before we left the hotel.”
“Not too late. You can rent good shoes over there,” he replied.
The Heaven’s Gate is said to be guarded by Saint Peter. There were also twelve angels at the gate, each bearing the name of one of the twelve tribes of Israel. There were three gates on the east, three on the north, three on the south, and three on the west.
As I climbed toward Heaven’s Gate, I loved the serenity and tranquillity. Alas, this is how humans should live. We are more at peace when we connect with nature. I met an old lady on the way up; she was praying while climbing. Probably she thinks this is the real heaven, I thought to myself.
The experience was rejuvenating and overall awesome. My tour guide, who seemed very warm and welcoming, helped me take a few pictures as we proceeded toward the car.
In the car, I opened my laptop to attend to a few emails from work. The tour guide turned back, glared into my eyes, and asked, “Are tourists mad?”
I was dumbfounded, perplexed, and angered. I managed to ask, “What do you mean by that?”
He replied, “You spared a few days out of the entire year to travel to Bali and rest. Why are you not doing that?”
“This won’t take more than five minutes,” I said.
“No. Five minutes is enough to change the world. Take all the rest you need now and connect with nature. The world is too busy to joke with your few minutes of rest. Stay well-rested in Bali, and stay rehydrated.”
I walked toward my hotel room, and the question kept ringing in my mind: Are tourists mad? I laid on my bed, wore my eye patch, and slept with no thoughts.