A monkey to my side is better than one on my back!
Just about the cutest thing that you have ever seen!
Welcome to the jungle!
Witessing the wonders of a wood-worker
A temple in the Forest of the Monkeys
Day 109: Monday, November 16th
After studies this morning, Dan surprised us with a real treat – snorkeling. I love snorkeling; I absolutely love it! We all went down to the beach to get our gear. A boat raced us away to our underwater paradise. The water was absolutely amazing! It was the perfect temperature, just a little cool occasioned by currents of warm and cold. I love the not knowing when the little bursts of heat and coolness will take you by surprise, almost as if the water were teasing you playfully.
As soon as I looked under the surface, I was in a watery heaven. The fish were everywhere: too numerous to count and too numerous to name. Try as I might, I could not determine my favorite. I loved the shape of this one, but the color of that one. It was a virtual underwater rainbow. There were purples, blues, reds, yellows, oranges, and tropical fruit sprays. The ocean floor was no less mystifying. All kinds of sponges, anemones, and urchins grew out of every nook and cranny. Once I recovered from my initial excitement, I simply allowed myself to float and let the waves carry me where they willed. And that was the best part of all. This was not my world; it was an entirely different planet all together. This realm of Neptune hypnotized me completely. I lost complete consciousness of my body and became one with the rising and falling of the waters. They pulled me and pushed me, so that I followed the migrating patterns of the fish themselves. Each new current introduced to me a new kind of fish, some of which came quite close to me, observing me, wondering who I was or what I was – this stranger in their strange land. Yet all of them were quite polite, and any fears that I might encounter a shark or an eel drifted away like so much seaweed.
After snorkeling, Tori wanted to get her hair braided by a lady who ran an oceanfront hut. In the absence of her parents, I gave her permission, but then she quickly disappeared. I started walking the beach in hopes of finding her when I finally discovered the little hut. It was further away than I had guessed, and you can only imagine my relief when I espied her sitting in the little hut with two women ardently working their craft on her smiling head! I took the occasion to look around and peruse the shop’s offerings. There were several adorable cotton dresses there, and I found myself really wanting one of them. My mouth about dropped to the floor when the lady revealed the price: $8.00 USD! That’s it! No way! I didn’t even try to bargain with her. She offered me to try it on. But where? Right there, there on the spot, in a hut with no walls! I took a quick look around and the beach was momentarily deserted. Oh! Why not? Off went my clothes and on went the dress and … SOLD! It was a paltry price for such a lovely summer frock, and it was mine – without a moment’s hesitation.
Later in the evening, Dannie decided to treat me to a massage at the $6.00 Salon (that’s what I decided to name it). This place is off the charts! There are fake flowers in the most unnatural hues everywhere. A clock made of shells ticked out the time. The scuffed walls were painted a science lab green, and all the photos hung on the walls from the fashions and hairstyles of a good twenty-five-years ago. It was entirely laughable, but then they took us to the massage rooms, which are really quite beyond description! Two beds in each room – my room having a bathtub in it that was stained and rusted! Oh well, what do you expect for $6.00? I plopped myself down on the bed and awaited my traditional Balinese massage. And although the surroundings were a bit scary, the skilled hands of my masseuse assuaged all worries and doubts of cleanliness away. The woman had magic hands – hand of magic, I tell you – capable of performing all kinds of wonderland tricks! After my glorious sixty minutes, I could barely stand; I could barely keep my eyes open, so relaxed was every fiber of my being! I decided then and there that the $6.00 Salon was to become my second home here.
The sleep that night was dreamy and deep.
I want to go to the $6 shop!!!