One highlight: We stayed at Balila, the home-base for my Wild Wisdom retreat for women in August. Ate delish garden fresh food—some of the best we had on our trip, fell asleep to the ocean’s rhythm and woke up rested.
Another highlight: On Thanksgiving day, we visited with Radhika and her friends at the Narayan Seva children’s home, an orphanage with 80 children. The children meditate and practice yoga daily. They were loving and respectful. I look forward to visiting with them again this summer. And will bring more art supplies for fun, as well as more necessities.
A shocking surprise that turned into a gift: On our final day, the airport closed due to ash from Mount Agung, Bali’s sacred volcano. The news/media made the eruption sound more dramatic than it was. We did have to rebook and four days later we traveled home via Java. Adventure! We were helped by a soulful man named Legut Suyadnya, who felt like a friend. Another highlight! (Legut and I have stayed in touch these last months. In fact, he is helping me promote my upcoming women’s retreat.)
Though the airport closure was not dramatic for Ken and I, I do want to acknowledge that due to the volcano, there were difficult realities for the Balinese who live on the mountain and were evacuated and for those who count on much needed income from tourists.
