Listen to those lovely birds singing…  I snuggle into the pillows a little deeper…  It’s so peaceful lying here…  Wait a minute.  There aren’t birds chirping outside my hotel room window here in Beijing.  I sit up in bed, feeling confused.  Where am I?  Oh yes…  How could I forget?  I’m in Bali, about to […]

“You’re sure that this is going to be alright?”  I ask my Balinese guide, Mr. Lucky.  “They won’t mind being photographed while they work?”  “It will be fine,” he says calmly.  “Just be mindful of your step and follow me.”  I can’t believe  I’m doing this…  we’re doing this…  hiking into a rice field…  with […]

I’m so excited that I can hardly stand it…  I feel my excitement growing as I enter the classroom.  “Good morning, Miss Lisa,” a group of young voices say to me.  “Good morning,” I reply.  I see beautiful, dark-eyed children looking at me with big, infectious smiles.  Their warm greeting lets me know they are […]

I shine my flashlight on my watch and see that it’s 4:10 a.m.  Seriously…  I can’t believe I’m doing this at this hour… “We are ready to begin,” our guide says.  “Let’s go.”  With our flashlights leading the way, the four of us walk through the darkness toward Batur Volcano.  I’m excited, although I’m usually afraid […]

I see a saturation of color everywhere I look.  There is an extreme richness to the green hues that blanket this island.  The sky seems bluer here.  The clouds seem whiter.  The soil looks richer.  It’s all around me and can’t be ignored.  Even the fabrics in the marketplaces are woven in rich, colorful patterns.  […]

I watch as five people, dressed in all white, get into a canoe and are paddled to the center of Lake Bratan.  My guide, Mr. Lucky, tells me that this is a family, and today is an important day for them.  They are spreading the ashes of a loved one onto the water.  “This is […]

Today is my last excursion with Mr. Lucky, and I know I’m going to miss his kindness and sense of adventure.  I look at his smiling face as he enthusiastically tells me about where we’re going.  “This area, Mas Village, is known for woodcarvers,” he says.  “They’ve been a community for many years, and they […]

I don’t want to leave this gorgeous place…  I look out to the waves coming ashore, directly in front of the cabana I’m lying in.  It is so nice to be here, and I’m feeling that feeling I get at the end of a great vacation when I don’t want it to end.  I stare […]

14. 9:15 – 9:30: PART II

Posted on December 26, 2015

I can’t believe it…  It’s happening…  I unlock the door to my villa and step in.  I want to jump up and down with excitement, but I know I don’t have time to waste.  I need to focus.  What should I do first?  I need to pack, eat dinner and get ready to go to […]