Our new friends, Pia and Thomas, live just steps away from the beach. They too have had tremendous global experiences and adventures.

“Sightings on the Beach in Bali”

Sunset from the veranda.

First, yesterday’s water situation has been solved. The villa was cleaned, dried with furnishings and decoration items in their usual places. The only remaining challenge is repairs to the TV  and sound system having been soaked from the water flow pouring down to the lower level of the broken pipe in the hot water heater located on the roof.

Then, last night when we were settling in for the night, turning on the AC in our bedroom, water started pouring out of the air con in front of the bathroom door. We swiftly turned it off and called Gede. 

Within minutes, he arrived on his motorcycle, suggesting we slept in the bedroom on the second main floor in the comfort of air conditioning. Having been awake since 4:00 am, that seemed like a logical solution since we were pooped and anxious for a good night’s sleep. Having been awake since 4:00 in the morning, it seemed a logical solution since we were pooped and anxious for a good night’s sleep. 

That recycler stopped at our villa.    Notice the motorcycles carrying the trailer.

Gede thought the unit had jammed with ice during the awful high humidity when we’d stayed indoors for a few hours earlier in the day while the work was being completed. The high humidity of all the water in the villa from the broken pipe could easily have contributed to the unit working overtime.

Gede asked us to leave it on all day to determine if the problem is resolved. Poor Gede.    He woke up early and came back early in the evening. Hopefully, tonight we’ll be able to sleep in, the more familiar master bedroom.

Yesterday the workers were here most of the day. By 4:00 pm, the water heater was fully repaired and once again we had running water. We couldn’t wait to get into the shower.

We’ve seen these flowers in most tropical climates.

Our new friends Pia and Thomas, originally from Germany, arrived promptly at 2 pm as planned. They’re currently residing in Thailand, with two houses in Bali, one down the beach from us and the other located in a planned community on the way to Lovina which soon we’ll pass on our upcoming road trip on Monday. 

We were so excited to spend time with Pia and Thomas. It had been since July, on the Mekong River cruise, where we socialized with other travelers, all possessing the commonality of interests in seeing amazing parts of the world. 

We didn’t have any cocktail fixings or wine to offer, instead pouring them each a frosty glass of iced tea, refilled often on the hot humid day. We all lounged under the shade of the cabana enjoying the cooling ocean breezes, engaged in delightful chatter, sharing mutual stories of world travel and the wide variety of adventures we’d all experienced over the years.

Shrine in the neighborhood.

Spending time with Pia and Thomas reminded us of how much we enjoy socializing. In a little over a month, we’ll be back on a ship for 33 nights, which most likely will entail non-stop socialization and making new friends.

In our old lives, we both reveled in our active social lives, both individually and as a couple.  We’ve been able to stay in touch with many of our friends through Facebook and email. To many, its almost a daily interaction in one form or another.

Having always been a part of a social group of “girls” I’ve certainly missed the face to face aspect of these special relationships; the long lunches; the shopping trips and the often lengthy phone conversations when we shared a personal joy or tribulation, analyzing every possible resolution. 

A boy and a buffalo.

Now, when faced with a challenge, I can easily “chat” via email to a friend, but it’s never the same as sitting across a table in a restaurant sipping an iced tea while dining on cooked-rare, sliced on the diagonal, yellow fin tuna atop a bed of fresh greens, drizzled with a lemon vinaigrette. Of course, I miss the conversation, the ambiance and the food.

Tom is now my “girlfriend” along with being my husband, lover and travel companion. He’s actually a good close second when over these past four years, we’ve grown so much, it’s easy to share any topic with one another, including topics I’d previously reserved for “girl time.”

We do see a large number of birds in Bali, although we hear them singing all day.  This white bird was sitting atop a satellite dish.

And he behaves similarly with me discussing “guy stuff” including railroad stories, gross “guys only” kinds of jokes and stories he’d have shared with his friends on a fishing trip, with a beer in hand at the bar, or at work. We’ve certainly made use of the reality that we each truly need to be each other’s best friend.

We often hear those in relationships refer to their significant other as their best friend.  And yet, when they have an issue with one another, they may discuss solutions with their “other” friends. 

For us, being together 24/7 with no opportunity to socialize in person with our old friends, we only have one another with whom to discuss any worries, concerns or issues, especially those related to one another. 

Mosque along the highway.  There are more Muslims in Indonesia than any other country in the world, with only approximately 5% of the island of Bali, a fact we only recently discovered:  “Indonesia has a larger Muslim, population than any other country in the world, with approximately 202.9 million identifying themselves as Muslim (87.2% of Indonesia’s total population in 2011).”

Subsequently, we “talk it out” with each other. The end result? We problem solve handling all issues quickly face to face. Perhaps, in the long run this has contributed to our getting along as well as we do.

Sure, on occasion, Mr. Overall Grumpy rears his ugly head, and I, Miss Overly Bubbly, maintain a stance of low stress, peace and harmony.  Last night, “water, water, everywhere,” he appeared for only a moment to magically disappear after a few choice words were spewed, by no means directed at me. I don’t take it personally. Only minutes later, we were laughing and teasing in our usual playful manner.

Colorful dome of the above mosque.

Friendship, whether short term or long, people we’ve met on the beach or on a cruise ship, or in daily interactions with one another, all add an element to life that provides a richness and depth to which nothing else can compare. 

May your day bring new friends into your life!

Photo from one year ago today, September 23, 2015:

In Fiji, our dish towels had been hanging outside for days unable to dry with the constant rain. We couldn’t throw them in the dirty laundry (done weekly by staff) when they’d be covered in ants by morning. When necessary, I placed them into a bag in the freezer until laundry day in order to avoid the ants.  For more details, please click here.