When I had dinner the very first night I arrived in Bingin beach, I had a long talk with the lady who was preparing the fish her husband was fishing each day to nurrished the tourist like me. I learned more about Hinduism religion and the life here. Balinese in general are masters of enjoying the present and be satisfied with what life offers to them. The culture of the sea, the influence of the moon and the respect of the ancient is omnipresent. 

Every day, Balinese people pick up flowers and fruits and create these little offerings that they put in front of their property with encens. Bali, I’ve realized later, smells nice. It’s not only the perfume of the thousand of offerings in the street, it is the food cooking in every warungs, it is the flowers of frangipani the ladies put in their pocket, it is the coconut oil and the wax of the boards on the beach, it is also the round smell of the warm basalt of the dark rocks of the temples and the wet muddy flavour of the rice fields all around. This is the perfume of peace and happiness. 

I met Lisa while staying at Kelly’s Warung. For two days she decided to be my substitution mum, because why a lady like me would like to stay completely on her own!? Each day, she was going down the hill with her little basket and her millions of colored strings to sell bracelet on the beach.

I think she has been impressed by my “Selamat Pagi, apa kabar? Tida, Sudah Ada, Terimah Kasi” (Hi how are you? No thanks, I have one already) and decided that yes, I was speaking Bahasa.

I liked watching her talking in Balinese with her friends while weaving and she liked to hug me. I might have remember her of her daughter who was living the great life in Kuta.

The last night, she explained that it was the full moon that day and she planned to go and swim in the sea after work to clean herself of bad energies. She was doing that each month like all Balinese who had the chance to live next to the sea. I haven’t got the chance to go with her in the waves but I saw many Balinese wearing these absolutely beautiful traditional white outfit offering little boats of flowers to the sea that day.
Time to move on, direction Canggu. After a heart stroke due to the climbing of the cliff with my two backpacks (why do I have such short legs!), Wesley drove us to the scooter renting place (yes he found it) and we took a private cab direction Canggu.  

Oh Canggu… You and me, it was love at first sight. Your rice paddies, the bad roads in between, the ocean, your surfers on scooter, your yogis and smiley locals, your street art, your free spirit and your coffee shops… 

It was like finding a place that I could call home.