Poolside and Studio

Tomorrow I’m gone.

Leaving a country is painful, like leaving someone you loved and cherished. And in fact, you never leave just a physical space but you do leave the people that connect you to that land. You are closing the door to all the possible future you might have with them, may they be good, may they make you stronger, may they be destructive. You are saying goodbye to friends, and to all the experiences and moments you lived together, and the one you might have had in the future.

The prospect of leaving a country always make my eyes water, my throat close and my belly ache. I’m not just taking an airplane and discovering a new place, I’m saying goodbye forever to the person I was, at that time and space in my life. This is not only a goodbye to friends but to my self.

Tomorrow I’m gone, and today I’m only half here.

It feels like I’m separated in half. I’m already two person, the one I was yesterday, the one I will be tomorrow. Both brave, both carefree, both sensitive. It is possible to cry of happiness and sadness at the same time and the ticking clock toward my departure create a conflicted feeling of gratefulness, hope and regret.

It’s my last day in Bali and I have to make it count. But the prospect of doing anything else than staying in a warm swimming pool to cure the hangover from the too-many-cocktail from Deus ex machina, Pretty Poison, and Sandbar is not appealing. So we chat, we swim, we float and we laugh. Before everybody get together for dinner, I join Sashi in her recording Studio. It feels special and unique to be there. Tomorrow I’m gone, but I’ll remember, forever of these moments spent in Bali.

Magnetic Canggu

And like that, I arrive in Canggu. I drop my backpack in a small surf hostel. It’s cheap and near the beach but I’m not really sure I’ll stay here for a long time. After sleeping in my own room in Ubud for a couple of days, suddenly the idea of sharing a dorm with seven other people with no space between the mattresses doesn’t seem really appealing.

I grab a delicious meal at California Republic and hop on my scooter to meet Marielle and Salma at Sashi and Puck’s house. There is something delightful to be reunited with friends. I missed this “all women” group, how relaxing it is to be surrounded with feminine vibes. Coming back to Canggu and knowing I’ll stay there until my departure to Lao, is reassuring and exhilarating. It feels comfortable to know people, knowing the way to anywhere, the shortcuts, the local faces and name, going to the same warungs and bars… A little routine will come along for the next couple of days that will include a lot of partying, dancing, scooters rides, good food, getting to know my friends a little deeper, meeting new awesome people, doing a bit of yoga and opening ourselves and sharing our hearts out to each others.

When Nostalgia hits you in the present

I woke up too early for breakfast and too late to go back to sleep so I impulsively grab my camera, a jumper and jump on my scooter. I have enough time to see the rice fields one more time before my bus to Canggu depart and I feel I might regret not riding in Ubud one last time before leaving the town.
It’s my last time in Ubud before who knows when… I feel nostalgia already while driving through the little streets and the green landscapes. This morning is my last sunrise completely by myself. Nobody I know is around and I can freely do as I want. I’ll miss this sensation of freedom but I’m ready to meet my friends-familyfromBali and start another type of Journey with Wes in Lao.

This subtle feeling of nostalgia makes me see things more vibrant, more beautiful, more unique and magical. Any goodbye, any realization of a new Era coming up is making you appreciate the World for what it is really: a Miracle. How strange is it to miss this moment of my life while living it…

The last sunrise in Ubud.
Going to the Tegallalan Rice Terrace one last time, before the tourists awaken, before the heat start heating up the asphalt, was a sort of goodbye for me. A closure to one side of me, of an experience and a type of adventure I lived for the last months in South East Asia.

Gamelan

I sat down at the first row. I was not the kind of student who used to sit right next to the teacher in class but after all, it’s not everyday that I’ll be able to see a traditional Balinese show. And after the few first notes of the Gamelan resonated in the big room, I knew it was probably be the last time!
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The longest day

A look at my bank account is telling me that it’s time to reduce the expenses. Not that I bought an extra bag of souvenirs or that I am filling up my stomach every night while emptying my wallet but comparing to the other countries I travelled so far in South East Asia, Indonesia is not the cheapest in terms of accommodations and traveling from a city to another.
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