I’m experiencing a bit of holiday remorse. Four weeks in Bali was almost too much of a good thing. In fact we changed our tickets and returned 5 days early to Jakarta (DOH!). That plan bit me in the ass for reasons I won’t go into at the moment.
I’m coming to the conclusion that perhaps 1-2 weeks of an amazing holiday would be more worthwhile than four weeks of moderation. This is not an invitation to receive criticisms for sounding like a yuppie, spoiled, expat-living-like-a-king (yeah right), etc, etc. I’m just saying that maybe it’s better to go for quality over quantity. One week of bliss in Thailand over four weeks in Ubud may have been the preferable route this time. Maybe this is stemming from the fact that I’ve spend three of the past 13 months in Bali. Or, maybe this is just a slight amount of home-sickness creeping in. After all, I have only returned ‘home’ to the States once in my 4+ years in Indonesia. I’m wondering if it would have been more wise to leave the country at least, as now my colleagues are returning with fresh faces, raring to go for yet another year and I’m only partially recharged.
Overall, Ubud was wonderful but the quiet nights got a bit too quiet. I love it there, but after three weeks anyone needs a change. Fortunately, we had the chance to hit the beaches of Sanur, Seminyak, Dreamland, and Balangan (my fav). I put a solid 1000km on the Jeep but most of them were burned up driving back and forth from Ubud to the Bvlgari Resort, unlike the other trips to Bali exploring every inch of the island.
What’s the flipside? I am looking forward to getting back into the gym (I’ve lost so much muscle that my shirts are actually fitting well), spending time with friends, and continuing on my photographic endeavors this year with a couple of tentative projects that have yet to take shape.
The day I arrived back in Jakarta the security guards at my place of work informed me that my Honda’s tire had been flat the entire time I was gone, my maid told me that the drain in my shower was stuck and they’d have to rip apart the tile to repair it, and I had to pay extra corruption fees to receive a package that my brother sent from Singapore – after he already pre-paid all the shipping charges.
When I said that returning home early bit me in the ass? Actually it’s an amoeba. I’m on horse pill antibiotics that warp your world. Ever have one of those take residence in your intestines? Betcha it’ll make you write a post like this one. I’m beginning to believe in black magic.
It’s good to be home.
P.S. – I’m dedicating this entire post to this discussion.