And just like that, more than half of the year is over. I haven’t even finished writing about the EU trip I took a long time ago. I’ve taken two more trips since then, and they still remain in my ‘for future blog posts’ list. 🙁

Less than a week ago, my plane landed in Manila from Denpasar, Bali. We were rewarded with a glorious sunrise view as we drove to Ngurah Rai Airport, and the fact that I am never awake early enough to see the sunrise as beautiful as this one made it harder to leave. I still cannot sit still thinking about having to go back to an office job while there as so many things I need to see, experience, and learn from.

Bali is diverse and beautiful, but more than the touristy sights, it’s traveling with a person you have known for seventeen years, the house with the smells of clove cigarettes, sandalwood incense, and herbal mosquito coils, the kindness of the people we met along the way, a little personal achievement in the form of a decent Bakasana in Canggu, my funny lifeguard rescue, the smiles, glimpses of simple yet full lives… sure to be back.

“As beautiful as this island is, the real Bali exists primarily in its people– as well as in the mind of the beholder.”