The Journey to Indonesia

I have arrived safe and sound in Bali after a 30-hour commute from Toronto. My day started on Sunday February 8 at 4:00am. The air in Toronto was unseasonably warm (for the first time all winter) and the roads were quiet and dark. Pearson Airport, normally a zoo, was also strangely calm. I said good-bye to Michael and wound my way through customs, managed to get my last Tim Hortons coffee for 6 months and was the last person to board the flight for Chicago. The flight was less than half full which made for a pleasant trip. Luckily Air Canada checked my bags all the way through to Bali so I didn’t need to get them for the terminal change in Chicago. The flight to Incheon Airport in Seoul, South Korea was also pleasant. There was a baby of about 1 year in a bassinette across the aisle from me; her bassinette was fastened to the wall and she and I were at eye level for most of the flight. You never want to be that person next to the baby on a 14-hour flight but I can tell you that she never made a sound until landing (the poor thing’s ears must have been killing her, and her mother held little paper cups over her ears to try to alleviate the pressure). She and I bonded through the flight and we smiled at each other for much of the way. I never learned her name unfortunately.

Upon arrival in Bali I was met by two VSO staff, one a volunteer (Nick) and the other a program manager for the Sustainable Livelihoods Program for Indonesia, Russ. In a common “small world” moment, I learn that Russ is from Flamborough, a suburb of Hamilton, the city in which I grew up. Nick is completely deaf and relies on lip-reading in order to communicate. He said to me early that I am easy to read because of my style of speech; apparently it’s very clear to him visually. Russ on the other hand, has a mouth obscured by a beard and moustache that give him an air of folksy maturity, but he is difficult for Nick to read!

The air was hot and humid; it hit me like a wall the moment I stepped outside of the airport. And this was at midnight! It’s still the wet season in Bali and it tends to rain a lot at night, and sometimes during the day. It seems that when it’s time for the skies to open up, they open up with a vengeance, and it creates a torrential downpour that would be rare in Toronto.
In true Canadian tradition, Russ & Nick graciously agreed to go out for a welcome drink so that I could ask some of the questions that had been in my head for months. Unfortunately in Sanur beach, it is locally known as “Snore” as there is little or no night life, unlike Kuta, which is the more popular tourist destination in Bali. Off to bed I went at the Yulia Homestay, where I was greeted by a tiny green gecko on the ceiling of my porch. Those who know me know that this was a perfect way for me to end the first day of my journey to Indonesia.