Don't Worry, Be Happy

Today we took a class in bamboo weaving- Sam and I each made a bamboo place mat!  It was very fun, and much more complicated than I had anticipated.  Sam had the brilliant idea to use two photos from our trip, mount them on the place mats and have them framed.  What a great way to utilize them and a fun way to decorate!

 After our weaving class, we met our translator from yesterday, Dharma, who took us on a 3 hour guided hike of the local valley and waterfalls.  He is such a nice man, and speaks amazingly good English so we are able to converse quite well with him.  We walked along the backroads past the villager's homes and got to see the clove trees, the vanilla bean stalks, the coffee, and a variety of other plants growing in their yards.  It was pretty humbling to see how they live, but it doesn't seem that they are unhappy here.  Dharma told us that in Bali they don't worry about money because they wouldn't know what to do with it if they had more than they do.  He explained that the reason there is no ATM (again our hotel lets us charge everything to our room including our transportation to Ubud tomorrow) in Munduk is because there is no bank, and there is no bank because most people only have a small amount of cash which they prefer to keep at home than in the bank.

After our hike, Sam and I wandered over to the Sunset Bar at the far end of our hotel.  Unfortunately the clouds have rolled in so in addition to very chilly evening air, there wasn't much sunset to be seen.  I have been sleeping in my sweatpants and long sleeved shirt but tonight I may even don my sweatshirt!  As the sun was setting behind the clouds it almost looked like the pictures of Japan's hillsides covered in mist.  It was just beautiful.  Aside from Railay's sheer cliffs and blue bay, this may be the next most captivating view we have seen on our trip.

In our herbal medicine demonstration yesterday, Dharma said that in Bali they believe that Western thinking causes stress.  That we should worry less about the future and live more in the moment: Don't worry, be happy.  He said that if a person goes to bed early (9-10pm) and wakes up in the still of the morning, a few hours before they have to go to work, they will be able to enjoy the calm and reflect on their day and find harmony.  As a result, the rest of their day will seem to be less hectic since they had time to collect their thoughts in the morning.

Already today I have resolved not to worry about where we are going to live come June 31st when our lease is up.  The quote on the apartments we liked is slightly more than we had anticipated which means we'll need to reconsider and start hunting again.  Sam and I were chatting at dinner, because that's what you do when there are only 2 of you on the trip, and we both agree we are itching to be productive again.  Not that I am not enjoying my vacation, but at the same time I am starting to feel a little restless and I want to have a purpose.  I am trying to adopt the "Don't worry, Be Happy" way of thinking, but the real challenge will be when we get home to California and this laid back lifestyle that is so natural on vacation is threatened by the realities of the real world.  And darn it, as I glance at the clock here I realize it's only day one and I'm already going to bed later than Dharma directed!