Hi Gram,
What a day! I woke up bright and early this morning, excited because today was the big island switch! After my usual morning routine, I tackled the largest nemesis of travel: packing. I’m planning to greatly reduce my packing volume next time I’m home in America. For now, my suitcase is basically a game of 3D Tetris—squishy things, firm things, long, thin, round, or just plain weird-shaped items—all crammed into a rectangular box. Someday, I’ll master the art of minimalist packing, but for now, I’m just proud the zipper closed!

With my bags ready and a bit of extra time, I decided to check flights from Japan to Thailand. Fun fact: you need a departure flight booked to convince airport security you’re not planning to just set up camp in their country and never leave. I’ve just been so busy having fun, there was no time for chores. I didn’t have much time this morning, though, so I noted a few flights then repacked the computer, triple-checked the room for stray belongings, and headed out to meet my friends at the Plataran.

A group of us had a clever plan: leave our bulky suitcases at a luggage locker facility so we could island-hop freely. With the ferry already booked, we squeezed into the first car leaving Ubud to avoid missing it. The drive was typical—traffic galore—but our driver expertly dropped us off right in front of the locker spot, conveniently across the street from our meeting point. Their check-in process was slow and inefficient, and left me a little nervous about the safety of my gear, but they handed me a claim ticket which we all know is the universal protector of luggage and a guarantee that you’ll get it back.

After my friends checked their bags, and with my claim ticket safely tucked away where I couldn’t lose it (and hopefully would remember so I could reclaim it when necessary), we crossed the street, ordered snacks, and waited for the rest of our group. Soon, we piled into golf carts bound for the port. After enduring a stuffy, crowded hall like cattle, our ferry was finally called (moo).

The boat ride was a scorcher, making good use of our fans, but a few of us discovered a breezy little bench on the roof—a lifesaver! The boat pulled up to a dock (not always a guarantee, which is why we left our bulky suitcases behind), where we all disembarked and were corralled to our waiting taxi truck/bus things. These are common in Southeast Asia, just pickup trucks with seats in the back. It took two or three of them to carry all of our group, and we were the second half of our larger group, the first half arriving a few hours earlier. After dropping off a few others from our truckload, the rest of us were deposited at the Cliff Park Cabanas, a resort where I’d stayed last year and just loved.

My cabana was tucked away in a private corner overlooking the cliffs, where waves crashed dramatically below. After cranking up the AC and unpacking a bit, I joined my friends to catch up. You see, as soon as I knew I was coming back to Bali, I contacted the owner and asked to reserve all of the cabanas. One of my friends had already reserved one of them, and there were a few people staying in one of the others, but the rest of them were mine for the taking! I found others who were coming to the retreat and planned on staying afterwards to visit Nusa Lembongan, and quickly filled all of the cabins, so we had the whole place almost entirely to ourselves. The Wi-Fi in some cabanas was down, but the owner assured us his technician would be there… tomorrow. That’s island life for you!

We sat around chatting for a little while, then a group of us walked over to a nearby restaurant to meet up with most of the group. Dinner was lively—great food, great conversation, and some problem-solving for those with questionable AC in their rooms. Afterward, a smaller group of us set out to rent scooters for the next day. We found a shop, and soon, scooters were delivered right to us. My friend Andrea wasn’t comfortable driving one, so I offered to give her a ride while everyone else got fitted for helmets and learned a little about their scooters.

The journey to her hotel was an adventure: paved roads gave way to gravel and rocks, and my headlight was doing its best but mostly failing. Andrea was a rockstar passenger—leaning with the turns and staying calm the whole way. Once she was safely dropped off, I headed back to regroup with the others.

By the time I returned, everyone had gotten a scooter tutorial from the shop owner, so we geared up and headed back to our cabanas. Parking my trusty “piglet,” I let the sound of the crashing waves guide me to my cabana, where I enjoyed a much-needed shower and some very well-earned sleep.