The final chapter!

Wow! Where to start! Our stay in Bali has come and gone like the wind on your back! So unbelievable! I last told you about our stay in Sanur and partial stay in Kuta, which I will add were both amazing.  Friday we took a fast boat out to the Gili Islands, we stayed on Trawanagan.  Unfortunately, for most of our stay it rained.  And there isn't too much you can do on an island, population 800.  In general most people go to the Gili's to dive, snorkel or lay out in the sun.  So I am sure you can feel some of our devastation.  The last day of our stay, Tuesday, it was sunny and hot, so we were thankful for that.  On the flip side, we did a home stay while we were there and our room had a TV and millions of DVDs.  So most of our time was spent doing that!  Tuesday night I awoke at approximately 10:45pm, so literally directly after I had fallen asleep, to Nicole telling me there is a fire outside.  I have never gotten out of bed so quickly in my life.  Sure enough, through the curtains I saw orange flames and heard the owner of our room yelling, "Fire, help" over and over again.  Tons of people were yelling and I heard some kids crying.  I have never felt panic so deep.  As fast as I could I grabbed my backpack and threw in my money belt, my purse, and my water bottle.  My mind was blank and my nerves were shot.  I finally had the sense to quickly open the door in case we ended up getting trapped and once that happened, we saw that the fire was in the neighbouring yard.  So we sat on our stairs until it was put out.  It very well could have leaped across, considering everything is made out of straw, but thankfully it did not.  I have never felt so afraid in my life.  I actually thought we were in serious danger, not to mention the roof is made completely of tin, so when the water hit it, it sounded as if a bomb was going off.  That was my first thought when Nicole had woken me up.  Regardless, we sauntered back into the room, we pulled ourselves together and went back to sleep.  Or should I say layed there.  I was literally buzzing or shaking all night.  I just couldn't believe that happened.  The next morning it felt like a bad dream.  I guess the fire had started because a few men who lived there had lit a candle after dark and then decided to go fishing and didn't blow it out.  So sure enough the candle melted and caught on fire when there was no wax left.  I don't know who decides to go fishing around 9pm at night.. but that's what happened.  We were happy we left Wednesday.  So we had two final days in Kuta before leaving Saturday to fly back to Bangkok, where we currently are.

It's so mind blowing that we're at the end leg of our journey.  Incredible how fast time really does fly.  Tuesday evening we will be heading to the airport around 9pm.  And that's it.  Wednesday evening I will fly back into Canada, Vancouver to be precise.  Nicole flies into Rome where she'll meet her parents and travel a bit more.  I never thought I would say this, but I am so excited to return home.  Living among other cultures is hard.  It requires so much patience. You don't really ever know how good you have it until your placed among some of the poorest people and observe how they live.  I talked to one man on the Gili's who was trying to sell me a bracelet and he told me he had never been anywhere except his small village near Lombak and then the Gili Islands, where he goes to make money for tourists. His wife stays home with his son and she makes the jewelry, he sells it.  We got talking about schooling and education and he only gets free education until he is in grade 3.  Then he has to pay until he is 13 when school ends.  Then you have to continue paying.. He made it til he was 13.  He can read and write well, but nothing enough to give him a decent job, which is why he sells jewelry.  You never know how good you have it until you put yourself in someone elses shoes.  I've learnt a lot this trip.  About other cultures, but mainly about myself. I have been so challenged and stretched, I feel like a completely new a different person.  My outlook and perspective of life is renewed, fresh, and so different than ever before.  I am thankful the Lord led me down this path, for still some unknown reasons that I have yet to figure out.  This trip is going to mould my future in great ways.  Whether I figure it out today, tomorrow, or in 10 years, it's all according to His plan for my life, and I couldn't be more grateful.  "The world is a book, and those who never travel only read a page."  That's all she wrote!!