Bali homes

All the places I stayed in Bali were impressive, but not in the way that other hotels I've encountered are. Instead of nice furniture, pretty pictures on the walls and plush living rooms, the beauty is in the structure itself. Carved stone, wood, thatched roofs and individually prepared and delivered breakfasts. All these things take a lot of time and care. It seems that while there aren't a lot of fancy/ expensive materials, the country is rich with time. You get the same feeling hanging around the home. There are almost always adults sitting with their children, many store owners chat out front, and three times throughout the day individual offerings are prepared and delivered all over the property, by the property owner, regardless of their class or caste.

I bumped into a couple girls from holland at one hotel, one of whom has Indonesian roots, and she told me Indonesia is time-less, which she said would be one of the hardest parts of adjusting to living there. People open and close shops without firm hours, time estimates of how long it would take to travel somewhere, or what time someone would show up are vague guesses at best. I can't confirm or deny this, as I spent only a little time there, but there was definitely a sense that there wasn't some deadline everyone was racing towards, like I feel in the US: time until lunch, time until you need to be back in the office, time until the train, until someone is meeting you somewhere or until some shop closes. Sometimes just trying to get home quicker than the day before or measuring your run or meditation. While I'm not sure I could make it in Bali, or other such time-less places, as a working stiff, the vibe was welcome for vacation and I hope will stay with me in some way or another.