When I woke up I felt a cool breeze-finally, I thought after days of never-ending humidity and heat. Good day for a beach!- my husband suggests. We quickly pack our snorkelling stuff and jump on the motorbike. After about an hour ride we get to- what is commonly thought here, one of the most beautiful beaches in Bali-Padangbai ‘Bloo Lagoon Beach’. It’s a small, quiet place with a small restaurant overlooking the sea. Several tourists peacefully rest in a shade. Upon entering the beach we are surrounded by locals trying to sell us their goods-it is tiring to be treated like a sack of money just because we’re white…One of the women is following us asking about our names and disappointedly (?) commenting the fact that Amelia is our only child (very common comment here). Although I am not interested in buying anything the woman spreads beautiful sarongs (our beach pareo). I don’t intend to be rude but ignorance is the only way to be left alone after kind words are disregarded…Anyway, the weather changed and now it is sunny and hot. I realize that I forgot to pack sunscreen-damn it! We’ll cry at night…We jump into the sea and immediately we are taken to a different world. Thousands of the most amazing, beautiful fish and sea creatures seem not to care about our presence. Amelia is ecstatic. She tries to touch the fish but never manages. Snorkelling is so natural to her and she has only has just begun…We get out of the water and play with the waves. After a while I realize that my mask is gone. We dive to look for it and after several minutes Amelia proudly finds it on the bottom. We then go to get a shower and there I realize that my trousers are missing. Luckily, I have my pareo but riding a motorbike in it, isn’t appealing to me. I know I put them on the rocks so we check the beach but with no luck. We order food in the only restaurant-I’m still thinking about my favourite trousers-maybe the woman that wanted to sell me sarong took it so that I would buy a pareo from her-my mind wonders. But then, Balinese don’t steal in general…My husband somehow finds this situation funny! We’re enjoying our food when suddenly Amelia exclaims: mom, I see your trousers floating in the sea! She’s right-my husband confirms while I still can’t see them! My husband is then getting them out of the water while the other tourists take it for additional attraction. I’m relieved but it still means I’d have to ride the motorbike in pareo...It’s getting dark when we get home. Before I enter the house I meet my Austrian neighbour by the pool. He has a background in psychology and now is a spiritual writer. I get an hour of psychotherapy on the spot- just when I needed. I finally get home but when I look in a mirror my mood changes again-my back and legs are burned. Amelia rubs in a healing cream onto my back-what a wonderful child I’ve got! I make a delicious pineapple and banana fritter for supper that we all enjoy for the end of the day.
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