Love

As much as I'd like to prove Elizabeth Gilbert wrong, if love is a place it is definitely Bali, but then again, anywhere is welcome after Kuala Lumpur. After an hour at immigration and a long line for a taxi, I finally made it to Suri Wathi in Legian, Bali. Instantly happy, I opened a Bintang as I unpacked, redressed and prepared to head out for some dinner. I had heard of a delicious place just down the street, but was motivated by wanderlust and wandered, instead.

I instinctually settled in at a low key spot for some Thai Beef Salad and Chicken Satay, ordered a large Bintang and as I waited my eyes wandered over to the place next door. Mainly comprised of an open kitchen where I could watch the Balinese working, I was transfixed. They had started a fire on the grill, aided by a strong fan that was blowing sparks like fireworks on the 4th of July, I figured that they if just let up on the fan it would give the flames a chance to rage, but what do I know? That's when I realized that the open air kitchen belong to my restaurant and they were firing up the grill for my satay. Love at first sight.

I watched them baste the grill, season the chicken and cook it to perfection. I watched another cook stir fry my beef and watched yet another cook just off in the distance use his wok spoon as an extra arm, both turning on and off the water just beyond his station. Total delight and absolute satisfaction as my food arrived.

One of the many reason I am happy to be in Bali, Legian especially, is for the social aspect. As a singular traveler it can be challenging to meet other people, most people travel in pairs at the very least. So when I left Malaysia I crafted several intentions. The first was to cut out all sweets, a habit that had been growing a little too long. The second was to be more social. Kuta & Legian are party central and even though I'm not a big partier by any means, sociability seemed like a ripe idea and one that should be super easy to fulfill in this location.

We shall see, won't we?