by Alexandra Dorian

Created on: August 12, 2008   Last Updated: November 24, 2008

The ocean is a different creature here in Bali.

The gentle, rhythmic hum that the Atlantic sings back home has no use for itself here. Instead, the ocean is a beast; an undomesticated force, berating the shore every instant it can.

From far off, a crest swells, building with it a surfer's dream or a sand castle's lament. It grows into an unassuming arc, climbing and climbing, pulling and pulling more from the shore, rearing its crest to show the looming beach it should tremble, submit respect to its impending shock and awe.

A blue curl forms for an instant, like a perfect ribbon raveling itself in the sea. And you are left breathless by this display, reminded of the fact that nature is faultless and far more majestic than you could ever be. It lasts but a moment. With tremendous authority the wave breaks, sending a barrage of water and thunder to the beach. It hits the coast as if to remind it, "You are not my master! My will is but my own!"

Often times the crests roll so furiously and relentlessly, that the foam of one has barely ebbed before another wave stampedes over it. They are in competition, each wave. Which can roar the loudest, splash the mightiest and cause the sand to tremble? I can see perfectly now how after epochs of this harassment the shore finally cowers and relents an inch of her rock. It is a mighty monster, this Balinese sea, commanding your wonder with each passing swell.

* * *

My stay in Bali this past May made quite an impression on me. Nature, culture and daily life are so vastly different from what we experience in the west, and it has compelled me to reflect and write on my adventures. There was just something about being in that environment that made me want to document it all. I didn't have to open a computer and nudge myself to write on a topic I was actually compelled to grab paper and pen and scribble away! For the first leg of my trip, I was awakened each morning by the sea. Literally. It was that loud, and my hotel room was on the second floor about one hundred yards from the beach (maybe I'm also a light sleeper). It was no joke to try to brave those waves and I have to give the surfers a lot of credit for even attempting to get in the water. This was in Canggu, about 8 miles north of the major city Kuta. Finally, after being roused from my sleep one too many times, I decided to not be annoyed, but to stare out and examine and appreciate. The ocean is nothing like this in the Northeast or in Southern California where I have lived. So once I stopped to listen, I realized what an incredible thing I had before me. I have tried to capture my Bali experience in written snapshots, rather than one summary or a travel guide; my encounters with the ocean being a fantastic place to start.

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