Bali Part 2- A Knock Out Blow

Sometimes life throws you tiny little punches barely glancing off you and sometimes it throws you a wave so big that it knocks you on your ass for weeks.

After arriving in Kuta, Bali and finding a terrific place to stay, I went off in search of some local surfers. In part to show me the best breaks, to show me some new skills, and to hopefully surf with for a bit. I always find the locals when I go surfing and that strategy has served me well. Being a female and not nearly as good as any of them, they have often tended to take me under their wing and show me around. I wandered not far from my guest house and found a surf shop. The guys were busy repairing boards in their tiny little shop. I walked up and introduced myself and before I knew it, they had me sit down and we all engage in some lively conversation. Roland, the one that knew the most English, and I hit it off immediately. The next day we went out to Halfway Beach in Kuta, boards in hand and hit it hard. It was an amazing session. That is what surfing is all about. I hit my sweet spot and became one with the wave and my board. I was in heaven. For the next couple of days I surfed some amazing waves with the boys and drank beers with them in the afternoon.

On the last day that I went out, we paddled out to the break. I spotted a monster and knew that it was too big for my skill set, but I have never been one to not take on something too big and so I went for it. The second I stood up my leg twisted. It felt like I had been shot in the calf. Roland helped me out and up and I limped on back home, not grasping what I had really done to myself by taking on that monster. The next day, I woke up in a massive amount of pain and even though I couldn't walk, decided I would go out again. I stubbornly insisted that surfing isn't like walking and I would be just fine. I limped to the shop and Roland gave me a scooter ride to the breaks, board strapped to the side of the scooter. It was to be a costly mistake as I had a horrible session and I hurt myself even more.

It turns out that I have a stage 2 torn calf muscle, made worse by the fact that my stubbornness got in the way and I went out a second time and tried to surf on it. I was absolutely miserable and in the worst pain I have ever been in. After seeing a local doctor, which is a treat in itself; mostly because of language barriers, I decided to stay off it as much as possible. I couldn't find crutches anywhere and I was pretty much stuck at my guest house, which thank goodness had a pool. For someone as active as I am, it was a serious blow. I woke up every morning for the next week and insisted it was better and try to walk on it. After a few days I went back to the doctor because of excruciating pain and discovered that because of my inability to actually listen and stay off my feet, I had torn a ligament in my knee.

It's hard to convey how wonderful the guys from the surf shop were to me. They gave me scoot rides to the doctor, they helped me walk and brought me dinner. Their are 5 of them that live and work at the surf shop. They sleep on mats in the back room and work from 9 am until 11 pm on most days. They are some of the happiest people I have ever met. "We get to watch the sunset everyday, we get to surf, and we get to play our guitars at night with our friends. We dont need much more than that Ms. Lara." It is so very humbling. All over Southeast Asia I have met people like that. And they are happy, more so than I could ever imagine being in the same circumstances.

I left Kuta, Bali yesterday for the interior. Ubud is this amazing little town, filled with artists and writers. It is absolutely beautiful. I had a horrific van ride up here, jammed in the front seat, my leg swelling to monstrous size, but even though I cried the whole way from the pain and didn't stop until I met a fellow traveler for dinner, I am happy I came. I'm going to extend my Visa for another 30 days and get better up here. I entertained brief thoughts of coming home, crying my eyes out. But if I'm going to convalesce I figure I might as well do it in Bali. Today, I am going to see an acupuncturist and a herbal healer. I figure that I might as well give Eastern medicine a try since I'm here.

The local people I have met have been taking care of me and fellow travelers have carried my bags for me and helped me walk. People are so incredibly nice everywhere I go, and there I go again, tears in my eyes thinking about it. For someone resistant to accepting help from anyone, I have learned that sometimes you need it, sometime you can't do everything yourself. I only hope that I can return the favor of universal compassion everyday of my life and never forget the kindness shown to me around the world.

Peace, love and joy!

Lara