August 7, 2025
Today, I gave myself a day off from creating a “meaningful” blog post. Today is a transition day for me—from Sidemen back to Candidasa. From being on my own, creating my own vacation, day by day, moment by moment, to preparing to be a group leader.
I didn’t know what I wanted to do today, but I hired Gede Darya to drive me around again on his scooter this morning, getting me back in time for my afternoon ride back to Candidasa. I loved riding behind him, leaning into the curves, leaning into him, without an agenda, without looking for a story.
You see, when I know I’m going to create a blog post, I approach my day looking for a story, not just receiving what comes along. I’m on the hunt for a story arc. I’m consciously choosing photographic images to illustrate my story. I’m asking questions and taking notes. I’m crafting the evening’s post as I go along, regularly scrawling in my little portable notebook and pulling out my i-phone camera to take just the right shot. I’m having experiences while planning to write about those experiences simultaneously. It’s what travel writing teacher Dan White calls, “turning on your storytelling brain.”
And I love doing it. Travel blogging is one of my favorite things to do. But it’s not the same as just being present with what is. It’s a form of multi-tasking. A pleasant form of multi-tasking, but multi-tasking nonetheless.
I turned off my storytelling brain today and instead just reveled in the sensory pleasure of the day and the unexpected things that came along, Like this group of elementary school girls marching down the street, practicing their chanting and their moves for Balinese Independence Day, August 17.
August 17, 1945 is when the Balinese were finally freed of colonial oppression and occupation by the Netherlands and the Japanese. (Check out these girls and turn up your sound.)
And later, I was captivated by this, a lone kite in a whole month of kite flying competitions in Bali.
While I meandered through my open-ended, unplanned day, the big looming question in the back of my mind was whether my friend Joanie would get her passport and board her flight to Bali tonight. She’s already had to push back her flight once, and in the last 48 hours, her messages grew increasingly dire. Like this one:
My God, what a day.
I canceled my Eva air reservation for 1 AM tonight, August 6.
I rescheduled for 1 AM tomorrow night, August 7. The change fees were nominal.
If I need to push it back one more night to 1AM
August 8, the change fee will be $2350. No kidding.
I spoke to the courier service first thing this morning, who crazily claimed to be “within their timeframe.“ And who then stated they could not follow up or help me in any way shape or form. It’s on me. When the passport is completed at the state department, it is mailed directly to me from the state department. The courier service has nothing to do with the return to me; it only submits the application and walks away.
I then had three separate calls with the state department. The first person was wonderful, the second person had a different story that completely contradicted the first person, and the third person got me an appointment in San Francisco tomorrow morning at 9 AM.
Today, my passport renewal application (that the state department admits receiving and has a locator number for) disappeared all day. First, it was somewhere in process, but no one knew where. It had been received, but no one could find it.
Then, a tracking number suddenly appeared midafternoon. My passport renewal was approved and printed, and it was released to the US post office for mailing to me here in San Jose! Of course, I immediately think it will arrive tomorrow as an overnight package.
But the post office didn’t send it out today. Right around closing time they sent me a notice that I would receive the passport on Friday, August 8.
By then I had given up and made the San Francisco appointment for tomorrow.
So the one day turnaround that was promised, turned into 12 days.
Yes, I will fight these charges. This is ridiculous.
And I’m very tired.
The next day, I got this one:
God, thank you for keeping in touch.
I am in San Francisco now at the federal building. I brought every element of the passport package as instructed on the phone yesterday by the state department.
Turns out they were wrong. And I have the wrong documents and I need a new photo that they said I didn’t need and I have new forms to fill out.
I’m sweating it now. Not sure yet if I have to pay new fees. Yesterday, they said I did not have to.
But if I have to, they only accept check (I have none) or money order (I have no local bank) so we will see how that flies.
They even wanted a second form of ID from me this morning because my drivers license is out of state. I had completely emptied my purse to not have any extra documents at all. Fortunately, they accepted my Medicare card.
Poor Joanie. This gift from me was turning into a stressful burden. But God, was she determined!
Joanie and I are currently 16 time zones apart, so direct communication is never easy.
I kept refreshing my Whatsapp every time I had a signal to see if there was another update from Joanie.
And finally just minutes ago, this came through my feed:
A miracle. The needle has been threaded. She is on her way.
And I ended up with the best of both worlds. A week on my own as a solo traveler. And an obviously stalwart companion for the rest of the trip.
Now it’s time for me to put on my teacher’s hat and to start thinking about the group of writers that is going to arrive for my retreat just a few days from now. But first…just a few more minutes hours at the pool.
P.S. I began this blog by writing about my fears of traveling alone. But after a week on my own, this is what I’ve grown to love about solo travel:
- I get to do what I want to do when I want to do it
- I can open or close the windows whenever I want to
- I don’t have to negotiate about the temperature of the air conditioning
- I can keep the blinds closed when I want to keep them closed and open when I want them open
- I don’t have to be quiet in the middle of the night when I wake up for an hour before going back to sleep
- I don’t have to eat meals on someone else’s stomach schedule
- If I want to stay and watch a cremation for six hours, no one is going to tell me they’ve “had enough” and really just want a mojito.
- If I’m on an outing an it starts raining, I get to choose to keep going, rather than having to turn around because my friend doesn’t want to get wet
- I get to follow my own thread.
- I get to discover what that thread is.
I think I may just make this a habit.
As Joseph Campbell says, “The cave you fear to enter holds the treasure you seek.”