This post is about the second half of the day I climbed the volcano. As the day started at 2 am I figured it deserved 2 entries. Anyways, I got back to my homestay at about 10:15 and relaxed on my porch for a bit, looking at my pictures, and checking my e-mail. Around eleven my friend and coworker, Diane, called to tell me that she and her friend were currently being driven through Bali by my old driver, Made. Bali is filled with tourists and their drivers and it is quite the coincidence that we shared one. We had a good laugh about it and I asked her for some information about a spa that she had recommended in Ubud called Putri Bali Spa. We said goodbye and I quickly called and made a reservation for an 80 minute massage at one o'clock that afternoon.
When I arrived at the spa I had pretty high expectations as Diane had raved that it was the best massage she had gotten in Indonesia. That is quite the statement as we get massages in Palembang once, if not twice a week. At $9 an hour, who wouldn't? Anyways, every expectation I had for this spa was met and surpassed. Upon my arrival I was instructed to take off my sandals and sit down so that my feet could be washed while I enjoyed a glass of mineral water.
The next 80 minutes were the most relaxed I have ever been in my entire life.
Friends and family, if you are ever near, in, or adjacent to Bali, you MUST go to Putri Bali Spa and get the Traditional Balinese Massage.
Near the end of my massage I thought I recognized the laugh of someone outside my room, but I chalked it up to my inner child laughing exuberantly enough for me to hear. When my massage was over, I paid my bill, and thanked the girls in Indonesian, which then cued the usual questions of where I was from, where I was living, and I was doing. As I told the girls that I was from America, teaching English in Palembang, all of their eyes lit up and they excitedly announced that another girl who was also teaching English in Palembang had just arrived and started a massage. I couldn't believe it. There is currently only one other girl from America teaching English in Palembang. The world really is tiny. I decided to wait for Diane to finish her massage and say a quick hello. While I waited, I got a cream bath for my sea salt soaked hair and dreamed up a million different ways to make my surprise entrance, ranging from popping out from behind a door to spinning around in leather chair while evilly stroking a cat. I finally settled on just sitting in a chair and patiently waiting in the lobby. When she came out she was equally as surprised to see me as I had been surprised to hear about her. We chatted for a bit about our trips then left the spa, and fortunately for me, she was kind enough to have Made drop me off at my homestay before they continued on their journey south to Kuta. What a lovely coincidence.
Thanks Made and Diane!
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