October 2026 Newsletter Part 2 : Bali
Sapphire Blue waters rolled into view as we banked onto the base leg of the approach. Sun reflecting off the wing in a blinding light. Bali, Indonesia and a group of friends I hadn’t seen in quite some time was waiting down below in the scooter and narrow road chaos of the beautiful island. Immigration, bags, whiskey at duty free, taxi, first roundabout stuck !! Thirty minutes later and I made it to our beautiful Villa and my friends in one piece after eleven hours in motion.
They were sitting around in the shade having drinks, some were swimming and laughter rang out sporadically as one joke and playful comment after the other was shot across the bow of an unsuspecting “victim”. Hugs, greetings, smiles, whiskey, welcome. My people. It felt good to be alive. The days that followed were filled with adventure, well needed downtime, crazy parties and deep conversations. Getting to know each other again in a way. The changes we’ve all had to navigate over last few years could easily make strangers out of the people you love but it felt like we were all trying to meet each other halfway, regardless how challenging that might have been. In some cases I guess mercy would be a more apt description. I bought a cheap guitar and wrote and played whenever I felt like it. The days flashed past in lazy abandon and too soon we all had to go our separate ways again. Transients, Scatterlings of Africa.
The last three days I spent on my own staying in a mix of crummy motels and well appointed hotels. I walked the streets of Seminyak and Kuta. Sat on the beach and watched the sunrise and sunset wondering what the future of these places we call paradise will be. What will become of the people that call this place home? What’ll happen when that dreaded earthquake and tsunami eventually arrives? How are we going to play a positive role in the survival of these beautiful places? I don’t have the answers. It seems that apart from a small minority the rest of us resemble an all-consuming virus or wildfire devastating our beautiful planet.
With that heavy thought in my mind I walked up the street and stopped at Cowboy Bali where I was greeted with cold beer and friendly people. There was a local band playing covers and I sat in for a few of my originals. People seemed to like the songs and it was a good test playing South African cowboy songs to a diverse audience on an island in the Java sea. Whiskey was flowing, so were beers and strangers became friends. On my way out a local girl said hi and later told me that she thought we might have met a few days too late. I told her she was right, smiled and slipped out into street and its humid, neon lights. I gave my guitar to a lonesome looking tattoo artist playing his own beat up guitar with no bottom E string, on my way to my motel. Poverty is alive and well and an act of random kindness is often all we can do to momentarily stop the onslaught.
Now I’m having an 8am airport beer and I’ll be boarding my flight for the desert soon. Back to work, back to more adventure and counting the days until I set foot on African soil again.
JB
