I am sitting in a blue restaurant, Lotus Bay View, overlooking Senggigi Beach on the Indonesian island of Lombok. The water is a bright teal as it hits the sand, and a darker blue farther out in the ocean where some fishermen are bobbing around waiting for some life at the end of their lines.
Sitting at a small table as close to the sea as I can, I kick back and order a local Bintang beer with some seafood samosas. The buzz of my beachside beer kicks in, and suddenly all of life’s meaning starts washing over me in waves, not unlike those just a few feet away.
This is what IT is all about.
Beer, by the beach, in the shade, with a breeze, and a view.
It’s amazing that moment where the combination of the sun, a warm breeze, and a bit of cold beer come together to create that “special feeling.” I feel like I’ve finally got it all figured out. Life. Living. Happiness. What is with all those people saying this is so hard?
It’s all bout supply and demand! (don’t forget, I’m buzzed and think I know the meaning of life)... Right now on this remote Indonesian island, where I wander with nothing more than a sarong in my pack and some Rupia in my pockets, all I need is a bit of shade and something cold to sip. My entertainment? A few giggly beachside masseuses who fight over an old man’s hairy feet. I laugh and watch the hilarity play out on the sand.
I’m savoring my sweaty glass of Bintang and letting the wind dry out my salty hair, while closing my eyes and trying to cement this moment in my memory for future stress-filled times.
After an afternoon watching the life of Senggigi pass by, I leave with a belly full of garlicky seafood satay. I’m off again strolling the streets of Senggigi and haggling with vendors for flowery sundresses and flowy beach pants.
I have to head back to the pier soon, where my “home,” awaits. Back on my bus to Lembar pier, with a bottle of Bintang for the road, I can’t help contemplating how beautifully different this country is, and how grateful I am to have seen it.
I feel it’s a good moment for a contemplative selfie as I wonder why it is I feel like I always need so much more, once I go back to having so much more…
