Moving On~ Thailand/Bali

We flew to Singapore after two wonderful weeks of floating in the 83* sea, wandering barefoot in the wet sand to eat in restaurants with bamboo tables set in the sand, candlelit and moon light providing the ambiance, good music emanating from the cafe.  Fresh seafood, rice noodles, hot sauce made from scratch, and always the coldest Singha beer with a few drops of lime.  Floating in the gentle surf for hours then returning to our chaise, mesmerized watching the billowy white clouds passing overhead.  Meditating on the beauty of life.   Perfecting the Art of Doing Nothing.  Time to leave.  Friends kissing farewell, laughter at silly selfie photos, last glasses of wine and final dinners drawn out as long as possible.  You know it was good when you don't want it to end.  But Bali was next, so we kissed many friends goodby, made reservations for two years in advance, took the taxi to Koh Samui Airport, checked the bags, waited around, spent our last thousand Baht on two pairs of flip flops, and flew to Singapore.  Beautiful airport.  The best in the world.  Shopping extravaganza, food stalls to make your mouth water.  We ordered the famous Hainanese Chicken Rice.  The rice is the star of the show as it is cooked slowly in the rich stock made from the chicken.  Very pure and simple, and delicious.  Simple chopped spicy pickled tidbits, greens with crispy fried shallots, some chicken, and several hot sauces, one hotter than the next.  Beats most airport food anywhere else I have eaten.  Then the two hour flight to Bali, arriving as the sun was settling and the sky was washed in reds and purples and oranges.  Beautiful welcome from our favorite island.  Our driver was waiting and it turned out to be "Badboy" the same driver we had our last trip.  I recognized him and called out his name, and he was obviously happy that I remembered him.  I always love the first drive up to Ubud.  The winding narrow streets lined with shops selling hundreds of statues, wood carvings, paintings, and basketry.  We were back!  The next morning we went for a walk through the rice fields along the secret little pathways hidden from view, used by the locals and the travelers in the know.  It felt so good to be here, I had tears in my eyes.  People often ask me why I return to the same places over and over.  How do you explain that emotion that you feel when you are back in the place where you have experienced the most exquisite array of happiness and joy, the familiarity not a negative, but a positive.  All I know is that I love this sweet breathtakingly beautiful section of Bali, and every time I come I am filled with gratitude.