Just what we needed
Lombok, Indonesia
Holiday Resort Lombok is a healing elixir. I feel more relaxed than I have certainly since we left on September 8th, but likely for weeks or even months before that. Everything here is simple and comfortable: sleeping, dressing, eating, and resting. Wake up in a dark room in a huge bed with crisp white sheets, slip on flip-flips and walk for less than a minute to a breakfast spread complete with new and familiar foods, both sweet and savory. The boys already know the deal about the breakfast buffets: first plate is protein. They do scrambled eggs or sausage or yogurt, and I discovered a glorious Indonesian breakfast (or maybe dessert?) called bubur kacang ijo - a sweet, warm mung bean dish steeped in coconut milk with big chunks of ginger (my love language). HEAVEN.
My patience level, ability to set boundaries (still, so much touching), ability to make decisions, and ability to offer compassion are all highest they’ve been in weeks. What a relief. And, we’re here for another week. GLORIOUS.
Given the war in Israel, we are reshaping our itinerary. Can’t imagine we’ll be tourists there in six months, and we may need to scrap our Egypt plans as well. “Peace in the middle east” is truly a fitting metaphor for the impossible.
One fun thing: On Halloween this year, we touched foot in 3 different countries - China (Hong Kong, Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur), and Indonesia (Jakarta). We woke up in Hong Kong, had a breakfast of apples and Japanese soft raising bread with butter, stopped over in Malaysia on Air Asia, a budget airline which charges for EVERYthing. Not even a sip of water for free! When we landed in Kuala Lumpur we were so hungry. I was dying for a McDonald’s and when the kids saw a sign for an A&W we went for it.
Ari and I ended up doing McDs while Josh and Leo got burgers and root beer at A&W. (A&W, oddly, is in the U.S. and “select SE Asian countries,” according to Wikipedia. Who knew?). Then, since it was Halloween, we each got an Oreo McFlurry. We were satiated and ready to fly to Jakarta.
God, Peru was so hard. This feels so different, so much more at ease. Not easy, at ease. I’m getting the sensation of drifting, of just being on earth. It’s exactly what I was so hoping for.
