Clamoring workers on fishing trawlers fill the small harbor at Lembar Port. The metallic sound of industry and boat horns fills the air as the ferry docks. The ferry’s large steel doors fall with a thud as the motorbikes and cars incessantly rev their engines incrementally louder and louder until the whistle is blown to signal their exit from the ship. Roaring into the small town, just a few kilometers south of the island’s capital,…
As the ferry docks in the small port town of Gilimanuk, crowds of motorbikes rev their engines and flood out into the main highway. As you and the other bikes pour out into the road, hot engine exhaust at your heels and kretek (clove cigarette) smoke in your face, your last glimpse of Java is the magnificent view of Mt. Raung; its smoking caldera looming like a shadow over the narrow Bali Strait behind you.…
Plumeria flowers bloom throughout the year in my Southern California neighborhood. The flowering tree native to Central America produces colorful five-peddled flowers that resemble stars with a scent that’s more delectable than a rose. For many people images of tropical beaches and lush mountain retreats arise in the subconscious mind when encountering their magical aroma. I, however, am transported back to a place where the trees, locally known as jepun, are used ceremoniously in every…