will i am's delayed diary

The sixth day of our trip coincided with Kuningan, a major religious celebration in Bali. Everywhere we went, the locals were dressed in either yellow or white. Started the day with mass at Denpasar Cathedral , a fairly new structure with a bare brick facade and white statues. Above the altar was a rotunda with a mural of the Pentecost. While in town, we were dropped off at a shopping mall to do some shopping, and grab a cup of coffee. Shopping never fails to work up an appetite and the choice of lunch at Warung Ikan Goreng Renon was excellent. The fish was fresh and spicy, paired with super crispy bakwan jagung. Evangelisation in Bali was pioneered by two Dutch priests, and through their efforts, the first Catholic church was established-- Gereja Tritunggal Mahakudus . The design is very traditional, and has a Balinese style bas relief above the altar with traditional script describing the Last Supper. The parish priest welcomed us, and even paused an altar aervers camp so that we co...

Sun and skin was the theme for our fifth day at Bali. Pure island excursion with no church visits. Before the crack of dawn, we were herded into our bus with a breakfast box. Pelabuhan Sanur is a busy port, so it was best that we arrive early to beat the crowds. The bus was not allowed in, so we had a brisk morning walk to the port. The port building was obviously brand new, shaped like a sea dragon of Balinese legends. Although we arrived early, it was only 90 minutes later that we boarded the boat to Nusa Penida . Some of us prepared motion sickness medication, but truth be told, it wasn't very choppy. On the island, we broke into small groups of 4 or 5, and got into SUVs. Proper tarred roads were few and far in between, so we were practically bounced for 45 minutes in the vehicle before we got to the attractions. Firstly, we stopped at Crystal Bay , which wasn't an exceptional beach, but there was some eye candy. Compared to the other visitors, we were obviously not embraci...

The fourth day of our pilgrimage brought us to the western end of Bali. Journeyed nearly 4 hours by bus to Palasari with the usual long toilet break at the Alfa Mart outside of Kuta. The architecture of Gereja Hati Kudus Yesus was really unique, imbued with many local artistic influences. Most notable was the array of statues depicting the Twelve Apostles dressed in traditional garb. The church building was built like an aircraft hangar with an ornate altar. Mass was celebrated there followed by Stations of the Cross in the greater church compound. Once we finished the final station, we visited a hilltop Marian grotto with a giant crucifix. The Palasari parishioners showed us excellent hospitality by preparing a traditional, home-cooked lunch for us. The spread included various local salads, satay lilit, and soup. A very delicious lunch. On the way back, we made short toilet stop at Soka Beach .  Our journey back to Kuta took longer than usual due to bad traffic, delaying our din...