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...

On the third day in Bali, we had mass at St. Francis Xavier Church in Kuta . Although it was in town, we had to leave early to avoid the morning rush hour. From the outside, the church looked simple- a white structure, flanked by two low towers. Rather than the usual grotto with Our Lady of Lourdes, SFX Kuta had a statue of Our Lady of Guadalupe, in the presence of four angels. The main church has a beautifully carved wooden tabernacle at the foot of the crucifix. Behind the altar is a mural of angels fashioned to the likeness Balinese celestial beings. After mass, we traveled to the Mandala Complex which is home to multiple houses of worship. On a single row, there's a Hindu temple, Buddhist temple, Protestant church, and lastly a Catholic church. The church was christened Our Lady of All Nations Church . Just a quick visit really, but the parish priest did come out to greet us.  Moved on to our lunch place which was Nyonya's Secret for some Indonesian Peranakan Cuisine. Ki...

The breakfast buffet at the hotel was pretty meh. Resigned myself to the egg and porridge station for the coming days. Started the day with a 3-hour bus ride to Karmel at Bedugul, which is located north of Denpasar. With a big group of people, toilet stops are a big deal. Facilities in the outskirts of Denpasar are limited, so a simple stop at a petrol station could take an hour because there's only one toilet cubicle. Half of us need to run to the Indomaret ( a local konbini ) as an alternative. While waiting, we could shop for some snacks. The weather was cool at St. Joseph Karmel because it's located in the highlands (1,500m). Looming on the horizon was Mt. Kintamani. The place is super quiet and is perfect for retreats. Explored the grounds with it's large grotto and beautiful adoration room.  Mass was celebrated at a chapel with an amazing view of the surrounding hills right behind the altar. Instead of pews, we say cross-legged on the wood flooring. After mass, a loc...

In August, I took one week off work to accompany mum on a pilgrimage to Bali. Yes, quite shocking when I heard about it because Bali is predominantly Hindu. During my last visit in 2009 , I didn't notice anything other than Hindu temples. For some of the participants, it wasn't their first trip out there. One lady told me that it was her 6th trip to Bali! The flight out was at 9AM, so we were out of the house by 5AM. The tour was organized by 72 year old gentleman, by the name of Uncle Jacob. With the help of his daughter and son-in-law, he had helped us get the boarding passes and luggage tags before we even arrived ( don't know how he did it ). All we had to do was use the self-service baggage drop.  Thank goodness there weren't any delays because Air Asia is often sucky these days. Ngurah Rai Airport's new terminal was really impressive. It did take a while for us to get out because the immigration officers were really 'not into it'. Also wasted more time...

Started our day with breakfast, then morning mass at the hotel function room. Then it was off to Amman Citadel located on Jabal al Qal'a, one of the seven hills that make up the old city. It provides an amazing vista of the city where houses cover the hilly terrain like white moss. Sami says that there is a law, that states that buildings in the area must be constructed from white stone or painted white. From up there, we also got a great view of the Roman Theater , a landmark from the 2nd century. Historically, Amman Citadel was occupied by several great civilizations. The Romans left the ruins of the Temple of Hercules . There's also Byzantine ruins, and an Umayyad Palace . Next was a visit to CityMall for some shopping, but the mall was pretty dead. It was 10 am, but no shops were open with the exception of Carrefour. We spent most of our time raiding Bzuriyeh, a shop that sold premium dried fruits, nuts, and spices. Bought more Medjoul, figs, and macadamia. We...