2 Questions Every Girl is Asking Herself

Chapter 16

When I told my family that my next destination would be Bali, it wasn't exactly met with support. Uncle and aunt had both been to Bali and Thailand, and they felt Thailand would be a better choice for me.

"Bali and Thailand look the same. But Thailand is cheaper, closer, and more fun," Uncle explains, showing me pictures from his trip with aunt, "there's lots of great food. Lots of partying. There are lots of people. It's just more happening than Bali. Bali was quiet and boring."

Even dad called from Vancouver to tell me not to go to Bali because it has suffered from terrorist attacks, and you never know when they will strike again.

I seriously considered all of their opinions and suggestions. It is true, if I just wanted to find a quiet place by the beach to write for a month, either island would suffice. I haven't been watching the news and don't fully understand the likelihood of terrorist attacks in Bali. But it seemed like a threat scary enough.

Despite all the reasons stacked against Bali, I was still very much drawn to this island. For a very long time, I didn't understand why. Or maybe I just didn't want to acknowledge the reasons because they seemed so silly.

In retrospect, I think it was because I'd always envisioned myself ending the trip in Bali, because that's what Liz (the woman who wrote Eat Pray Love) did with hers. If I go there, I'd somehow feel closer to her story. And then there's Ketut. I'd been feeling so lost lately that I visited every temple I pass by in China, hoping for an epiphany or some divine intervention. But of course, none of the statues inside the temples spoke back to me.  So I thought maybe I should go for the next best thing - see a fortune teller. From what I understood in Liz's book, Ketut Liyer, is a great one.