Window on George

I went to Bali from Taiwan in the summer of 2001, my first trip to an exotic island. One would think,having lived in Taiwan, which is an exotic island  after all, that Bali would just be another island, maybe with prettier beaches... I was not prepared for the total onslaught on my senses. I fell in love... The total contrast to the dirty, smelly, grey, and very ugly Changhua were I was living, was beyond anything I could imagine. Fragrant flowers everywhere,  hanging from creepers on the pavements, tucked behind the ears of the hotel staff, cascading over ancient walls of houses, packed into tiny woven baskets with rice as offerings to the gods. The beautiful people, with names I could not only say, but actually spell and write as well! And the biggest surprise of it all :  The cultural connection with South Africa, or the Cape, to be exact. I could read and understand many of the Balinese words in the streets, on road signs, shops, cafes, ...