the count down

Today was our final day of touring the island of Bali. We headed north to the mountains and saw the beautiful rice fields, lakes and of course, more temples. With many Indonesian families touring due to school holidays, the roads and sights were busy. In the north of the country you see many women dressed in hijab (I am thinking this could be a short-term solution to my hair problem...) which is quite different from the south of Bali. We saw several vacationing Monks dressed in their crimson robes with baseball caps and iPads. Lesson for the day was...if you see a burlap bag on the sidewalk... and it is moving...cross to the other side of the street. Python inside. Please explain to Mr. Jhon that my behavior was NOT an overreaction! The guest lecture yesterday at Udayana University School of Nursing went quite well, I think. There were 87(!)4th year students in the class. I was to speak for 2 hours with a 15 minute break midway @ noon. As I announced the break, the students requested that I continue, they did not want to break. For 2 hours I lectured. The students were attentive, polite and very engaged. They then asked many questions! This is not a typical response I get from students back in Florida. Tomorrow, the guys are heading out early to east Bali and on to Tulembin for diving. It will be Ashok's first diving experience. Razia and I are planning to shop alittle as it will be our last chance here. I pulled out the suitcase tonight and have a positive outlook. Please do not expect gifts, as they won't fit. Can't wait to...see the family, pet the cat, drive my car, brush my teeth with tap water, talk on the phone, see my stylist, have a mani-pedi, take long hot showers, drink good wine, eat something besides rice and noodles, sit on the dock, and chill...just a little.