January 25, 2014

Free day in Bali

Today was a day devoted to adventures inside Bali.  We started by going snorkeling off the Bali coast, and I had a blast.  It was the first time I have ever been snorkeling, and it was great to see so many fish.  We went to Turtle Island next, and we had a great time seeing some of the largest turtles I have ever seen.  We got back around noon and spent the rest of the day at the beach.  Our university friends came to visit us at the hotel tonight, and it was great to interact with them and get to know them more.  It’s a hard feeling to make friends with someone that we probably won’t see again, but it was great to know more about their culture and religion.  We were able to sing some American songs with them, and they took us to see a memorial of a terrorist bombing in downtown Bali.  We said goodbye to them after they gave us many gifts to remember them.  Our night finished with a checkpoint meeting where we heard some more testimonies from our team.  I was able to have some great conversations with team members after the testimonies, and it was nice to continue to connect with the people on the team.  I am so blessed to have shared this experience with so many new friends, and I hope to continue our close relationship after we return.