I chose to enter under the story theme 'A local connection.' View my entry
(Disposable) Income and wish me luck!
After 3
months travelling through South East Asia, my trip was regretfully coming to an
end. It was my last day in Bali, Indonesia, before my flight home that evening
and I was determined to spend it visiting the attractions I was yet to see.
The taxi
driver who picked me up for the day's adventure was a friendly local man and up
for a bit of small talk. He asked me where I'd been travelling in Indonesia so
far.
'Kuta,
Ubud, Canggu, the Gili Islands…' I rattled off.
'Gili
Islands, very beautiful,' he said.
'Have you
been before?'
'No, no.
My salary will not allow it but I hear very beautiful.'
That
stopped conversation for the rest of the journey, I just couldn't think of an
appropriate and sensitive way to respond. So instead I stared out the window
(Bali is my favourite place to do such a thing, what with its beautiful
elaborate gates, temples, and endless rice fields) until we eventually arrived
at the Bali Bird Park.
With
child-like enthusiasm I explored the park, inhabited by 250 different types of
exotic birds.
Hours
later, after making many a new bird friend, I returned to the car park to begin
the journey back to my hotel. I found my driver waiting for me with the other
taxi drivers (we had pre-arranged that he would do the return trip as well),
and jumped in the car.
'Beautiful
birds, yes?' He queried.
'Yes' I
replied, 'Very beautiful birds! Have you been in yourself to see them before?'
'From the
outside,' he replied.
When we
arrived back at my hotel, I handed him the money for the taxi ride.
'Keep the
rest', I insisted.
'Thank
you, I will use this to send my kids to school tomorrow.'
As I got
out of the taxi, I felt an immediate rush take over my entire body due to the
connection we had made that day. I walked away thinking of his children happily
going to school the following day.
No comments:
Post a Comment