“It’s like the Singaporean Embassy!” I told Chad as I walked up to him. I met Chad – my good friend who lives here in Bali – for the last time this visit. Because he lives at the southern tip of the island and we stay significantly north near Ubud, we met somewhat in the middle – at the Bali Galleria.
Bali has one mall and it opened not long before my first trip to Bali in 2001. Over the years, I’ve avoided it with it’s Planet Hollywood sign displayed proudly on top. I’ve never been a fan of mall development in Bali.
In Singapore – where Chad and I worked together – malls are the backbone of civilized life. On an island turned metropolis with little to no natural resources other than the sea itself, Singapore developed a mall culture. Big air-conditioned spaces provide recreation for Singaporeans who have more Sing dollars than places to go. Their malls have everything ours do – and then some. They even have our chain stores and restaurants.
When I walked into the Bali Galleria with its Planet Hollywood, Coldstone Creamery, Baskin Robbins, Starbucks, Ace Hardware and label clothing stores – I immediately thought of Singapore – but also home.
Chad and I talked about what an odd place the mall in Bali is and how strange we found it to see a Coldstone and a Baskin Robbins within feet of each other. Neither of us are the kind to travel and seek out what we have at home – like so many of the tourists wandering the mall.
However, Chad who has lived here in Bali the better part of five years admitted that he likes a little KFC sometimes. After going very local for a very long time, it’s sometimes nice to walk in the air-conditioned doors, get in a line with people in uniforms at touch-screen point of sale terminals, and have a little piece of home.
I suppose that’s a major reason why the mall exists. Everyone – especially expats and long-term travelers – need a touch of home sometimes.
Chad goes to KFC for his taste of home. Today, I went to the airport to pick up our fifth visitor from home in two months. And believe me, he’s a lot better than a bucket of wings.
Ryan Conlan – known to me and most of my high school friends as Conlan – flew from LA to spend two days here in Bali before we’ll fly to Singapore on Friday and Penang, Malaysia on Saturday. It’s not just another visitor, it’s the beginning of the next leg of the trip and a fantastic shared adventure.
There’s probably no better person to have along for an adventure than Conlan. During my time living overseas, Conlan visited three times. The last was in 2006 – here in Bali and Singapore.
Each and every time, Conlan proved adaptable, curious, easy going and able to take deep interest in every aspect of everywhere he went.
In fact, while talking about Bali on the way home from the airport, Conlan summarized himself and his attitude toward travel so well.
“I’m just amazed by all the details. There’s so much going on here. There’s no way to capture it all. It’s all the details and things that aren’t necessarily designed – both made by man and natural. It’s the texture of things. There’s no way to see it all and you can spend all your time trying and still never do it.”
So, he sees as much as he can. Which is a lot by my and most people’s count.
Texture may indeed be the most relevant word in summing up Conlan. Not only is he interested and concerned with the layers and fabric of life, but he himself is one of the most deep people I know. It’s rare to meet someone who has equally profound measures of spiritual depth, analytic brilliance and masterful creativity.
His successful career in animation and interactive design stems in large part from that he is gifted in understanding technology as well as art. It’s not often that you have someone with his artistic and creative capacity who is capable of understanding programming, software and computers to the degree he does – especially someone formally trained in art.
However, for all his ability and success, Conlan is modest and unassuming. He’s also mellow, fun, funny and engaging. It’s not until you’re talking about the deeper issues of life that he’ll nonchalantly drop an intellectual and philosophical nugget that makes you wonder goes on in his seemingly calm, cool head.
In short, he’s one of my favorite people – and fantastic to have around.
All this is important, because he’s not just a visitor. Conlan isn’t coming to tour around Bali and see the sights and places Emily and I have tamed and know so well. He’s coming with us into the unknown. He’s going to take active part in helping us to expand our known world – and come to understand a little more of what life has to offer.
For the next 10 days, this makes him a central character in our ongoing story.
At the moment, however, he’s a fatigued character who spent 24 hours coming half way around the world. We’ll let him relax around the compound, feed him, give him a beer bottle and put him to bed – and let the real adventure begin tomorrow.
In the mellow quiet of our second to last Balinese night, Emily and I will enjoy the usual sights and sounds of our Bali home – with a little touch of our real home thanks to our very good friend.
Sent from my iPad
