Well, wouldn’t you just know it: I stumbled here at the same time as the 4-day Bali Spirit festival, a celebration of yoga, music and dance. It’s a 4-day event with workshops and classes each day, and music at night. Bought a ticket to attend on Friday. Def did not make it for the 7:30 am class, but did catch the shuttle to arrive there at 8:15 and check out the layout. Started with yoga class called Prana flow yoga: Energetic Vinyasa with a well-known woman named Shiva Rea, who has adapted yoga to her own flow/dance movement studies. Took me a bit, but got into it when we really started moving. VERY crowded class, but I’ve long given myself over to the incredible humidity, heat and random downpours. Then a break to check out the little vendor shops, and the incredible selection of (ATTENTION: food coming) homemade Indonesian food and raw, vegan and vegetarian options. Whoa…if I had that around all the time, my body would look more like Shiva’s!! Next class started called Heart of Yoga: Individualizing your practice with another “name” , but after ten minutes I wasn’t drawn in and was in fact called by chanting in the lower part of that open-air building to join the Yoga/Mysticism: Sufism and the alchemy of happiness (lots of chanting and holding hands and moving in circles). I really enjoyed the class and was fascinated by its leader, who shared that several years ago he was a homeless person in Washington DC. Lunch time! Had some veggie tacos with lettuce leaf wrappers. Next to a dance class called “Bollywood Jam!”. I think you can guess what we were doing in that one. Got some new moves for the dance floor, for sure. I left that halfway through (music festival style) and joined the West African drumming class (also calling to me across the airwaves). Started off just shaking my moo-moo and then when some women left, I sat down and started hacking away with much enthusiasm and heart (and that’s what it’s all about, isn’t it?….that, and the hokey pokey, of course). Last class was to listen to Mamadou Diabate (evidently a grammy award winner) play his Kora, a 21-string gourd covered with calfskin with a loooong “arm” coming out of it to which were tied pieces of rope. Into that rope were tied the “guitar” strings and the rope was pressed on, or moved up and down for tuning and for playing sharps and flats. It almost sounded like a cross between a harp and a guitar (more details later if you’re interested). After listening to that in the amphitheatre, which was by the side of a chasm with a river flowing through it, I headed back on the shuttle for town. Quick shower and headed out for dinner by a lily pond before heading to the evening concert. Heard one great group, then the skies opened up and I decided to beat feet. Removed my shoes and started walking under my little travel umbrella not minding at all about the flooding around me before I was talked into taking a scooter back to my hotel. I haven’t told you before, but whenever you walk through town, AT LEAST every ten feet, someone will say or hold up a sign: Do you need transport? Taxi? After a while, it’s just like flies, but I always smile and say no thank you. Anyway, there was something fun and beautiful about riding on the back of the scooter in the rain, holding my umbrella and looking at the (unusually) empty streets, legs slung overr the back of the wet scooter in my fairly wet dress. I just had a really big smile on my face and appreciated the moment….