Lost in Translation

I met a great couple from Chicago living next door to us in Ubud. They invited me to Sanur (the closest beach town) for their last day in Asia. They gave me tips on Japan and told great stories of their travels over the years. Sanur was OK - nothing to write home about - but it was great to get to the coast of Bali for the first time. The rain began to fall so we found shelter in a small hut where two Balinese masseuse's were sitting to promote their spa in the hotel. One of the ladies flashed me a huge smile calling me 'beautiful' - I felt anything but that at the moment but I could see how genuine she was in her eyes. She asked my name and where I'm from with glowing energy filling up the space under the rain. She walked over to her collegue and they briefly conversed. She came back my way and asked if I would be interested in sitting for their new banana wrap treatment and have my picture taken for their catalogue/website - in return for a free massage. I told her I'd be interested if she arranged for a driver to take me there and back to Ubud another day. I left the beach unsure if she says that to all the girls - gave her the number to where I'm staying and told her to call if she was serious.

I got the call the following morning at 8am. Eka was serious. We made a plan for the following day and back to the beach I went. When I returned to Bali Masari - Villas and Spa, it was clear the people were anticipating my arrival. Everyone knew my name and set me up with a cold drink and a chair at the pool. After 45 minutes, a crew of people approached me. The 'photographer' clearly didn't know what he was doing so I gave him tips with their camera and angles. First shot - yoga poses by the lawn with a Balinese man. Then they took me over to the beach after changing wardrobe. It was pretty hysterical. They were each pointing in different directions as to where to shoot, speaking quickly to one another in Indonesian. I just stood there taking video of the scene I found to be quite humorous. It reminded me of the movie 'Lost in Translation' when Bill Murray acted in the whiskey commercial. The director and crew spoke loudly to one another in Japanese for several minutes followed by, 'the director says... More...INTENSITY!'.... Bill replied, 'That's all he said??'
'OK, Emily please, lie down on the chair.' One woman proceeded to take my top off without asking permission - the other poured sand all over my back and stuck a flower in my hair. The photographer was shooting up my nose and in all the wrong places while I laid there stiff as a board. I asked one of them to shoot with my camera - but wow am I not posting them ;)

After the beach shot they fed me and watched as I scarfed down a weird pizza. After lunch they laid me down on the massage table, wrapped me in bamboo and covered my chest and shoulders with a banana paste - dotted with little pieces of citrus. I told them I felt like a wedding cake - 'put a candle in my mouth and light it'. They laughed often and were really sweet and fun to be around. The rain came down again and they quickly covered my body to protect me from the rain. I literally looked like a mummy and got a funny picture out of it... I looked at the pictures they took and ironically, after thinking I would be perfect for this shoot - I looked awful! Sweaty in the face and seriously the worst angles ever. I offered to help edit, but who knows if that will ever happen.

Next - the massage. OH MY GOD... best massage ever. It started with the nicest shower I took in a long time, followed by a foot massage in warm water. The woman also seemed smitten by me, or perhaps she knew Eka was and just treated me extra special. I went on the table and the magic began. One hour of pure heaven - she hit all the right spots and took her time with every morsel of my body. From my toes to my finger tips to the back of my neck. First with no oil, then oil, then oat exfoliater, then yogurt. Each time hitting each spot again. I was in pure bliss. I heard the running water during the whole first hour, but little did I know she was preparing a warm flower bath. I slowly dunked my blissed-out body into the water and laid down with what felt like four dimples popping out of my face. She brought me the greatest ginger tea I've ever tasted and left me in there for 45 minutes. I probably spent more than half that time taking photos of the bath, then realized I should just enjoy... Oh did I . . .