Bali – July 2025

My first day back in Bali we didn’t do much so I was able to catch up on a few things. Then later that afternoon Josh and I took Gayle to the airport for her flight to Perth for her next hospital appointment.  Both Josh and I had an early night as he had things to do in the morning.  Before we slept he took some time to help me purchase a new e-SIM online, which I was very grateful for.  Unfortunately we were unable to get the SIM operating properly to receive and use data.  Later, when thinking about it, I remembered that when I bought the first 30 day SIM on my arrival in Bali in May, I was told it couldn’t be extended.  I also remember at that time my phone IMI details were taken, I suspect that is when a blocker was put on my phone so that after the 30 day my phone was blocked to all SIMs.  This was the only reason I could think might affect the new SIM from working. Here in Indonesia local SIM cards need to be registered with the government.  I think the 30 day block is to prevent tourists overstaying illegally. My question is what if I had a 6 month visa or extended for another 30 days as I had done the previous year?  I would prefer not to buy on arrival at the airport as tourist SIMs are far more expensive here than buying one from a local store.  The airport SIM also has a heap of data which I don’t need as I use WiFi wherever I stay and at many restaurants and coffee shops. So for the next few days I was without data which prevented me from going out alone as I was unable to connect to WiFi at the supermarkets, preventing me from ordering a Grab to get home and unlike last year the buses are so unreliable.

Hanh, from the US, who I had met last year in Hanoi had been in touch before I left Australia.  She was visiting Bali in July so we organised a catch up.  I had asked Gayle if Hanh could stay the night before she flew back to the US on Saturday.  She also didn’t have date on her phone so had messaged Friday afternoon just before leaving her accommodation.  Unfortunately I had misjudged the time of her arrival and she was outside wondering if she was at the right address.  I had promised I’d wait outside for her.  Praise the Lord, Joshua returned at the same time she pulled up and met her at the gate.  That evening we went for a walk around the area looking at places where we might buy something to eat.  Seeing a satay stand we decided to ask for 16 sticks.  The only problem was there was a misunderstanding as satay are usually order in packets of ten sticks not by individual sticks as in Singapore and Malaysia where I’d ordered them before.  The vendor put a stack of sticks on the BBQ which we thought were also for a family sitting nearby.  They weren’t.  He just kept cooking more and more sticks.  In the end I realised these were all for us and in my broken Indonesian told him there was enough.  Fortunately he didn’t ask us to pay for the ones on the BBQ just the ones that were bundled up.  We laughed at my error all the way home.  There was enough for three days!  That evening we relaxed watching a movie on Netflix.

The following day there was enough time for us to go to Living World shopping complex so that Hanh could do some shopping and we could have lunch together.  Hanh wanted to buy some souvenirs for friends in the US using up her left over rupiah, including buying Joshua and me lunch. Then back to the house where she packed then called for a Grab which took her to the airport.

Sunday I woke with a quirly tummy and feeling very lethargic, then came the diarrhoea. I went back to sleep for an hour, sipped on water and took some charcoal tablets.  That afternoon Josh returned from church with Dwi.  She had another lovely handmade birthday card which she had been unable to give me before I left.  Inside were such well thought out encouraging words.  Usually I wouldn’t mind visitors but I really wasn’t feeling like seeing anyone that afternoon.  Still I hung around for a while before excusing myself and going back to bed. Then went downstairs a little later to chat before they both left and I went to bed early.  I was going to join Joshua the next day to meet up with Ibu Debbie at the church and later for lunch with Dwi but I still wasn’t feeling well so again stayed at the house.  Ibu Debbie also said she was unwell so we decided to try again the following day.  Dwi understood since she had seen how lethargic I had been the previous day.

That made it Tuesday for catching up.  Praise the Lord I felt so much better although again decided not to overdo it, I hadn’t eaten anything but my usual breakfast for two days, just electrolytes and water.  I went in with Joshua and enjoyed listening to the church leaders pray and sing praises while I waited for Ibu Debbie.  I showed her some more sewing I wanted done and she told me how her friend from church had opened up saying how much she appreciated having the work.  I was pleased I was able to give her items to make. Not long after, Dwi arrived and drove me to the Telco company, where we waited quite a while before being seen.  Even then it took over half an hour to sort things out but Praise the Lord it was sorted.  They gave me three months extension on the new number (which is the norm if you don’t buy from the airport counters) and explained that if I continued to pay monthly it would be extended till my next visit.  I now have to consider if getting an international eSIM for three months is cheaper than extending my Indonesian number, as well as getting a two month eSIM for the rest of my travels next year. When I was back at the house, I did a bit of research on line to see what might be a good choice.  There are two companies which I found with compatible prices that I could choose from.  They both cover various Asian countries, one more than the other, which also provided a rollover data plan, the other has a little bit more data plus a slightly bigger price tag.  Both are on a monthly plan which I can renew as needed. So, if I save on the monthly payment to keep my Indonesian SIM I can put it towards one of these plans. For the time being I’m just happy I have a working SIM.

After the Telco stop, Dwi messaged Josh to join us for lunch.  He chose a place not far from where we were so we waited for him there.  I really didn’t feel like much so ordered a chicken soup (Sup Jagung Ayam but without the corn to help my stomach) and two dishes for them plus a little rice.  There was plenty for all three of us and boy did it taste great after not eating for two days.  From here Josh went back to help with the big church move and Dwi and I headed home.  Before we reached there I asked if we could stop at a big dental clinic within walking distance from the house.  Here I asked for a consultation as I had a few questions I wanted to ask about my teeth and wanted a quote to see if it was cheaper to do it while I was here.

Back at the house we watched a few movies and had a good laugh.  Dwi then had some very serious questions she wanted to ask about her faith.  She is living with her mother who is Hindu, so, although she follows Christ, she still needs to respect her parents which means sometimes attending the temple with her mother.  I reassured her God knows her heart and her situation.  I asked her to read 2 Kings 5 where it talks about Naaman asking Elisha, God’s prophet, a similar question.  In v18 he asks if the LORD would pardon him when he goes into the heathen temple while assisting the king who bows to a false god while resting on Naaman’s arm.  Elisha’s reply was “Go in peace.”  God knows the heart of His children especially those whose heart is turned towards Him.  It was a lovely day getting to know more about Dwi, she is such a precious gifted child of God.

Wednesday, I still didn’t have the energy or the motivation to do very much although I did have a dental appointment. It was at 10 am giving me time to get up slowly after my 7am wake up.  I then walked to the clinic via Gosha where I checked they had the baked cheesecake I wanted to buy en route back.  At the clinic they gave me booties (just like they wear in hospital surgery) and netted headwear.  I was only going to get a consultation but then decided (because I forgot I’d just had one in May) to get a clean as well.  I was not impressed.  I think the dentist just saw an old white woman and dollar signs!  I asked about my two cracked back molars, the coffee stains on my front teeth which I’d like whitened and mentioned about wearing a guard as I grind my teeth.  First she said yes she could see how the coffee caused the grinding and then proceeded to suggest I have prosthesis implants.  WHAT?  No, no I said no implants.  Just cleaning, but what is safer than bleaching as I heard that weakens the enamel on the teeth.  She had no other suggestions.   After that she started cleaning my teeth not answering my question about the cracked teeth molars.  She took no X-rays and didn’t really look at my molars.  After the clean, through which I was thinking I could feel she wasn’t really doing a very good job, unlike my Aussie dentist, I had another question.  How much would it cost to straighten my crooked front teeth?  She asked how many teeth?  What?  Couldn’t she see which ones?  I looked in the little hand mirror and pointed to one then said maybe this one beside it might need straightening too.  She said so you want two new prosthesis teeth.  No, no, no and again no!   Was this woman only after my money?  I explained I was thinking about those transparent braces to STRAIGHTEN teeth.  Oh she said that would take too long, more than a year.  That’s when I gave up.  I’d already had braces as a child and it took much longer but I wasn’t in the mood to explain.  I was then blown away at what I was charged for a not so good clean and a poor consultation which didn’t really answer all the questions I had come in to ask.  It cost me just a little more than my check and clean which was partly covered by my health insurance in Perth.

Before leaving I served myself a hot cup of chocolate (forgetting that all hot chocolate are too sweet for me and Asian hot chocolate is even sweeter).  I took a sip and poured the rest into my keep cup and poured a fresh mocha instead.  Unfortunately this was no less sweet, so with both cups now in my keep cup I headed for the door back to Gosha for my baked cheese cake and a relax in the air-conditioning before my walk home.

For the rest of the day I forced myself to do a few things around the house including my studies and flute practice.  I also made myself a delicious pot of congee (rice porridge) which I enjoyed.  My stomach had settled down but I still didn’t want to overdo it.  Josh was out all day so I didn’t feel guilty just watching the series of ‘Suits’ on Netflixs.  That night I couldn’t get to sleep as I was woken just as I was dropping off to sleep, which is often disastrous, as it was that night.  Thank God for sleeping tablets.

I woke at 7am, woke Joshua at 7:30 or tried to.  If only I could sleep like he does.  It took several attempts before he joined me downstairs.  It was his study day so I offered to make him breakfast.  He asked for a cheese omelette on toast.  Well I don’t just mix a few eggs together I have to do it right.  I separated the egg yolks and beat the whites into foam, mixed the yokes through and poured it into a warmed pan. I then added cheese and when ready flipped one side over the other then waited for it to cook nearly through before flipping it over. It was the best omelette I’d made for a while. I had my usual breakfast.  Then hung out the washing I put on earlier and tidied the wardrobe in my room and the spare room downstairs both of which were storage for bedlinen and towels. Once I’d finished with them they looked very neatly done.  It’s an OCD thing.  Towels neatly rolled up and sheets stored in order in their matching pillowcases. I than asked Joshua if he would go through his jeans, which he had mentioned had holes, to see if I could patch them, putting them aside till I found thread and some sharp scissors and my needle (you know the emergency kit you take traveling). I couldn’t find my thread but I found Gayle’s sewing kit but no sharp scissors so I put the jeans aside.

I also made Josh lunch so that he could keep studying and so that he didn’t just have instant noodles.  I had vegetables in the fridge that needed using up and made a tomato sauce to go with pasta.  I had the leftovers of my congee and added more vegies.  I also made Gayle some pumpkin soup so it was ready if she was hungry when she came home late Friday night. As you can see I had my energy and motivation back and it felt good.

Later that afternoon Ibu Debbie came over to look at the trousers I had thought her church friend might like a pattern of to make and sell. She showed them to her that afternoon.  However, said they needed too much fabric as they are wrap-around trousers.

The day before Gayle’s return I wanted to do a bit of a shop at Tiara as well as try out the bus again.  I finished my morning routine, Josh left for church and by 2pm I was heading out the door.  I had looked on the local bus app to see if there was a bus coming but it no longer showed me where the bus was or when it might be arriving at my stop.  I then checked Google Maps which said there was one coming soon.  I waited at the bus stop 15 mins after the said time but it still didn’t come, even though I saw one going the opposite direction.  I then decided to get a Grab which didn’t take long to arrive.  I could have walked but didn’t really want to do that in the heat and humidity now that I don’t have to prepare for Japan.

Arriving at Tiara, I ordered an ice dessert and a plate of rice noodles and one of veg.  It was a good thing I was eating out as Josh had disconnected the gas bottle as it was nearly empty and it was leaking gas.  He later bought a new bottle of gas but when he tried to fit the old connection it still wasn’t working.  After much frustration he decided to buy a new connection that worked immediately.  After lunch I wandered around the shops looking for the things on my list before ordering another Grab to take me home.  Just as I was leaving Ibu Debbie contacted me (Praise the Lord for my working SIM) to say she was waiting for me at Gayle’s home.  She had some of my things for me to look at and try on so that any adjustments could be made before her friend finished my order.  Praise the Lord Joshua arrived before me, letting her in to wait in the cool.

That evening after I had gone to bed, Joshua left to pick up his mum, arriving back late.  I woke again at 1 am but didn’t go down as I knew overstimulation wouldn’t help me get back to sleep. Saturday they both slept in as did I but only to 7 am.  I did a load of washing and scrubbed out the upstairs bathroom which I had been meaning to do for a while. It was lovely to catch up with Gayle, finding out about all her activities in Perth.  It seems she got quite a bit done, including her hospital appointments which came back with good results.

Photos:  1. Desert Rose Adenium obesum 2. Damon and Komang farewell 3. Haun and I waiting for Josh to join us for lunch    4. Coffee at Gosha    5. Dwi and me

Prayer & Praise Points:

Praise the Lord for a speedy recovery from sickness as well as a new working SIM.

Praise the Lord for His leading and guidance during my first week back in Bali. Thank you for your prayers for Gayle, please continue to keep her in your prayers for renewed strength and good health.

Please continue to pray that the remainder of my stay in Bali will be sickness and accident free, and that I have many more opportunities to serve.

Pray also for all those who have received tracts that they will hear the voice of the Lord.

Please continue to pray for Jen and Ralf as they travel through the UK may they be kept safe and enjoy their adventures too.

Continue to pray for world peace and countries dealing with major disasters, wars and the unbelievable hardships they cause.  Pray for all those caught up in the suffering these events have caused.  Pray that God’s peace may be known by all people especially for those who live with despair, that they will find hope in Christ Jesus.

Please keep my sisters, Tricia, Jen and Kat, in your prayers.  Pray that they will come to know the love of Jesus.