12 May

When I was a little girl, I used to sit in front of my parents' TV for hours, singing along to Rodgers and Hammerstein's South Pacific. "Bali Ha'i may call you, Any night, any day, In your heart, you'll hear it call you: Come away...Come away."

This siren song, while technically not about the idyllic Indonesian island of Bali, played in my mind long after the glow of the television screen had dimmed. And in my dreams, visions of rice terraces, palm trees and temples appeared--the waves washing over me.

I can't believe I waited so long to go. Especially after living and traveling around Asia for five years. But, I'm happy to report that it was everything I hoped it would be--a week of sunshine and bliss.