The hot heavy air immediately slams into the body as we disembarked the airplane via Bali. It’s ‘Hollywood Style’. Think Beetles arrive stateside… minus the screaming, fainting masses. Ducking through the door, I fight the urge to wave… although I do have a bit of celebrity status. They know me. Even here, in Labuanbajo. 10 hours from Bajawa. I’m kind of a big deal. The white girl, who lives in Bajawa. Creepily, most seem to know my exact residence and what I’m doing here. Is that on the ‘Tour of the Stars’ ride? Admittedly, walking around Ohio without renown had been bliss. No autographs required.
The tourguides press their small brown bodies against the ‘airport doors’ of the one room structure. Waiting to pounce on the tourist. A handful on the plane… they’ve come for the renowned scuba dives and legendary komodo dragons. Then they’ll leave. Never exploring the interior of the lush island. Flying in was admittedly breathtaking. Peering through the port widows to the still, turquoise water suddenly rippled with the green hues of jungle mountains. Flores. The descent induced a Jurassic Park vibe.
The rainy season seems to have ignited the jungle. The ordinary. The innocent. Transformed into thick, dense walls of varying green vegetation. On the bus ride, I wait for T-Rex to attack. With the sticky palm of my hand I slide the small rectangular window open. The young woman sitting next to me, vomits into a transparent yellow plastic bag, tosses it out the open window as she nonchalantly drops her child onto my lap. Putting her head on my shoulder, my new friend firmly grasps another plastic bag in preparation for the next round of vomit and closes her eyes.
No comments:
Post a Comment