Back from the Shaolin Temple

After training under a screaming young monk directions, a recurring topic of our evening conversations was food, the reason being the quality and the variety we were fed. One day we almost started a fight over a handful of peanuts...
Therefore the day our time in Shaolin was over, we went as fast as possible to the incredible city of Hong Kong, where, differently from the rural valleys of the People Republic of China, a credit card can make a difference in lifestyle. We spent two days in the city of Bruce Lee, dedicated them mostly to shopping and in getting even with Chinese food. The lady in the first restourant we dinned was a bit shocked with the number of courses we were ordering. Then, a "short" flight to the wonderful island of Bali. Which is not so closed to China as the longitude may suggest. It is actually a 5 hours flight, where we were entertained by passing over a tropical monsoon.
At the Bali airport Elena went straight out of the gate, I was locked by the police because I had a number of videotapes purchesed in China. Apparently it was illegal to bring in tapes and cd. I got them back when we left, anyway. Life in Bali was exactly the opposite of Shaolin. That is, doing nothing, sunbathing, reading and preparing for normal life. It is definitely a touristic place: just what we needed. The local guide even spoke an impressive Italian.
Thus, while the other turists (mostly Aussies) were busy going up and down the rice paddies and the volcanos, we looked like a couple of incrediblely lazy Italians. Turist-watching can be instructive and is an inspiring source of thoughtful reflection on the human soul. A popular event was to watch and film Balinese funerals... We rather preferred the swimming pool and the tropical drinks. I know that Indonesia offers also the well reputed martial art of Pentjak Silak, but hey, as the Ecclesiastes said, "to every thing there is a season".
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