There are times in life where you make a decision and have no idea how important or impactful it will end up being. Several months ago I decided to book a trip to Bali over the summer; not just any trip, but a restorative retreat to have a chance to connect more deeply with myself and my goals, and to connect with others while experience a new culture and our beautiful planet. While I have been consistent on working on bettering myself and being at peace with exactly who I am for several years through counseling and otherwise, that insistent gut instinct was telling me to book the trip, that I would need it. I went with what my gut was telling me, and all I can say is wow. The experience in Bali, at this retreat, at this point in my life was exactly what I needed.
As excited as I was for the trip, I knew that booking it was just the first step in a long list of things to do to actually make it to Bali. I needed to book the flights, get travel insurance, apply for visas, finally renew my passport, contact my financial institutions about travel, have an international plan added to my phone, get everything arranged for Zeke, find someone to board Mo, and last but not least, packing for an international trip. YIKES! While I have traveled plenty domestically over the past several years, I hadn’t traveled internationally in 6 years, and had never traveled internationally solo prior to this. After canceled and rescheduled flights, waiting on my passport for what seemed like forever, and deciding to check a bag for this trip (which I NEVER do), I managed to get all the things on the checklist taken care of and was eager to head to the airport to get this trip started. I usually always pay for parking and leave my vehicle there during my trips, but I had a pleasant surprise for this one. My boyfriend offered to take me to the airport and pick me up since he was available to do it. I didn’t realize what a big impact that would have on me, but it made me feel less nervous about leaving, and gave me a sense of security that I didn’t even know I needed. Even though I knew it would be hard to be away from him during the trip, we were excited that we would be on the same schedule while I was away. He works nights, and Bali is 13 hours ahead of the US, so for once we were going to be awake at the same time, which was an added bonus. We enjoyed supper together before heading to the airport, and then I got one last kiss and very long hug before walking into international departures. I managed to make it through customs fine, get my bag checked, carry on weighed (which was SO close to being too heavy), and went and bought a snack near my gate before loading the plane for the first leg of my trip which was an 11 hour and 55 minute flight. I didn’t have to wait long before getting onto the plane and getting as comfortable as I could for the flight.
My flight path for the trip was something that I was equally excited and nervous for. I needed to be in Bali by 2:00pm on Saturday, but because of how far away it is and that Bali is 13 hours ahead of us in time, the latest I could leave was sometime Thursday to make it there. When looking for flights though, I found that if I left Wednesday night late, I could have 2 stops on the way there with longer layovers, but save a significant amount of money on the flight. I’m always about saving money AND the two layovers were in Istanbul, Turkey, and in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia! Istanbul has been at the top of my travel bucket list since 2005, and the thought of being able to visit, even just during a layover, had me SO excited. My plan for the flight was to get everything ready for Istanbul when the flight started, and then to sleep as much as I could on the way there. After take off I started getting everything ready to exit in Istanbul; visa, debit & credit card, cash, vaccination cards, and passport all in my passport wallet. As I was loading it, I realized my debit card was missing! I looked frantically through everything, but realized that when I got my drink in the airport, my debit card had fallen out of my pop socket wallet on my phone since it wasn’t filled with all that it usually held. All the fear started rushing into my head. I was fearful that I was entering foreign countries with no debit card and only the cash I had and credit cards, that my debit card could have already been found and someone is on a spending spree, and that I knew I couldn’t call the bank until I landed in Istanbul almost 12 hours later because the wifi wasn’t working correctly on the flight. I got everything else together and actually enjoyed the inflight dinner they offered. Turkish Airlines was pretty legit with their food. I knew that I needed to get some sleep at that point, but fear was sinking in fast. I decided I needed to journal for a bit, and then I prayed for a while to try and calm my inner storm. God showed up, as He always does, and definetly gave me a peace that surpassed understanding in that moment, and I was able to fall asleep.
When I woke up, we still had several hours until landing in Istanbul, but it gave me time to work out the details in my mind for the layover. Before leaving, I had planned my Istanbul adventure trying to make the most of my 9 hour layover. I was excited to learn that Istanbul’s public transit picked up at the airport and could get me pretty close to where I wanted to go. My plan was to go to Sultanahmet Square to be able to shop in the Arasta Bazaar, try some local fare, and then see the Sultanahmet Mosque, Hagia Sophia, the German Fountain, Obelisk of Theodesius, Column of Constantine, and the Serpentine Column. My plan was to drop my carry on in a luggage locker, hop on the public transit, get to Sultanahmet square to sight see, and then return by taxi with a joy ride over the Bosphorus Bridge which is the bridge that connects Europe to Asia in Istanbul. Lofty plans I was sure, but I was excited all the same and couldn’t wait to be in Istanbul.
As we landed in Istanbul at 4:45pm their time, I was thankful to get service back on my phone, but remembered I would need to restart it each time I entered a new country to make sure my international plan was working correctly. As I was waiting in line to get through customs, I made the call to the bank to have them cancel my debit card and get a new one ordered so it would be there when I returned home. By the grace of God, there had not been any unusual charges before I canceled the card. I was a little nervous as I went through customs and immigration, since I hadn’t done it in so long, but was excited as I showed them my visa and watched them add that beautiful new stamp to my passport book. I made my way into the main area of the airport only to realize that the luggage lockers I had looked at on the website, were NOT available in incoming international flights. I realized I would be rolling my carry-on suitcase along with me to Sultanahmet Square, which was not ideal. I wasn’t going to give up that easily though, and made my way to exchange some cash for shopping, and then out to wait for the bus. I found the bus and told the driver that I needed the stop at Sultanahmet. The driver didn’t speak much English, but I was able to understand that the last stop for the line, for whatever reason that day, was at Aksaray and it would not be going to Sultanahmet. I climbed on the bus anyway with my luggage and started looking at the Metrobus map to see how far away I would be. I quickly realized I would need to get a taxi, or walk 15 minutes rolling my suitcase. For sake of time, and enjoyment, I decided the taxi would be the best bet. I enjoyed the ride on the Metrobus so much. There was almost no English to be heard. I enjoyed listening to the Turkish language as it was spoken around me, and I laughed as two guys in front of me FaceTimed a friend and tried to nonchalantly move their phone so their friend could see me behind them. The only word I understood in the whole conversation was “American” so I knew what was going on. As we traveled on the bus I soaked in all the architecture and things I saw that we passed. We eventually stopped and I made my way off the bus. The area we were in was a super busy shopping area, and the taxi drivers were lined up just waiting. I found one that looked friendly enough, and wasn’t being super pushy, and asked for a ride to Sultanahmet, and he eagerly opened to door to the car to take me. That car ride was CRAZY to say the least. This driver was in a hurry to get me there, weaved in and out of traffic, and even drove the wrong way down a feeder road. I had never been so thankful to arrive near the Bazaar. My driver was very kind to tell me it was where I needed to start, and then could make my way to the square.
As I got out of the taxi and started walking up the road towards the Bazaar, I instantly got a smile on my face. I could already see all kinds of beautiful Turkish products in the stores, I could smell wonderful foods, and hear music that sounded so different than what I was accustomed to hearing, but sounded so beautiful. As I walked through the Bazaar I found a few little things to get as souvenirs, but more importantly found a cute little coffee shop that I stopped at to enjoy some Turkish tea and baklava. It was so heavenly and a nice moment to relax and take it all in. After leaving the Bazaar, I made my way up the street the taxi driver had told me to take to Sultanahmet Square. What he failed to mention was that it was a cobblestone street, which made things super fun dragging a carry on bag. I would be lying to say it wasn’t a bit of a struggle to make it to the square, but once I did I instantly knew it was all worth it. As I entered the square I could see the beautiful ancient buildings and monuments and couldn’t wait to start taking pictures. The first three things I saw were the Column of Constantine, Obelisk of Theodesius, and the Serpentine Column. I was shocked when I looked at the placard in front saying that it was 10th century A.D.! After viewing them I made my way to the German Fountain, and then to the two Mosques to take pictures. The streets were buzzing with people, food carts, tourists, and all kinds of amazing things to take in. As I stopped for a selfie a Turkish man offered to help me. I said no at first be he insisted on taking the picture for me. As he took the picture I realized he was really getting into it and taking pictures from all different angle. I didn’t know what was going on, but it all made sense when he got done and I said thank you, and he told me he was a photographer, and would love to be happy to accompany me as my photographer for my stay in Turkey. I quickly realized that it was likely how he gets new customers, and in the age of influencers we live in, it doesn’t really surprise me that he does well with it. I explained that I was literally about to be headed back to the airport, so I wouldn’t need a photographer. He quickly said, well then do you have time to have coffee with me. I was definitely caught off guard with that. I told him that was very sweet, but that I really wasn’t staying, and I have a boyfriend who might not like that. He shared his photography instagram account with me so that I could tag him in my photo. If you’re interested his Instagram handle is @murat_zade34 At this point I knew it was time to find a taxi and get headed back.
I walked a couple blocks before finding an area with taxi drivers waiting, and quickly found a driver who could take me back to the airport. I explained that I wanted to go over the Unkapani Bridge. The driver explained as best he could that we needed to take a different bridge so that I could get a picture of the Unkapani Bridge instead of traveling over it. I agreed and we hit the road. I was so glad he offered that route, because I was able to get a great view of the Unkapani Bridge as well as a picture. It was also a fun added bonus that he was completely jamming out to Lizzo the whole ride. I arrived back at the airport and made it quickly into the airport, through customs, and to my gate to board the plane. Next stop was Malaysia!
When I arrived in Malaysia, I was exhausted and ready to find my hotel. Thankfully getting through customs and immigration at Malaysia was a walk in the park; I didn’t even need a visa to enter, just my passport! After getting out of the airport, I got onto what I thought was the public transit that would get me close to my hotel. It was dropping us off at a big shopping mall that appeared to be very close to my hotel. To my surprise when I got off of the bus, I realized that the hotel was across a highway, and would be about a 15 minute walk. I looked for a taxi, and while there were some at the mall, they all only took cash, which I had not yet converted. After walking around the mall for a bit, to at least say I did something in Malaysia, I ended up getting back on the bus to the airport, since I knew there would be plenty of taxis there to take me to my hotel. After getting back to the airport, and getting a taxi, I let the driver know where I was headed. The driver asked me 3 times what hotel, and seemed surprised that was where I was headed. I couldn’t figure out why because the hotel I had booked was fairly cheap, and the only one that offered a transfer to the airport. As we pulled up to the hotel, I could instantly see why the taxi driver wanted to confirm. The hotel I had booked was a very nice resort hotel! I’m sure the driver was surprised since I looked pretty ragged after two very long flights. The hotel was absolutely amazing, and most importantly, the bed was super comfortable and I was able to get a good night’s sleep for the flight to Bali the next morning.
As I woke up the next morning and took the hotel transfer bus to the airport, I had so many different thoughts racing through my head. I was so excited to finally be making it to Bali in three short hours, but more than that I was feeling extremely blessed. My official retreat in Bali hadn’t even started yet, and I had already seen so many amazing things, and experienced some pretty cool cultural aspects just through the travel there. As our plane took off I said a prayer thanking God for this experience and all his blessings in this. I enjoyed what seemed to be a super short flight, after my long ones the past few days, and was filled with joy as I started to see the beautiful island I would be exploring over the next week through the window of the airplane. There was no more fear in that moment that I had felt earlier in the trip. All I felt was overflowing joy, excitement, and anticipation, because God is good, and FEAR IS A LIAR!
Fear is a Liar 
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