Sunrise in Bali

I don’t often get to see the sunrise these days, preferring to relish the last few hours in bed before needing to get up and go to work. However, being the dance mom that I am, I had agreed for my daughter to do a photo shoot,  and sacrificed my Sunday lie in.

It was well worth it. The sunrise was amazing, perfect in fact, and I got some great shots. I am not a photographer, so I think I did a pretty good job, considering my lack of experience. The photographer chose a spot that I had never been to, nestled under the toll road, providing a suitably artistic backdrop. The juxtaposition between the swamp ground, with abandoned boats, and the beautiful ballerina was quite stunning.

The air smelt of  acrid salty seaweed, that familiar seaside fragrance that always reminds me of summer holidays as a child. Before the sun rose in the sky, the air was slightly chilly, forcing us to huddle together for warmth, an alien feeling in this tropical island. The setting was calm and quiet, boats bobbed on the water, and birds flew low over the water, calling to each other. The only sounds breaking this calm were the constant stream of airplanes taking off over our heads, and the lone fisherman, scraping at the barnacles on the bottom of his boat.

Other men passed by at intervals, carrying buckets of worms that they had been collecting to use as fish bait. They looked at us with curiosity, probably wondering what we were doing. Fishermen and ballerinas do not often cross paths, and our lives could not be more different. The fact that we were all here, witnessing this sunset was enough to bond us, and we smiled, acknowledging the wonder that we were seeing.

It was a lovely morning, and the shoot was over by 9am, leaving the rest of the day free to do as we saw fit. I made a promise to myself to try and wake up early more often. There really is nothing better than a Balinese sunrise!