Rise and Shine

From the start of my year-long trip through Asia, I mutated into a passionate early riser. After I had woken up my first morning around ten o’clock, jet-lagged, on the island of Bali with the tropical heat almost knocking me back into bed, I decided immediately to set my alarm clock for six o’clock the coming morning. When the alarm clock rang, I went drowsily under the cool shower and walked briskly to the beach of Sanur, where in the dawn light the sun had already colored the sky above the volcanic cone of Gunung Agung yellow. I sat there for a while, enjoying the cool morning air as the sun slowly appeared from behind the mountain. On my way back, I was surprised to notice that the small town was already up too. The days in Southeast Asia seemed to start early, which suited my new ritual very well.

Sanur, Bali (Indonesia), June 2013