Captivated Me

captivate : v. to attract and hold the attention or interest of, as by beauty or excellence; enchant.

Tag: joy

December 30, 2022

Mount Batur: The joy in the journey.

You know those excitable people who are always game for an obscenely early morning awakening, if it means doing or seeing something wonderful? I might be one of them… And it’s been a blessing to have found friends along the road of life who have a similar disposition. The flights, hikes and road trips we’ve taken that started hours before the first hint of dawn are numerous. There is something sweet and thrilling about these mornings and the tingle of anticipation that transmits through your body as you embark.

This is such a morning here in Bali. I woke up just before 2 AM, donned my hiking gear and boots, and I now wait outside the villa for the driver who will whisk me away to today’s adventure. The morning is calm, and the day is overflowing with promise.

The van arrives, and in the back seat I meet two other travelers who become fast friends. Hedda is here enjoying a yoga holiday far from her homeland in Sweden, and Luna is visiting Bali for several weeks from Korea. This – this – is one of the things I adore about travel, whether close to home or in far-off lands. If you journey with an open heart, travel will collide your story with the perspectives, ways, and stories of other people who you can share laughter and life lessons with, even if the moments are fleeting. And you can discover greater breadths and depths of God’s creative beauty along the way.

We navigate along dark, narrow, undulating roads for about 45 minutes, feeling safe the whole time because our driver is so expert, and we eventually arrive in the Kintamani Highlands – a calm landscape boasting both volcanic and pastoral views in the heart of Bali. We file out of the van one-by-one and are greeted by our kind hiking guide, Kopang. The air smells of sulphur, and our visibility is limited by the pre-dawn hour and a whimsical fog. But we know that we are standing at the foot of Mount Batur.

Our mission, which we’ve all accepted, is to climb to this volcano’s crest in time to see the sun rise.

Headlamps strapped to our foreheads and trekking poles in hand, we start out on flat ground, briefly weaving through expanses of farmland laden with crops and tin-roofed dwellings. Soon, we meet the trail that heads straight. up. the mountain. And for about ninety minutes, we hike at a steady pace and at an incline that is sure to add shape to anyone’s glutes and hamstrings. The ground under us transmogrifies from rocky terrain to a soft, fine, granular black soot, almost akin to hiking the sand dunes of the Sahara. We ascend higher and higher, even into a blanket of clouds that refreshes us with a light rainfall, and we giggle with delight, encourage each other to persevere, and share insights from our respective holidays as we go. Eventually, we summit to the ominous lip of the volcano’s crater where we sit to sip coffee and eat the breakfast our guide had graciously prepared earlier in the morning.

We sit and sit, awaiting a glorious break in the rainclouds. And we see…

Nothing.

We watch.

And wait.

And watch some more.

The hour for daybreak comes and goes. Our hands and noses are chilled from the altitude. The clouds we are waiting in illuminate from black to a jubilant grey.

No sunrise.

But wait a minute. Looking around, there is actually plenty to see. There are fellow hikers speaking a multitude of different languages. There are hot natural steam vents lining Batur’s crest that we use to warm our hands. There are wispy, dancing clouds and mists blowing around, above, behind and below us. There is hardy vegetation that extends over the edge of the crater and into the inner depths of Mount Batur that are presently concealed by fog. There is no shortage of joy, discovery, or beauty here just because it happens to be a cloudy day. And the sunrise, well, it’s there. We can’t see it. But its light still illuminates our day, and that – in itself – is a blessing.

I wonder, how often do we allow our expectations of an experience to cloud our journey through the experience itself? How often do we focus more on the outcome we hope for rather than on the joy, learning, and beauty to be gleaned from each step of the hike, each memory of sharing smiles and stories with others, each warm gesture that touches something cold or numb within us?

Is life not more rhythmic, more peaceful, and also more exciting when we allow each day to just be what it is – rain or shine – rather than demanding that it meet our expectations? When we lean into the loveliness and spontaneity around us no matter the circumstances? When we simply treasure each moment, each breath, each connection as the gift that it is, without prescribing or judging how it ‘should be’?

We snap some photos from the summit, enjoy the comfort of coffee mugs in our hands, and connect some more among our group. We then descend by the same trail that we rose from, and after returning below the level of the clouds, we are swept away by serene views of the highlands that were invisible to us during our ascension in the dark. We continue to visit, and we learn that today is Kopang’s birthday. We celebrate her before saying a warm ‘goodbye’, as our excursion continues.

Our group of three is escorted next to a collection of nearby hot springs. We enjoy a sweet tomato juice that is just as refreshing as all of the other cuisine and libations we have encountered here in Bali. We soak our muscles in the soothing pools, surrounded by beautiful views of Danau Batur (Lake Batur) and the mysterious Gunung Abang (Mount Abang), another local volcano. We then tour a third-generation coffee plantation to taste-test a variety of herbal teas and coffees native to Indonesia. This includes the acclaimed Kopi Luwak (for reference: http://www.kopiluwak.org/baru/index.html) which is an experience unto itself. We sit near an open-air treehouse on the plantation, overlooking the vast jungle, acquainting more and more. Butterflies flutter by, which bring to mind my grandfather who passed in 2021. I lift a cheers to him with a cup of plain black coffee – his favorite.

Hedda, Luna and I pile into our tour van for the drive home to Ubud, eyes and hearts and stomachs filled with cheer. We exchange contact information and are sure to continue following each other’s adventures.

I am the first to be dropped off, and after hugs and a universal ‘so wonderful to meet you’, I walk to Samyama Eatery one final time for an unbelievable, fresh Indonesian meal. I have pep in my step, partly out of gratitude for the incredible day, and partly because I’m due to meet my taxi for transport to the airport soon.

It’s the night before New Year’s Eve, and I am setting course for Singapore.

Leave a comment
September 6, 2022

Magic.

What sweet joy in familiar roads
That lead to paths unknown;
In gathering with kindred friends 
To share how we have grown;
In marveling at diamond waves
Off water’s surface shone;
In breathing in day’s end, 
Sun stately on its clouded throne.

What great delight awaits
When shadowed forest fills with light.
What intrigue is discovered
Under clear and starry night.
Felicity in symphony of
Birds, wings taking flight.
And breathlessness beholding
Autumn’s start and summer’s plight.

What hope ignites when warmth of day
Steeps deeply into heart.
When wildflowers bloom from rain
In wondrous work of art.
What promise reigns in sunrise
Heralding a brand new morn;
When daybreak’s laughing colors
Trounce the fog, 
The skies adorned. 

What humble lessons flow
In dancing with the season’s change.
Like ocean’s tide or river’s bend,
Our hearts do rearrange.
The treasure of the present
Ridding soul of fear or sorrow.
The magic of today
Eclipsing yesterday and morrow.

– TCH

Leave a comment
April 17, 2022

Christos Anesti.

I’m sitting on secluded Tank Beach, nestled under a rocky overhang that shields me from the hot sun. This bay offers wide-angle views of the flora and fauna along the northern and eastern regions of Saipan – where the more rugged and sparsely-populated terrain is found. It has been a blessed Resurrection Sunday, starting with an early morning rainfall which gave way to a glorious daybreak during the sunrise service at church. Worship was followed by a hearty brunch with new friends – who sweetly treated me like family – and by celebrating a couple as they chose to be baptized in the calm lagoon this precious Easter day.

I rest in reflection now after the exciting morning, and redirect my attention to the masterpiece unfolding before me in this moment. Crashing waves display both thunderous strength and also a smooth, swaying rhythm as they approach the shore. Massive storm clouds roll lazily north along the curving heights of Mount Tapochau. Palm fronds rustle softly, tickled by the breeze. Tiny hermit crabs cautiously approach my beach towel and explore my toes, crawling onto my feet with their softly clicking limbs, hauling homes made of shells that seem far too large for their bodies. Seabirds hop energetically along the tide pools lining the water, tweeting away as they search for lunch. I can’t help but marvel at how all of these aspects of creation seem to direct my soul’s gaze heavenward, toward the One who I believe put it all into motion. A great natural symphony is taking place, and after some time sitting in awe, I eventually join along in voice and in some simple ukulele strums with a song that lives close to my heart every Easter:

Amazing grace! How sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me!
I once was lost, but now am found;
Was blind, but now I see.

Through many dangers, toils, and snares,
I have already come;
’Tis grace hath brought me safe thus far,
And grace will lead me home.

The Lord has promised good to me,
His Word my hope secures;
He will my Shield and Portion be,
As long as life endures.

I am so thankful today – every day, really – for who Jesus is and what He has done. He has changed my life in ways that bring more joy than I ever knew was possible, and I will never be the same since meeting Him.

Wishing all who read this a sweet, safe, peaceful, joyful, and blessed Easter. And please, friends, let’s not forget to pray for and support our brothers and sisters in hurting parts of the world today who are enduring hardships we cannot fathom, and are doing so with immeasurable strength and hope.

Missing you all deeply, and sending love and enormous hugs from Saipan. 🤍

Leave a comment
April 7, 2022

Getting to know Saipan.

This Week in Brief: The gracious and supportive pediatrics department at Commonwealth Health Center helped me get up and running in clinic these past several days and get ready for my first week on the hospital service, which is upcoming. Outside of work, my time was largely spent hiking and further exploring the natural wonder of the island. From cliffs to beaches, from caves to jungle, from slot canyons to estuaries, from mountain peaks to tide pools, Saipan holds an immense diversity of wilderness for its relatively small size (approximately 12 miles or 19 kilometers long by 5.5 miles or 9 kilometers wide). So many of the sights and sites here speak not just to the radiance but to the history and bravery of this island which, over the years, has seen everything from flooding and flattening due to typhoons and tropical storms to destruction and devastation from war and expansionism. And still, it stands strong and tall and simply beautiful. May we all learn a thing or two or twenty from the island and its people – steadfast, resilient, and defiantly joyful – no matter what trials life brings.

Come saunter through Saipan with me:

A boulder and rope course through the eastern jungle leads upward to expansive views of the rugged coast of Saipan and downward to a clear, refreshing tide pool – an area known as Dragon Tail and the Infinity Pool. While the west side of the island harbors a peaceful lagoon lined by an offshore coral reef, this east side showcases the mighty, powerful Pacific in all its fury and glory.
Sunday afternoon meant a sweet hike with new friends to the Old Man by the Sea. It is customary to greet the Old Man with a kiss when you are newly visiting the island.
Fiesta Mall was a chic, popular community gathering and shopping space in the 1990s. Now, it is in eerie disrepair – overgrown with mud and lime and vines – an abandoned hiking milieu with roaming, dilapidated halls; extensive wall paintings; and wide views of Saipan’s dense jungle and Pacific coastline.
Mount Tapochau, the highest elevation on Saipan at 474 meters, is accessible by dirt road or by foot. (I opted for the latter, and wow was it a glute workout! But I digress.) It was of strategic significance in World War II, giving whichever military occupied it a vantage point of the hills, troop movements, and airfield below. The entire island and its neighbor, Tinian, are visible from these heights, and placards are in place along the trail that tell the story of the infamous Battle of Saipan in 1944. The peak is of religious consequence as well, home to a beloved sculpture of Jesus installed in the 1970s and a simple wooden cross where people come to pray.
Santa Lourdes Shrine is composed of a short path leading to a beautiful grotto and altar that resemble the prayer grotto in Lourdes, France. This is a place of worship, contemplation, and peace.
Jeffrey’s Beach is a unique, fragile ecosystem with a calm estuary giving way to the raging sea. Small tide pools, star fish, and tiny invertebrates can be found here, as can old, rusted machinery from the war.
A jungle hike up to the foot of Suicide Cliff, and a stony climb along its northwestern face, leads to a narrow slot canyon and wind tunnel – called The Crack – that cuts straight through the cliff to the other side (with some shimmying along the way). Suicide Cliff is the tragic site where hundreds of Japanese troops and local civilians jumped to their deaths fearing that they would be held hostage and mistreated once the US achieved their victory during the infamous Battle of Saipan. There are thoughtful memorials along this and Bonzai Cliff commemorating the lives lost in these battles – regardless of nationality – and warning of the futility of war. I will share those photos after personally reflecting further on this history and on its reminiscence to the warfare in Ukraine.
El Toro is a Pacific overlook composed of jagged, sharp stone that gives way to a massive system of caves. It receives its name from one particular cave at sea level, from which the blowhole exiting upward creates the sound of a raging bull whenever the waves rush in.
Thank you so greatly for following along! Have a wonderful weekend, and keep adding light to the world!
1 Comment
February 18, 2022

Joy.

You give joy,
Vibrant joy,
As bright as the sun!

You give hope,
Bravest hope,
No matter what comes.

You give peace,
Deepest peace,
In heartache and storm.

You give love,
Patient love,
Enduring and warm.

You give faith,
Ardent faith,
In the face of all fear.

You give strength,
Quiet strength,
As You walk with me here.

You give grace,
Precious grace,
That takes my breath away.

So I have trust,
Steadfast trust,
Each night and each day;

And through life –
Through its hurts,
and its cheer and its change –

I can sing
Of Your love,
And Your strength and Your grace.

And I have joy,
Vibrant joy,
As bright as the sun!

I have hope,
Bravest hope,
No matter what comes.

Leave a comment
October 3, 2020

A Weekend in BWCAW: Release.

Reflecting on the sweetest weekend with dear friends,

On canoeing and paddling and portaging, ⁣⁣⁣

Cooking over the campfire, ⁣⁣⁣

Laughing, reading, hammock-napping,

⁣⁣⁣Being bombarded with sneaky pupper kisses, 

⁣⁣⁣Being 100% content with soaked socks, smelly boots, and unwashed hair,⁣⁣⁣

Embracing sun, wind, rain, whatever came,⁣⁣⁣

And taking each day one paddle stroke at a time. ⁣⁣⁣⁣

This year has been a sweet lesson in release. ⁣⁣⁣

Understanding in new ways that we can’t control the current,

⁣⁣⁣But we can find a happy rhythm within it;⁣⁣⁣

We can’t direct the wind,⁣⁣⁣

But we can adjust our sails.⁣⁣⁣

Learning that sometimes the most loving thing we can do 

⁣⁣⁣Is let go.

Learning that confronting, healing, and finally laying to rest our heartscars

⁣⁣⁣Is the hard but necessary, freeing and worthwhile work that life demands if we want to grow and thrive.

⁣⁣⁣Learning that our communities might burn to the ground, ⁣⁣⁣

Our loved ones might fall ill,

⁣⁣⁣Our lives might take a turn we never expected.⁣⁣⁣

And that when faced with these circumstances

⁣⁣⁣It is only in the brave releasing of our fears, wounds, and preconceived notions⁣⁣⁣

That we are enabled to fully show up, hold space, be present, and engage patiently and lovingly in the beauty and brokenness within and around us. ⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣

And I’m finding again and again

That on the other side of release ⁣⁣⁣

Lies the deeply joyful, exuberant, whole, authentic life our hearts crave.

⁣⁣⁣A life that flows more freely, breathes more easily, laughs more readily, sees more clearly⁣⁣⁣.

Where the best is yet to come.

Where fear fades as faith builds and swells and rises.⁣⁣⁣

Where we accept and sit with what is,⁣⁣⁣

And still dream of and hope for and create and discover what is to come.⁣⁣⁣

Where every day we feel

Open-hearted.⁣⁣⁣

Playful.

Alive.⁣⁣⁣

Leave a comment