Impressions of Bali

Bali is very, very serious about kites. There are dozens in the sky in any non-urban place you go. They're big, they fly high, and many of them are quite elaborate. Some even seem to have noisemakers attached. Very cool.

Ah, the weather. Tropical paradise, need I say more? Warm enough for shorts and tee shirt 24/7 but not oppressively hot or humid. (At least not while I've been here.) In fact, at the villa where I'm staying the wall between the living area and the pool (yes, the pool) isn't even a wall -- it's simply open, with bamboo shades that are always raised. This is what it looks like from the balcony:

I know they're an ancient and widely-used symbol, but still, the swastikas can be a bit distracting. Passed a restaurant the other day with a stone carving of a swastika above the door, over which was carved "Welcome." [Sorry, no pictures of swastikas.]

But most importantly, the people are just lovely, genuinely warm and friendly. Among the hospital staff everyone is collaborative, and I've detected very little of the ego and competition that characterizes medicine in the U.S.

Really looking forward to the coming weeks here. And what could go wrong? It's not like there will be a demon sneaking up on me from behind to punish me for my sins or anything.