Travel Talk (Ubud, southern Bali)

WEll... the last few days have felt like a lifetime. So one morning we woke up in Railay and packed all of our stuff into our tiny backpacks. Then we walked across a long stretch of muddy land(where the tide had gone out overnight) to catch our ferry. You guessed it, it was one of those tiny longboats. After wadding through water up to our thighs we managed to keep our stuff dry and were taken to Krabi town, from there a minivan to Phuket town. We spent an afternoon there killing time till we caught another minivan to the airport. Only a 45 min flight to Bangkok, then 6 hours overnight in the airport till we caught our flight to Bali. It was freezing and we were stuck on cold metal chairs as everything was closed overnight. 4 hour flight to Bali, hour drive to Ubud, and finally we are here. Enough complaining though. After the delirium passed I was able to realize that, totto, we are not in Thailand anymore. We are in the East of the Center of Ubud and I have never been in a more charming place. It is custom here that if you build a house you must built according to tradition. That means that there is an arch like entrance, and gardens immediately within. I have never seen so many plumeria trees, at our hostel they place them on the stairs in straight lines as you walk up. Looking out from our terrace I see a garden directly below and then next to that a rice paddy field. It is hard, hard to say "its beautiful, its beautiful..." it is hard to describe but i guess that is where pictures will come in (none today, sorry).
The other things that are hard that I haven't talked about are- everything. It just hit me a few days ago. Everything has been so stunning and peaceful, my travel companions have been so great that I haven't had a moment to realize that everything is so different. This is not my home I am just a visitor, a tourist. I've never felt unwelcome or uncomfortable but I have noticed a weight in my chest a few days ago and I think it is just the lack of roots, of knowledge of the reason for why houses here are built a certain way or whatever... No matter how hard a traveler tries they will always be just that, a visitor.
This is not a sad or unexpected realization, simply one that is an important part of my trip. Traveling has been so exhilarating and it will continue to be so for the rest of my journey but it is different from my home, from my friends and family, all of itmakes me feel a stronger connection to them. My roots grow deeper in the home that I know as I reach to explore what I do not know.
Besides that, today was great. We walked around and shopped all day, I finally found fabric for my mom and then Iulia got a tattoo. As she was inside I hung outside with the locals and after them not quite not knowing what to think of me we actually got along great and laughed a lot. Balinese people are really funny and like to laugh a lot. Most times people do not know where California is but if they do they always know Arnold (our dear Governor). We joked about that and Obama (I told them he was my best friend).
Its only been three weeks and it already feels like a lifetime, but I think that just now I am starting to be able to see where I am as something beyond a tourist. I am looking for something in the people of these strange places, and I am looking for something in myself.
Pictures coming, they will be great, I promise.