I've never had less of a plan in my life than I do upon arrival in Bali. In all my history of careless travels, this is the most carelessly I've ever landed anyplace. I don't know where I'm going to live, I don't know what I'm going to do, I don't know what the exchange rate is, I don't know how to get a taxi at the airport—or even where to ask that taxi to take me. Nobody is ex-pecting my arrival. I have no friends in Indonesia, or even friends-of-friends. And here's the problem about traveling with an out-of-date guidebook, and then not reading it anyway: I didn't realize that I'm actually not allowed to stay in Indonesia for four months, even if I want to. I find this out only upon entry into the country. Turns out I'm allowed only a one-month tourist visa. It hadn't occurred to me that the Indonesian government would be anything less than delighted to host me in their country for just as long as I pleased to stay.

我这辈子从未有哪回像抵达巴厘岛时更无计划。在我漫不经心的旅游史中，这是最草率的一次登陆。我不清楚住哪里，不清楚要做什么，不清楚兑换率，不清楚在机场如何叫计程车——甚至不知道到哪里叫计程车。没有人期待我到来。我在印尼没有朋友，连朋友的朋友也没有。带着过时的旅游指南旅行且放着不读，这造成了一个问题：我没搞清楚自己即使想待在印尼四个月，也不被允许。我在入境时才发现这件事。结果只被批准一个月的观光签证。我没想过印尼政府并不乐意让我在他们的国家爱待多久就待多久。

As the nice immigration official is stamping my passport with permission to stay in Bali for only and exactly thirty days, I ask him in my most friendly manner if I can please remain longer.

和善的入境检查员在我护照上盖章，准许我在巴厘岛只待整整三十天。我以最友好的态度问他能否让我待久一点。

"No," he says, in his most friendly manner. The Balinese are famously friendly. "See, I'm supposed to stay here for three or four months," I tell him.

“行。”他以最友善的态度回答。巴厘人以友善知名。“我应当在这儿待三或四个月的。”我告诉他。

I don't mention that it's a prophecy—that my staying here for three or four months was predicted two years ago by an elderly and quite possibly demented Balinese medicine man, during a ten-minute palm-reading. I'm not sure how to explain this.
我并未提及这是“预言”——两年前有个年老而且很可能精神错乱的巴厘药师，在看过十分钟我的手相后，预言我将在此地待上三或四个月。我不晓得如何说明此事。

But what did that medicine man tell me, now that I think of it? Did he actually say that I would come back to Bali and spend three or four months living with him? Did he really say "living with" him? Or did he just want me to drop by again sometime if I was in the neighborhood and give him another ten bucks for another palm-reading? Did he say I would come back, or that I should come back? Did he really say, "See you later, alligator"? Or was it, "In a while, crocodile"?

但现在想想，这位药师究竟跟我说了什么？他果真说我会回到巴厘岛，与他同住三四个月？他果真说与他"同住"？或者他只是要我人在附近的话，顺道再去看他，再给他十块钱看一次手相？他是说我“会”回来，或是我“该”回来？他果真说了“回头见”或“再见啦”？

I haven't had any communication with the medicine man since that one evening. I wouldn't know how to contact him, anyway. What might his address be? "Medicine Man, On His Porch, Bali, Indonesia"? I don't know whether he's dead or alive. I remember that he seemed ex-ceedingly old two years ago when we met; anything could have happened to him since then.

打从那天晚上起，我未曾与药师有过联系。反正我也不晓得如何和他联系。他的地址是哪里？“阳台上的药师，印尼巴厘岛”？我也不清楚他是生是死。我记得两年前见面时，他似乎相当老；在那之后，他可能遭遇任何事情。

All I have for sure is his name—Ketut Liyer—and the memory that he lives in a village just outside the town of Ubud. But I don't remember the name of the village.

我只确定他名叫赖爷，记得他住在乌布镇郊的村子里。却记不得村名。

Maybe I should have thought all this through better.
Eat, Pray, Love

或许我早该好好想过这一切。