Bali Hai

I arrived in Kuta beach, Bali on Friday at 10pm via taxi , post ferry and 8 hour bus ride, I had been up since 3am that morning, safe to say I was a half awake Zombie. I had the address of a place to stay but no reservations Kuta beach on a Friday night is slammed packed "Full" was the response everywhere I went. After walking around with no luck, I started to wonder where it was that my buddy Miko worked in Kuta (I had no idea, just a name of the shop) as I wandered down the street I thought I heard my name being called, I thought I must have been delirious from lack of sleep. I turned around to see Miko standing in front of his shop (I hadn't been looking at names, just my feet and the inside of my eyelids as I walked). He said he thought he saw me walking down the street and knew right away it had to be me. So for the second time in a month, Miko saved me from Indonesian Unknowns. He recommended a cheap place to stay, which luckily had a vacancy and I promptly crashed out until 10 the next morning.

My first few days in Bali were rather boring, as I did not have much cash, and had to wait until Monday to get money. Fortunately breakfast is free with the room, and food in general at the right places is cheap. I spent many hours roaming the beach, just sitting and people watching. There was a ton of people to watch. Kuta on a weekend is swarming with vacationing Indonesians and all the other travelers and Aussies, Kuta is teeming with Aussies, so many so that I started calling it an Australian territory. On Sunday I sat in my room and read all day since I was out of money.

Bali is a very interesting place, think of the crowds of Waikiki and the shops and crowds of Miami then throw in the crowds, cleanliness and sales tactics of Tijuana. Every little shop along every little or big street has someone standing out front and they call everyone "Mate" ( Aussie influence) or Boss (no clue who's influence, I never knew I had so many employees) typical sales approaches go something like; " Hey Mate! yes? shopping?", "Yes, Boss you like, 10,000" they never state what is 10,000 it all must be, by the way that is normally to much and 10,000 is only about $1.10. Also it seems that every women on the island is a masseuse because that is offered to you 20 times a day. The beach scene is also incredibly different than anything anyone back in the States would tolerate. The stuff sold on the beach boggles the mind; Sarongs, jewelry, watches, clothes, hats, food, drinks, massage, pineapples skinned on the spot and of course ice cream, a classic.

Kuta was fantastic for getting a brake from the food fare of day to day Indo life, you can find anything you could possibly want to eat. I ate pizzas, burgers with imported Aussie beef, and even Mexican food all for the first time since leaving home. Beer too is also super cheap, I spent almost every sunset at a little bar on the beach (actually it is a guy with a cooler, ice and cold drinks, oh and the cooler is on a stand, that males it a bar?) watching the sun fade behind the clouds and beautiful blue ocean. Most evenings were spent out with people I had met or ran into from other travels, out at bars listening to live music or watching, various Australian sporting events. Although I never did the party scene, most nights I was back in my room watching movies and videos I had stored in the Ipod, don't get me wrong I did have some magical and fun evenings out.

After a half week hanging around Kuta beach I became very restless and had to get out and explore the rest of Bali which is a large but not huge island. I booked a tour through an agency and for a day I go to visit temples (Hindu and Buddhist temples, always found together.) I also saw rice paddies, waterfalls, fruit markets and other gorgeous beaches. It was a great tour, if you go to Bali please do more than just Kuta. Another day my sunset Bartender Wiggy said he would take me around the next day on his motorbike so he could make some extra cash. Who wouldn't trust their bartender named Wiggy to take them around? I did he was a great guide, took me to a huge Hindu statue, with it's pieces still being carved, it will be massive when completed. Wiggy and I also went to the side of the island that houses two famous surf spots. Padang- Padang where they hold a huge contest and a gorgeous beach set in a cove surrounded by cliffs. We also went to Uluwatu which is an amazing break, which can get very large. I took some surfing photos and then we went to the Uluwatu Hindu temple for the sunset and a Fire Dance, a reenactment of a Hindu story with actors all dressed up and an all male chorus of singers who make very simple sounds to make a very interesting song. That too was a very interesting day around the Island, so was Wiggy's night time driving.

I also got to surf while I was there, Miko's friend worked at a surf shop and they rented me a board for the week for about $16 dollars, if you rent a board on the beach it cost 5 an hour. So I was very excited and although the waves weren't great and were crowded most days, there was a morning with good waves and very little crowd. It's amazing how such a simple act like catching a wave (well simple to those who can) makes such a major improvement in a persons mood.

My 9 days spent in Bali were magical, hectic, crowded, calming, spiritual and filled with fun. It is a great place to visit however for a traveler it can kill the adventure in you, you have everything so close at hand you forget you are here to explore this part of the world. It is a well deserved break though for a weary traveler or a great place to end a long trip, for me however I am back on the adventure road. I'm in Kuala Lumpur again, awaiting a visa for Vietnam, I hope to be in Hanoi by Friday. Tons of new pictures are up, thanks for reading and looking.