i got a little bali belly. i have the worst cramps ever, and all on my 39-hour travel day! super bummed. i am scheduled to fly into sfo on may 26 at 7:30pm, but now i hear there is bad weather in taipei, my layover...i hate flying. and the best part: my hotel played 'castaway' the other night, featuring a good ole plane crash. damn it!
needless to say, i am excited to go home. i've had enough. i think i wouldn't be so eager to head home if there were someone here with me, but i'm bored. i need another person to entertain me for an afternoon...at least just TALK to me! but no doubt my eva airlines flight will be exciting, with more kids crawling all over me.
and as for bali, overall, ironically it was the people who drew me to this place, but it is also the people driving me out of this place. tourists are nothing but a walking dollar symbol around here. it is impossible to walk by a balinese person without them trying to sell you a massage or a pedicure or transport...honking their horns at you...yesterday i just wanted to be ignored. no, i don't want to look in your shop! no, my purchase really is not good luck! no, you'd offer me the discount even if i weren't the first customer of the day! ok, can you tell someone is fed up? i just don't feel good...
i'll rehash my trip when i get home. i must keel over now in pain.
25 May 2008
23 May 2008
isolation
wow. six days without internet access and i feel like i fell off the planet! after ubud, i landed in remote toya bungkah, located on the shore of lake batur at the bottom of mount batur, an active volcano. my first night, i got a knock on my door at 3:30am. it was my trekking guide, putu. we started out for the summit, just the two of us, in the pitch black. kinda freaky at first! not many tourists stay in toya bungkah, but come in on tours from other parts of the island. however, my starting from town allowed me to sleep in an extra two hours...but then it creamed my pocketbook, just getting to this town. it's hella isolated. so the hike was pretty intense. putu is a crazy hiker. he's fast, and he worked me. i thought i was going to have a heart attack. it was steep and slippery in a lot of areas, but man oh man, it would make for some wicked mountain biking! so we get to the "sunrise view" 1.5 hours later and there is a little makeshift cabin with an old balinese woman in the back...with her cat. she has a fire going, on which she cooks our eggs, fried banana (which goes in our sweet hawaiian-like bread), and kopi (yummy balinese coffee). we got to eat away during the sunrise which was remarkable. a snowboard instructor from austria (a kid, really) and another traveler from toronto joined in the fun. they got chocolate on their bananas. i was so jealous! anyways, after my little tantrum, we made it to the top of the volcano and got to peer into a crater (actually, two of them) that spanned 7 miles. it was unreal. little pockets of steam were shooting out of the sides. i guess that sucker demolished a town in the area twice before the residents wised up and built their new town on a hill. there is also a temple down at the lake. the tale goes that the lava stopped at the foot of the temple. i suppose all those balinese offerings to the gods pay off.
after the hike, i went to the hot springs. what a joke! it's a big pool. i laid out for a while (after paying the equivalent of $10 usd) and promptly left when two meatheads tattooed from head to toe moved their towels near me and wanted to know, "what is up?" uh, no.
the rest of my time in toya bungkah was BORING. there is nothing going on in that town. after my second night, i made a six-mile walk to the town next door, kedisan. totally happening town. not. then i spent some more time with putu. he drove me around on his moped through another town in the area, songan. i don't think many tourists go here, so i was lucky! and what a place it is. if you make it up to the hills (which is quite a hike, even on a moped - i had to jump off a few times so putu could get his bike up), you end up in a remote jungle with crazy views...when it's not foggy. supposedly the ocean was down there. then we drove over to putu's sister's place. these people live in shacks, seriously. BEAUTIFUL area, but shacks. i saw a person's mattress. oh my big g. however, everyone in this area is a farmer. lots of agriculture in songan/kedisan because of the fertile volcanic soil, and i got a big ole avocado as a visiting gift. i just ate it, once the ants crawled off. so good.
upon my pricy escape from toya bungkah, i landed in paradise: amed. GO THERE. i think it's my favorite in bali. still, no internet, and no atms (which proved problematic when i ran out of money - i couldn't pay my driver, but that's a whole other story), but no tourists, either. well, not many. the beaches are empty. fairly small and pebbly, but empty. i laid around for two days at the dancing dragon cottages (a "unique feng shui boutique hotel" with dragon energy!). i was such a sloth, drinking espresso by the pool, sipping coconut water, floating in the turquoise blue water...it was a dream. and the snorkeling is UNREAL there. step off the hotel property, walk into the water and immediately you are in a coral reef, absolutely stunning! no repetition, whatsoever, just color after color after color...and last night, my final night in amed, i ate a killer tuna dinner with a lively group from, get this: oakland. i travel halfway across the world to make new friends in oakland. a very diverse bunch, too. one of the best nights of my life! i got drunk on brem...well, not really drunk. you can't get drunk on balinese liquor. the balinese think you can, but they are so small.
now i am in sanur. my last stop in bali. it's weird here. lots of colorful boats, banners, and "mature" traveler types. the balinese don't even greet you in english here - it's all german or spanish. i was sipping an espresson on the beach just now (totally trying to fit in, no doubt) and a dude asked me to dinner, some english bloke. totally weird! i said no. men are trouble.
three more days and back on the plane, when i really just want to go back to amed. :(
after the hike, i went to the hot springs. what a joke! it's a big pool. i laid out for a while (after paying the equivalent of $10 usd) and promptly left when two meatheads tattooed from head to toe moved their towels near me and wanted to know, "what is up?" uh, no.
the rest of my time in toya bungkah was BORING. there is nothing going on in that town. after my second night, i made a six-mile walk to the town next door, kedisan. totally happening town. not. then i spent some more time with putu. he drove me around on his moped through another town in the area, songan. i don't think many tourists go here, so i was lucky! and what a place it is. if you make it up to the hills (which is quite a hike, even on a moped - i had to jump off a few times so putu could get his bike up), you end up in a remote jungle with crazy views...when it's not foggy. supposedly the ocean was down there. then we drove over to putu's sister's place. these people live in shacks, seriously. BEAUTIFUL area, but shacks. i saw a person's mattress. oh my big g. however, everyone in this area is a farmer. lots of agriculture in songan/kedisan because of the fertile volcanic soil, and i got a big ole avocado as a visiting gift. i just ate it, once the ants crawled off. so good.
upon my pricy escape from toya bungkah, i landed in paradise: amed. GO THERE. i think it's my favorite in bali. still, no internet, and no atms (which proved problematic when i ran out of money - i couldn't pay my driver, but that's a whole other story), but no tourists, either. well, not many. the beaches are empty. fairly small and pebbly, but empty. i laid around for two days at the dancing dragon cottages (a "unique feng shui boutique hotel" with dragon energy!). i was such a sloth, drinking espresso by the pool, sipping coconut water, floating in the turquoise blue water...it was a dream. and the snorkeling is UNREAL there. step off the hotel property, walk into the water and immediately you are in a coral reef, absolutely stunning! no repetition, whatsoever, just color after color after color...and last night, my final night in amed, i ate a killer tuna dinner with a lively group from, get this: oakland. i travel halfway across the world to make new friends in oakland. a very diverse bunch, too. one of the best nights of my life! i got drunk on brem...well, not really drunk. you can't get drunk on balinese liquor. the balinese think you can, but they are so small.
now i am in sanur. my last stop in bali. it's weird here. lots of colorful boats, banners, and "mature" traveler types. the balinese don't even greet you in english here - it's all german or spanish. i was sipping an espresson on the beach just now (totally trying to fit in, no doubt) and a dude asked me to dinner, some english bloke. totally weird! i said no. men are trouble.
three more days and back on the plane, when i really just want to go back to amed. :(
15 May 2008
ubud
i have a rant (of course!) - travellers checks are a biotch to deal with in this country! with the exception of kuta. just don't do it. but if you find yourself someday in desperate need of cashing one out in ubud, go to bii bank. a little bit out of town, but i spent an entire morning finding this place (which gave a pretty decent exchange rate) so i had to make note of it. onwards...
ubud is BORING. yeah, it's beautiful here. but once you've seen monkey forest (which is really cool), the botanical garden (also really cool), walked monkey forest road a billion times, and seen a balinese dance, you're likely over it. the locals have picked up on this, obviously, and as they are always looking to make a buck, everyone offers totally overpriced tours for every sort of personality, OUTSIDE of ubud, of course. in that respect, if you're willing to shell out a few hundred bucks, "ubud" is very entertaining. let's see, you can zipline trees in bedugul for $60, go see dolphins in lovina (along with 20% of the tourist population on the island at any given time - i hear it's turned into quite a joke up there) for $50, whitewater raft a class II/III river for $65 (for a mere two hours...come on! whitewater adventures in yolo county gives you a full two DAYS, AND a rave party in the woods, no doubt, for $99)...the options are endless, but my bank account is not. thus, i opted for the more serene choice of spending Rp 250.000 (~$26 USD) at a spa for 3.5 hours. yes, that is right...i get a massage for 1 hour, a soak in some crazy balinese bath with milk and flowers for 30 minutes, a hair creambath for 1 hour (really needs it at this point), and a facial (my first one ever!) for 1 hour. sweet! massages around here actually go for like ~$8 USD for an hour. if you are a spa junky, bali is the place to come...well, ubud in particular because the market is saturated here (the women all say "massage?" and the men all say "transport?"), but really anywhere in the country.
so yeah, i've had a couple days here of total boredom, just waiting for the day to end. sad, huh? i made it through a book i purchased at a local shop in only three days, called "the friday night knitting club." pretty good, but the ending made me cry. what else? i did laundry yesterday. by hand. that was a production. i've eaten at different restaurants - most are gorgeous, e.g., view of a rainforest or rice paddy, and food is hella cheap here, like $5/meal or so, and the food is SO GOOD...and healthy. i get these killer indonesian health drinks for the equivalent of an american buck. one was made with tumeric, and it rocked my world. i am definitely going to research these suckers when i get back to the states. i am eating a ton of rice, and i never eat rice back home. and i've eaten breakfast every day for nine days! it's a record, and i kinda like it - nice time to sit back, relax, and read some more...and more...and more. (yes, i have actually gotten in quite a bit of studying for my LEED exam.) you actually need to eat in the morning because afternoon is too hot to eat, so you go all day totally full until the evening when it cools down. i've been drinking a ton of tea, too, especially ginger tea. they put real ginger root into the pots. yummeee.............
one more night here and i am off to toya bungkah for three nights, which is on danau (lake) batur, at the bottom of the volcano. i think it will be chilly there, but after my trek up the volcano (before sunrise), there are hot springs. that's what i'm talking about!!!
ubud is BORING. yeah, it's beautiful here. but once you've seen monkey forest (which is really cool), the botanical garden (also really cool), walked monkey forest road a billion times, and seen a balinese dance, you're likely over it. the locals have picked up on this, obviously, and as they are always looking to make a buck, everyone offers totally overpriced tours for every sort of personality, OUTSIDE of ubud, of course. in that respect, if you're willing to shell out a few hundred bucks, "ubud" is very entertaining. let's see, you can zipline trees in bedugul for $60, go see dolphins in lovina (along with 20% of the tourist population on the island at any given time - i hear it's turned into quite a joke up there) for $50, whitewater raft a class II/III river for $65 (for a mere two hours...come on! whitewater adventures in yolo county gives you a full two DAYS, AND a rave party in the woods, no doubt, for $99)...the options are endless, but my bank account is not. thus, i opted for the more serene choice of spending Rp 250.000 (~$26 USD) at a spa for 3.5 hours. yes, that is right...i get a massage for 1 hour, a soak in some crazy balinese bath with milk and flowers for 30 minutes, a hair creambath for 1 hour (really needs it at this point), and a facial (my first one ever!) for 1 hour. sweet! massages around here actually go for like ~$8 USD for an hour. if you are a spa junky, bali is the place to come...well, ubud in particular because the market is saturated here (the women all say "massage?" and the men all say "transport?"), but really anywhere in the country.
so yeah, i've had a couple days here of total boredom, just waiting for the day to end. sad, huh? i made it through a book i purchased at a local shop in only three days, called "the friday night knitting club." pretty good, but the ending made me cry. what else? i did laundry yesterday. by hand. that was a production. i've eaten at different restaurants - most are gorgeous, e.g., view of a rainforest or rice paddy, and food is hella cheap here, like $5/meal or so, and the food is SO GOOD...and healthy. i get these killer indonesian health drinks for the equivalent of an american buck. one was made with tumeric, and it rocked my world. i am definitely going to research these suckers when i get back to the states. i am eating a ton of rice, and i never eat rice back home. and i've eaten breakfast every day for nine days! it's a record, and i kinda like it - nice time to sit back, relax, and read some more...and more...and more. (yes, i have actually gotten in quite a bit of studying for my LEED exam.) you actually need to eat in the morning because afternoon is too hot to eat, so you go all day totally full until the evening when it cools down. i've been drinking a ton of tea, too, especially ginger tea. they put real ginger root into the pots. yummeee.............
one more night here and i am off to toya bungkah for three nights, which is on danau (lake) batur, at the bottom of the volcano. i think it will be chilly there, but after my trek up the volcano (before sunrise), there are hot springs. that's what i'm talking about!!!
12 May 2008
crazy beautiful
i am in ubud. holy crap, this place is gorgeous! with the exception of all the older new age hippy foreigners wandering around trying to find "enlightenment," this place is darn near paradise. fyi, this is where the people with money come when they visit bali. high-end restaurants and shops everywhere, and some of the prices are actually comparable to the u.s. still, mostly an outstanding deal for some of the freshest, most delicious food on earth. but it's so hot, i don't eat much.
this morning i went to the monkey forest and took LOTS of pictures. those critters are hilarious. they try to take everything from the tourists, e.g., cameras, food in shiny packages, sunglasses...one got away with a water today. they know the system: steal something, then get lured back with food. and the forest is crawling with monkeys. they hang out right next to you. the forest itself is ridiculous. it's a primary rainforest, and absolutely breathtaking. i was lucky to find a path where no other tourists were venturing...got some time alone in the quiet, got to sit around and just listen to the forest. the monkeys even left me alone.
i later stopped at a restaurant for some tea. i've been doing that a lot lately. they have really good ginger tea around here for like a buck! i sit and people watch, although everyone is starting to look the same - aussies and euros. i hear there is a couple from the u.s. staying at my "hotel," but i haven't come across them yet. still, it could be my first encounter with people from home. weird. i thought this place was crawling with u.s. folk. apparently not. i keep getting mistaken for german (my last name - my invoice at the first hotel was even printed out in german). oh, and the best part is whenever i go into a restaurant and ask for a table, they want to know where my "number 2" is, every time! i'm like, yeah, it's just me. then they're shocked and look like they feel sorry for me and want to make small talk because they think i'm weird or maybe lonely, something. they want to know if i am "married or have boyfriend," and "where is he?" when asked if you're married, you're supposed to say "not yet." that's what they all say around here. i flat out say, "no way jose" (which they don't quite understand), and "men are nothing but trouble." they understand the word trouble and most woman agree with me. still, to put them at ease, i usually end the tension by simply saying, "ok, so not yet." hmm.
i have definitely learned a few things about myself on this trip so far. for one, traveling solo for three weeks is too long...for me. i am CRAVING some good conversation right now, and i am not finding any with other tourists. really, the tourists here (again, aussies and euros) are SO not friendly. they don't even return a smile. i have also learned that i don't so much miss my apartment or bed or clean tap water (i think i've traveled enough to have already learned to appreciate such things), but it's the people i miss. ok, i am not going to get all sappy here, but seriously, i miss my friends and family, i miss the phone ringing, and i actually miss work because i have the coolest coworkers ever! but i am taking this trip for what it is: an experience in another culture.
ok, it's tea time. i think they've put the tea outside on my front porch now. i can go drink some yummy tea and stare at the rice field next door to me. hehe.
this morning i went to the monkey forest and took LOTS of pictures. those critters are hilarious. they try to take everything from the tourists, e.g., cameras, food in shiny packages, sunglasses...one got away with a water today. they know the system: steal something, then get lured back with food. and the forest is crawling with monkeys. they hang out right next to you. the forest itself is ridiculous. it's a primary rainforest, and absolutely breathtaking. i was lucky to find a path where no other tourists were venturing...got some time alone in the quiet, got to sit around and just listen to the forest. the monkeys even left me alone.
i later stopped at a restaurant for some tea. i've been doing that a lot lately. they have really good ginger tea around here for like a buck! i sit and people watch, although everyone is starting to look the same - aussies and euros. i hear there is a couple from the u.s. staying at my "hotel," but i haven't come across them yet. still, it could be my first encounter with people from home. weird. i thought this place was crawling with u.s. folk. apparently not. i keep getting mistaken for german (my last name - my invoice at the first hotel was even printed out in german). oh, and the best part is whenever i go into a restaurant and ask for a table, they want to know where my "number 2" is, every time! i'm like, yeah, it's just me. then they're shocked and look like they feel sorry for me and want to make small talk because they think i'm weird or maybe lonely, something. they want to know if i am "married or have boyfriend," and "where is he?" when asked if you're married, you're supposed to say "not yet." that's what they all say around here. i flat out say, "no way jose" (which they don't quite understand), and "men are nothing but trouble." they understand the word trouble and most woman agree with me. still, to put them at ease, i usually end the tension by simply saying, "ok, so not yet." hmm.
i have definitely learned a few things about myself on this trip so far. for one, traveling solo for three weeks is too long...for me. i am CRAVING some good conversation right now, and i am not finding any with other tourists. really, the tourists here (again, aussies and euros) are SO not friendly. they don't even return a smile. i have also learned that i don't so much miss my apartment or bed or clean tap water (i think i've traveled enough to have already learned to appreciate such things), but it's the people i miss. ok, i am not going to get all sappy here, but seriously, i miss my friends and family, i miss the phone ringing, and i actually miss work because i have the coolest coworkers ever! but i am taking this trip for what it is: an experience in another culture.
ok, it's tea time. i think they've put the tea outside on my front porch now. i can go drink some yummy tea and stare at the rice field next door to me. hehe.
11 May 2008
no teknik
ok then! only took 7 minutes to log on there...obviously i'm not totally relaxed. it's a bit difficult to relax in kuta. so many people! granted, i am glad i booked 5 nights in advance here otherwise i would have ditched the place the first day, but sticking around, it was overall a good experience...despite the masses. the beaches are nuts. the streets are out of control. i think people around here are born on a moped, with a hand on the horn, screaming "transport!"
the good stuff. i hired driver to haul me around a few tourist spots the past couple of days. one i hit was bedugul, in north bali. there are twin lakes up there. very small towns with lots of rice paddies, and it is cold despite being only an hour away from scorching hot kuta. really, amazing. i also saw a temple (cannot recall the name) and tanah lot. (can't remember - did i say all this stuff in my last post? i have a journal going as well, so i am getting confused.) usually you can walk out to the temple, but not now - the waters are high since rainy season just ended. yesterday, the driver (james, btw) drove me to nusa dua and uluwatu. first, in nusa dua, we proceeded to located a secret surf spot, sri lanka (per Lastuka's recommendation), since surf in kuta has been totally blown out since i got here. the only option is whitewash. so we finally find this beach, and due to wind, no boats are driving people out! however, the beach, accessible via a windy undeveloped road, was really bizarre. all these naked euros lying around in this oddly secluded, small beach with snow white sands and crystal blue waters. even james had never been there before, and he was born on the island. then we proceeded to uluwatu. holy crap! that place is cool. the cliffs towering over the turquoise blue surf was surreal. i tool lots of pictures. the temple wasn't half bad either. i had to wear a sash. they gave me a yellow one. after uluwatu, james drove me to jimbaran which is just south of kuta and the airport. this place is known for its seafood and 24 restaurants that literally sit on the beach. so get this: i order fresh red snapper plus all these goodies, arak (a balinese "whiskey" equivalent, but sweet), a glass of wine (hey, i'm on holiday!), and water...i get a table on the sand, first row from the water...AND positively the MOST amazing sunset EVER...all for less than $20 USD. that was my big spend this week. not bad. so the sunset. i am sitting there thinking, haha, i'm watching an actual balinese sunset. this is so cool. and the best part: it was totally orange, like a big paintbrush took multiple orange strokes on top of a clear blue canvas. absolutely amazing. again, i took lots of pictures.
as a sidenote, i have learned there are two things i don't like about traveling alone. 1) pictures are a bitch. don't expect many candid shots of me...if any at all. 2) there is nobody to share these moments with. the hardest time is in the evening when you really want someone around to rehash the day with, or just talk to...and there is nobody. that is hard. but otherwise, traveling solo has been very, very easy.
and then there was today. i went to the beach and got my ass toasted by the sun! i am not kidding, and i am so mad. but then, did i really think 15 spf would last me 4 hours in balinese sun and surf? here is me...environmentalist who did her thesis on environmental health and safety, exercise fanatic, health nut, non-smoker, non-alcoholic (i swear!)...then i go and get myself some skin cancer. niiiiiiice. the best part is, it's totally splotchy. nice job applying the sunscreen overall, i'd say. well, if the sun doesn't kill me, the street pollution from all the mopeds around here will. OH, and i almost forgot to tell you about the mosquito bite! yeah, i woke up yesterday morning with my eye swollen shut. and again, i took pictures.
tomorrow i head for ubud. a whole new adventure awaits...
the good stuff. i hired driver to haul me around a few tourist spots the past couple of days. one i hit was bedugul, in north bali. there are twin lakes up there. very small towns with lots of rice paddies, and it is cold despite being only an hour away from scorching hot kuta. really, amazing. i also saw a temple (cannot recall the name) and tanah lot. (can't remember - did i say all this stuff in my last post? i have a journal going as well, so i am getting confused.) usually you can walk out to the temple, but not now - the waters are high since rainy season just ended. yesterday, the driver (james, btw) drove me to nusa dua and uluwatu. first, in nusa dua, we proceeded to located a secret surf spot, sri lanka (per Lastuka's recommendation), since surf in kuta has been totally blown out since i got here. the only option is whitewash. so we finally find this beach, and due to wind, no boats are driving people out! however, the beach, accessible via a windy undeveloped road, was really bizarre. all these naked euros lying around in this oddly secluded, small beach with snow white sands and crystal blue waters. even james had never been there before, and he was born on the island. then we proceeded to uluwatu. holy crap! that place is cool. the cliffs towering over the turquoise blue surf was surreal. i tool lots of pictures. the temple wasn't half bad either. i had to wear a sash. they gave me a yellow one. after uluwatu, james drove me to jimbaran which is just south of kuta and the airport. this place is known for its seafood and 24 restaurants that literally sit on the beach. so get this: i order fresh red snapper plus all these goodies, arak (a balinese "whiskey" equivalent, but sweet), a glass of wine (hey, i'm on holiday!), and water...i get a table on the sand, first row from the water...AND positively the MOST amazing sunset EVER...all for less than $20 USD. that was my big spend this week. not bad. so the sunset. i am sitting there thinking, haha, i'm watching an actual balinese sunset. this is so cool. and the best part: it was totally orange, like a big paintbrush took multiple orange strokes on top of a clear blue canvas. absolutely amazing. again, i took lots of pictures.
as a sidenote, i have learned there are two things i don't like about traveling alone. 1) pictures are a bitch. don't expect many candid shots of me...if any at all. 2) there is nobody to share these moments with. the hardest time is in the evening when you really want someone around to rehash the day with, or just talk to...and there is nobody. that is hard. but otherwise, traveling solo has been very, very easy.
and then there was today. i went to the beach and got my ass toasted by the sun! i am not kidding, and i am so mad. but then, did i really think 15 spf would last me 4 hours in balinese sun and surf? here is me...environmentalist who did her thesis on environmental health and safety, exercise fanatic, health nut, non-smoker, non-alcoholic (i swear!)...then i go and get myself some skin cancer. niiiiiiice. the best part is, it's totally splotchy. nice job applying the sunscreen overall, i'd say. well, if the sun doesn't kill me, the street pollution from all the mopeds around here will. OH, and i almost forgot to tell you about the mosquito bite! yeah, i woke up yesterday morning with my eye swollen shut. and again, i took pictures.
tomorrow i head for ubud. a whole new adventure awaits...
08 May 2008
finally...bali
i'm here! i've already gotten in two full days and have done lots. and fyi, the flight over here is 18 hours. i'd better have some fun. so it's hot. hella hot. like walk two steps and you're sweating like a faucet hot. but the water is cool. yes, i've been to the beach. lots. and i've run on the beach. the waves have been too crazy to surf. my room is nice, but i already had to swap. the first room was super loud with mopeds and dogs barking, all hours, so they moved me. and then the staff is super friendly, but they want tip after tip. i've spent more on tips here so far than on meals...not a joke. but these people are poor. you can't be upset with them for that reason.
alright, chronologically. i get off the plane, go through the slowest customs line in history, get my bag, and head for the hotel. first impression: the drivers here are nuts. cars and mopeds flying every which way, paying no attention to lines in the road, lights, signs...just each other, fortunately. i am actually very sad i left my license at home. i want to rent a moped. good for the adrenaline. so i get to my hotel and i say, i just flew 18 hours to go to the damn beach, so i throw down my crap and head for the damn beach and make sunset. sweet...i watched a sunset in bali. check one. sadly, the beach is super crowded. i'm staying near legian beach, just north of kuta, which is insanely crowded. but still, i was hoping for desolation. oh well. after sunset, i head back to the hotel and crash.
yesterday, i woke up at 6 and ran on the beach. sweet...i ran on the beach in bali. check two. then had a super good breakfast (my goal is to eat breakfast every day i'm here, per Lauren, because i never eat breakfast and supposedly that is a bad habit, so make that check three), started to walk to the beach, and mother bleep, i got snagged by a timeshare vendor. but this guy is super poor, he gets 50 USD for brining me in, and he promised to drive me to kuta afterwards. alrighty...two hours later, i'm in downtown kuta. CRAZY! shops everywhere. concrete. heat. where's the beach already? i get there and it really is insanely crowded. the waves are monstrous, so no surfing yesterday. i try to walk back to legian, but it's hot and taxis are very cheap here, so i grab one for like $1.50. then i head for the beach there and chill out, play in the water, ward off ~50 vendors (one guy tried to sell me a bow and arrow), and find a cool shell. i went back to the hotel and showered, grabbed dinner, then fell asleep. i am still a bit jetlagged, but not too badly.
today i woke up early because i hired a guy to drive me to tanah lot, a temple up the coast. he also took me into the mountains to see another temple and the twin lakes at bedugul...something like that. let me just say for the record, this island is GORGEOUS. i got to play with some monkeys. they were everywhere, sitting along the road in massive groups as you drive up the hills. it was unreal. the driver, james, is super cool. he's been all over the world, and used to work at the bali hyatt where he worked as steven segal's personal assistant for a week. apparently steven's a nice guy. now james is working on starting his transport business. so now i'm getting ready to explore seminyak and grab a meal.
i tried my first indonesian meal last night. very good, and it included fried rice, shrimp crackers, chicken, egg, and sausage. i fed the egg and sausage to this skinny little cat that came into the restaurant. it's amazing how well fed american animals are. i am drinking lots of kopi, or balinese coffee. super good. and lots of water. only three mosquito bites so far. ciao for now...
alright, chronologically. i get off the plane, go through the slowest customs line in history, get my bag, and head for the hotel. first impression: the drivers here are nuts. cars and mopeds flying every which way, paying no attention to lines in the road, lights, signs...just each other, fortunately. i am actually very sad i left my license at home. i want to rent a moped. good for the adrenaline. so i get to my hotel and i say, i just flew 18 hours to go to the damn beach, so i throw down my crap and head for the damn beach and make sunset. sweet...i watched a sunset in bali. check one. sadly, the beach is super crowded. i'm staying near legian beach, just north of kuta, which is insanely crowded. but still, i was hoping for desolation. oh well. after sunset, i head back to the hotel and crash.
yesterday, i woke up at 6 and ran on the beach. sweet...i ran on the beach in bali. check two. then had a super good breakfast (my goal is to eat breakfast every day i'm here, per Lauren, because i never eat breakfast and supposedly that is a bad habit, so make that check three), started to walk to the beach, and mother bleep, i got snagged by a timeshare vendor. but this guy is super poor, he gets 50 USD for brining me in, and he promised to drive me to kuta afterwards. alrighty...two hours later, i'm in downtown kuta. CRAZY! shops everywhere. concrete. heat. where's the beach already? i get there and it really is insanely crowded. the waves are monstrous, so no surfing yesterday. i try to walk back to legian, but it's hot and taxis are very cheap here, so i grab one for like $1.50. then i head for the beach there and chill out, play in the water, ward off ~50 vendors (one guy tried to sell me a bow and arrow), and find a cool shell. i went back to the hotel and showered, grabbed dinner, then fell asleep. i am still a bit jetlagged, but not too badly.
today i woke up early because i hired a guy to drive me to tanah lot, a temple up the coast. he also took me into the mountains to see another temple and the twin lakes at bedugul...something like that. let me just say for the record, this island is GORGEOUS. i got to play with some monkeys. they were everywhere, sitting along the road in massive groups as you drive up the hills. it was unreal. the driver, james, is super cool. he's been all over the world, and used to work at the bali hyatt where he worked as steven segal's personal assistant for a week. apparently steven's a nice guy. now james is working on starting his transport business. so now i'm getting ready to explore seminyak and grab a meal.
i tried my first indonesian meal last night. very good, and it included fried rice, shrimp crackers, chicken, egg, and sausage. i fed the egg and sausage to this skinny little cat that came into the restaurant. it's amazing how well fed american animals are. i am drinking lots of kopi, or balinese coffee. super good. and lots of water. only three mosquito bites so far. ciao for now...
06 May 2008
Taiwan
i just deboarded my 13-hour flight. what a flippin ordeal that was. i mean come on, for those of you who have followed my travels in the past, do you really think i'd leave you hanging for some first rate chaos?!
before even getting to sfo, i got stranded by super shuttle in emeryville for an hour. it was crazy cold and windy...and dark and scary with drunk people from chevys walking around. and the driver was crazy! i thought he was going to fly off the bay bridge, scrape a siderail, or worse yet, completely miss the exit to sfo. i made it on time. so the flight. yeah. i get on this GIANT thing with wings, and i have seat 38K. K??? was i sitting on the wing? turns out i was sitting on some guy's lap because the seat was already taken. his family had five out of six seats in these two rows, and he decided he like my window seat the best and wouldn't budge. can you believe it?! his wife is like, come sit by me! i get an aisle seat, which was actually preferable because i planned on drinking a lot. water, that is. (and the verdict: no swollen ankles!!!) so this woman is crazier than my super shuttle driver. her kids are crazier, and louder, than her! they're crawling all over me. the family asked me to swap seats multiple times to accommodate the whims of their preferred seating arrangement of the moment. i think they finally got the hint i was ANNOYED and left me alone for the last 4-5 hours of the flight to get some shuteye. thank the big G! frankly, though, the entire economy class was like...just throw me on the cramped Moroccan bus and let the chickens shit on my backpack, all over again! what a circus. but overall, i loved it. everyone was chatting it up. complete strangers were best friends by the end of the flight. super friendly folk...me being one of three caucasians on the flight. and probably the tallest person on the entire plane. i ate asian porridge for breakfast. hella good.
ok, off to my gate. one more flight to bali. ooh, i see coffee up ahead...
before even getting to sfo, i got stranded by super shuttle in emeryville for an hour. it was crazy cold and windy...and dark and scary with drunk people from chevys walking around. and the driver was crazy! i thought he was going to fly off the bay bridge, scrape a siderail, or worse yet, completely miss the exit to sfo. i made it on time. so the flight. yeah. i get on this GIANT thing with wings, and i have seat 38K. K??? was i sitting on the wing? turns out i was sitting on some guy's lap because the seat was already taken. his family had five out of six seats in these two rows, and he decided he like my window seat the best and wouldn't budge. can you believe it?! his wife is like, come sit by me! i get an aisle seat, which was actually preferable because i planned on drinking a lot. water, that is. (and the verdict: no swollen ankles!!!) so this woman is crazier than my super shuttle driver. her kids are crazier, and louder, than her! they're crawling all over me. the family asked me to swap seats multiple times to accommodate the whims of their preferred seating arrangement of the moment. i think they finally got the hint i was ANNOYED and left me alone for the last 4-5 hours of the flight to get some shuteye. thank the big G! frankly, though, the entire economy class was like...just throw me on the cramped Moroccan bus and let the chickens shit on my backpack, all over again! what a circus. but overall, i loved it. everyone was chatting it up. complete strangers were best friends by the end of the flight. super friendly folk...me being one of three caucasians on the flight. and probably the tallest person on the entire plane. i ate asian porridge for breakfast. hella good.
ok, off to my gate. one more flight to bali. ooh, i see coffee up ahead...
04 May 2008
ready to rock
alrighty folks, i'm all set. i leave hella late tomorrow night (1:40am tuesday morning). i have sleeping pills and my mini bucky. i just stocked up on snacks at trader joes. i have sunscreen galore, three swimsuits (brutal to have to bring so many, i know! :), books (great expectations, zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance, and my LEED study guide - can't help it), a compass (for feng shui research), my little bag of crystals (including a garnet for safe travels, moonstone to enhance my intuition and emotional stability, and carnelian for courage and alertness), and a cowboy hat (it was either that or my camo shorts, and i don't think the war is something i want to represent in a country the defines balance, so texas it is. hmm...). i am unsure whether i prefer a window (better to sleep) or an aisle (better to pee). i don't know how long the flight is exactly, but it's long and i am not looking forward to it. my ankles usually swell after 2.5 hours because i don't drink enough water. i need to stay hydrated on the flight - ok, so maybe the aisle is best.
it's strange preparing to travel for so long by myself. i feel a little paranoid, for instance, i don't have anyone to back me up, so for one i need to make sure i have enough cash in my checking account, and those of you who know me well understand this is a challenge because i ALWAYS cut myself short. my motto is "pay myself first," which means on payday, cash goes into savings...which ultimately keeps me from spending money on the wrong, i.e., unnecessary, crap, but i really don't want to be caught short in a foreign land. so, it took a little "courage" (thank the big G for the carnelian stone), but i didn't pay myself first this month.
on another note, i "joined the real world," as my mom said, and bought a friend's tv yesterday. it's 27". i don't have cable, and probably won't get it anytime soon, but what the hell...at least people won't make fun of me for owning a 13" tv anymore, which i sold last month. yes, somebody actually bought it...off craigslist, of course. and then the guy asked me out. talk about killing two birds there! and no, i did not accept. he was like 5'6" and we all know how i feel about the height thing...
this morning i took my new bike out for another spin. i am still in love with a big hunk of metal. it was so nice up in the oakland hills. a little chilly and foggy...the trees caught the fog like a big net and condensed it into droplets, so the trail was wet and it felt like it was raining. very peaceful, except for the three very intense guys who saw a girl on their tail and nearly went into cardiac arrest trying to stay in front of me. one failed miserably. the other two i could have taken...if they hadn't stopped! i love it - crushing a biker boy's spirit makes me happy. :)
it's strange preparing to travel for so long by myself. i feel a little paranoid, for instance, i don't have anyone to back me up, so for one i need to make sure i have enough cash in my checking account, and those of you who know me well understand this is a challenge because i ALWAYS cut myself short. my motto is "pay myself first," which means on payday, cash goes into savings...which ultimately keeps me from spending money on the wrong, i.e., unnecessary, crap, but i really don't want to be caught short in a foreign land. so, it took a little "courage" (thank the big G for the carnelian stone), but i didn't pay myself first this month.
on another note, i "joined the real world," as my mom said, and bought a friend's tv yesterday. it's 27". i don't have cable, and probably won't get it anytime soon, but what the hell...at least people won't make fun of me for owning a 13" tv anymore, which i sold last month. yes, somebody actually bought it...off craigslist, of course. and then the guy asked me out. talk about killing two birds there! and no, i did not accept. he was like 5'6" and we all know how i feel about the height thing...
this morning i took my new bike out for another spin. i am still in love with a big hunk of metal. it was so nice up in the oakland hills. a little chilly and foggy...the trees caught the fog like a big net and condensed it into droplets, so the trail was wet and it felt like it was raining. very peaceful, except for the three very intense guys who saw a girl on their tail and nearly went into cardiac arrest trying to stay in front of me. one failed miserably. the other two i could have taken...if they hadn't stopped! i love it - crushing a biker boy's spirit makes me happy. :)
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