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...
No comments:
Post a Comment