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...
11 May 2008
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. :)
29 April 2008
27 April 2008
more stupid drama
better bike drama than dealing with those travel meds, i suppose. so call me "14 year old boy," but i am super excited about my new bike!!! although not so excited about the issues involving that fiasco. of course i'll elaborate...
blond moment #1: when i first move to oakland, i go to blockbuster and the gal tells me popcorn is on sale, 2 for 1, something like that. trying to make good with a new neighbor, i agree to the purchase. i get home and realize i don't have a microwave.
blond moment #2: i sell my heckler and buy a new lightweight cross-country bike (07 cannondale). waited a week for it. anxiously, i finally get it out to my car and then realized the front tire isn't quick release - it's a lefty fork. crap! next it's like, double crap! the thing won't even fit my on my bike rack! major, major pain involved with that one, so i take the bike back into the shop. can i exchange it? the guy says ok. i move up a notch in bike (08 cannondale - this one's pretty sweet), and they throw more cash on my card. i cringe. i get a call the next day - the bike won't be in until june. maybe. triple crap! then i decide on a specialized. can't go wrong here - there's one in the shop. but OF COURSE they won't let me take it until the next weekend because they need one in the shop to show other customers (so, yeah, they're letting every tom, dick, and harry and their grandma test ride MY new bike...but they already have my cash and i can't get it back). today was the day i was supposed to get my bike. i spent the day on uc berkeley campus (nano forum for work), which is right next door to the bike shop. i call in and say i'm heading in to grab it! yay! they're like, we're slammed. can you get it tomorrow? huh? no! i want to ride it today! well, ok, i'm a sucker, i'll grab it tomorrow during lunch. so i leave the forum, drive home, and the SECOND i walk into my home i get a call from the shop saying the bike is ready for pickup. what?! quadruple crap!
do i like drama? i seem to create a lot of it for myself.
blond moment #1: when i first move to oakland, i go to blockbuster and the gal tells me popcorn is on sale, 2 for 1, something like that. trying to make good with a new neighbor, i agree to the purchase. i get home and realize i don't have a microwave.
blond moment #2: i sell my heckler and buy a new lightweight cross-country bike (07 cannondale). waited a week for it. anxiously, i finally get it out to my car and then realized the front tire isn't quick release - it's a lefty fork. crap! next it's like, double crap! the thing won't even fit my on my bike rack! major, major pain involved with that one, so i take the bike back into the shop. can i exchange it? the guy says ok. i move up a notch in bike (08 cannondale - this one's pretty sweet), and they throw more cash on my card. i cringe. i get a call the next day - the bike won't be in until june. maybe. triple crap! then i decide on a specialized. can't go wrong here - there's one in the shop. but OF COURSE they won't let me take it until the next weekend because they need one in the shop to show other customers (so, yeah, they're letting every tom, dick, and harry and their grandma test ride MY new bike...but they already have my cash and i can't get it back). today was the day i was supposed to get my bike. i spent the day on uc berkeley campus (nano forum for work), which is right next door to the bike shop. i call in and say i'm heading in to grab it! yay! they're like, we're slammed. can you get it tomorrow? huh? no! i want to ride it today! well, ok, i'm a sucker, i'll grab it tomorrow during lunch. so i leave the forum, drive home, and the SECOND i walk into my home i get a call from the shop saying the bike is ready for pickup. what?! quadruple crap!
do i like drama? i seem to create a lot of it for myself.
24 April 2008
i win! and i'm broke!
not so "efficient," but i scored all my meds as of 5pm today and am ready to take on anything indonesia has to throw at me...well, except maybe for dengue fever, japanese encephalitis, avian flu, and pollution! oh wait, there's also rabies and schistosomiasis, which is this larvae thingy that lives in freshwater lakes and penetrates your skin. sweet!
and the official tallies are...
meds:
consultation (mandatory) -- $60
typhoid -- $73.50
hep A -- $79
tetanus -- $45
polio -- $50
malaria -- $36
anti-diarrheal, diarrheal prophylaxis, and antibacterial -- $30
"dr. brown" copay that didn't do me any good except shorten my life by two years, and so what good are these meds after all? -- $25
total = $398.50
hotels (19 nights):
seminyak (5) -- $120
ubud (5) -- $140
toyabungkah (3) -- $48
amed (3) -- $162 (feng shui!)
sanur (3) -- $72
total = $542
that's depressing. and just watch...as trina said, now i'll get a cold!
and the official tallies are...
meds:
consultation (mandatory) -- $60
typhoid -- $73.50
hep A -- $79
tetanus -- $45
polio -- $50
malaria -- $36
anti-diarrheal, diarrheal prophylaxis, and antibacterial -- $30
"dr. brown" copay that didn't do me any good except shorten my life by two years, and so what good are these meds after all? -- $25
total = $398.50
hotels (19 nights):
seminyak (5) -- $120
ubud (5) -- $140
toyabungkah (3) -- $48
amed (3) -- $162 (feng shui!)
sanur (3) -- $72
total = $542
that's depressing. and just watch...as trina said, now i'll get a cold!
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