Well it's been more than a month probably since I've last updated this blog. I think I needed the break. I also didn't have very consistent continuous Internet to work with. So, without further ado, I'll do a bit of the highlights from my trip here. Tomorrow I head to Phuket, Thailand.
Since the start of my trip in Bali, I have been blown away by the level of beauty in the most mundane of things here. Everyday life is full of ceremony and is centered around family, the community and the village . It's rainy season here right now, but I can't say that I mind as the downpour usually brings a coolness and relief from the sticky humidity. Bali is unique among the Indonesian islands. Its people are Hindu (and a type quite different form the kind in India) and proudly so. Often Westerners think of Bali and immediately jump to thoughts of bombings and mayhem. The people here were so terribly affected by the Kuta bombings that the tourist economy essentially grounded to a halt. And I've been told that security between the islands, especially monitoring those coming to Bali, has been heightened to protect the recent return of tourists. That said, another major point of discussion here is burgeoning tourism industry that has seemed to overtake all aspects of life, commercializing what was once more rare and special, and pushing prices sky high for even (and especially) the locals. Suffice it to say that you can easily spend rupiah here by the day as if you were in a Western country. But, if you work for it, you can also get by on quite little, maybe $20 USD. It's about 9,000 rupiah to $1 USD, but most people use the 10 to 1 estimation for ease.
While here I got to know a few locals and had some of my most interesting, but also most stressful moments in their company. I've visited to Nung Nung Falls, Kintamani for a view of Mount Batur, Bedugul, the hot springs, Jatiluwih's rice terraces that are vying to become a World Heritage Site (rice paddies one upon the other for as far as the eye can see), Mengwi -- Taman Ayu -- royal temple, multiple temples, much of the east coast up through to Kubu (where I went diving New Year's Day staying in a resort for free, dined on seafood for NYE dinner while a thunderstorm raged, lightning hit the resort as we huddled in the dark with candles singing village songs and sharing Bintangs (did you know there's allegedly formaldehyde in it?) and then set off our own fireworks into the storm), Nusa Lembongan (including snorkeling at Manta Point along Nusa Penida, as well as Crystal Bay and the Mangroves) -- I was also denied the chance to take a dive course or dive b/c I didn't have my medical info on me. I set off fireworks for the first time ever, also learned how to ride an automatic motorbike (a Honda Vario), I took yoga classes at Yoga Barn, also revving my bike accidentally up a curb and flying into the main office there and sidewalk-burning my knee. I was quite good on the bike while moving, but I learned the hard way to not turn on the bike all the way while maneuvering it in tight parking corners, lest my hand slip and I accidentally accelerate. Hmm...I also visited Blanco Museum of Antonio Blanco, who in my opinion is just a glorified pervert. I've also seen a medicine man while here, who was very unsettling as he knew interesting things about my health that he could not have known without taking a glance at my medical charts.
What else...I saw a couple cock fights, the local pastime here. I learned so much about the Balinese. Here when men and women divorce the men are responsible for the kids. Men here seem to envy the freedom of their Western counterparts, but there is a bit of a twist for the expat who falls in love and marries a Balinese. Apparently often enough these men will be perfectly sweet while dating (as the Western woman bankrolls everything), and then once they have the wife and the baby, the men will go off and gamble, cock fight (betting on these), and cheat. When they divorce and the woman wants to leave with the child, they are subject to Balinese law and lose all their rights. Their children cannot go with them. Balinese law here protects the local. Therefore if a Westerner is in an accident with a Balinese, whether or not it is the Westerners fault, they will likely be held responsible. The tip here if you accidentally cause the death of a Balinese despite the fact that the accident was their fault, is to get on the next plane out of the country.
While here I've spent most of my time in Ubud, which is a town made famous now by the book "Eat, Pray, Love," though I didn't know that when I came here. I've since seen the movie, which was filmed in large part here. And so you can see many Westerners here looking for peace, salvation of some sort, or escape. It's been nice for me to get to know a town very well and to use it as a base for travel. I think I chose well, avoiding the craziness of Kuta, which is apparently very much a Wild West, no holds barred, sin city. All in all, I've done most of what I wanted to do here, and am very much ready/excited to head to Thailand. I do have to say that I'd prefer to go to Japan, Hong Kong and Macau...but I will have to save those more expensive areas for another trip. Thailand will be one of the few places abroad that I will be visiting for the second time, though I will be in totally different areas than I was last. I will be headed to the Andaman Islands and its West Coast for the most part, hopefully to do a bit of climbing, and perhaps some diving (my ear has been acting a bit funky)...It will be nice to know some of the customs, language, and history from the start.
I wish I'd been better about updating this blog. I would have included some write-ups wrapping up New Zealand, my awesome second-family of Israelis, and swimming with a pod of 400 dolphins in the open sea near Kaikoura. I've also found it funny that the American accent in a country where English is foreign, doesn't seem so friendly as it did in New Zealand. True, there are many more Americans here, but perhaps the fact that it's not so obviously easy to pick out in NZ makes it more amazing to hear? Not sure...
I've also shipped a couple things home that I just didn't want to drag around anymore, especially in the warmer weather here. They were quite pricey to send, even by sea, but I'm glad to be rid of them. Hopefully lightening my load will also ease the uneasiness in my back. I had an amazing "women only" Venus Yoga session today, also a great last reflexology massage, though I'm a bit sore again. Then, for my last night, I took myself out to dinner at a place in the rice paddies (that made for an interesting long walk back in the dark -- thank G-d for my headlamp!)...Sari Organik is great on ambiance, but a bit pricey...Oh, one more thought, I just remembered, I met three Iranian women yesterday while touring about -- two from Tehran, and another from Mashad, though she is living in Kuala Lumpur. It was really cool. I could pick out where they were from immediately; they were the first Iranian tourists I think I've ever met...
Oof, okay, I only have a few minutes left at this net cafe, so I will say goodbye for now. Updates to come, hopefully, from Thailand.
