Bali – the Hindu island of Indonesia:
The departure from Yogyakarta was uneventful. I couldn’t help notice the difference in airport protocol where there were no boarding announcements and the security level. The airport is so tiny that you can only sit at your respected gates to board. There were no ID checks from entry to the main gate all the way to boarding. It was an hour flight and not long thereafter, I was in Denpasar. It was midnight and I found Ricky and Sonia to share the taxi fare to Ubud. Both natives of Spain but Ricky have lived in Bali for 14 years and speaks the native language fluently. Right there was immediate help in finding my hotel in Monkey Forest Road. He made calls and we found my hotel in no time. I did not like my first room because of stale odor but I could not be picky at 1:30 am. I planned on finding another one the next day but I woke up at 11:00 am the next day, a very unlikely me so I decided to stay another day. That night, I was walking back to my place when Ricky and Sonia spotted my headlamp on my head. I guess I am the only one who wears this thing. We had a drink at the “Kafe”, a very nice restaurant and again, they helped me find a very nice bungalow with Ibu Putu and Dewa Nyoman at Jati3. Jati3 have a yoga studio and a local Balinese teaches when they have students. So, guess what happened next? I am teaching yoga in Bali. Jati3 also offers Spa and Massage treatments. Ibu invited me to come back to teach yoga and to bring students.
It is humid here. My deet juice is now almost empty as I apply it to my skin like a body lotion morning and night. Did the mosquitoes take out all the oxygen from me? I always feel sleepy and drowsy. Yes, the mosquitoes followed me here again. My skin now officially looks like the batik designs that they sell in the market but my skin has 3D effects; welts all over.
Bali has everything to offer for the tourist. Sitting around is not one of them. The bombing in Mumbai a month ago, the protest in Thailand (yeah the flight here was totally empty), the global economy crisis, the streets are not as busy as the locals want it to be. If you go out shopping at the right time, (that right time now is when a vendor has not made any sale yet), you can get what you want at a good price. They call it lucky sale. They are lucky for the sale and you are lucky you got a deal.
I decided to go rafting. Gusti picked me up at the bungalow and off we went to the mountains, a 30 minute drive. We had two guides Made and Made (pronounced Maa dee). It was two and a half hours long.
A new neighbor moved into the bungalow downstairs, a free spirit Oliver from Germany. Oliver travels five months every year all over the world. He rents a motor bike and explores the countryside. So, I hopped on to the back and off we went to explore Bali. We got to see half of the island from the mountains to the beaches. There were so many rice paddies along the roads.
Cambodia was slated in the travel but due to complications in flights, time and route, there was not enough time to travel so I am off to Thailand.
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