The Bali Express

So I have found my way back to civilization, and my ear has been clogged for about 8 days now. I went snorkeling the first day I got to Amed, dove about 2 meters, had my brain crushed by the water pressure, and I have yet to equalize my ear. Perhaps it is water. Perhaps it is pressure. Perhaps the brain damaged jokes are catching up to me. Nevertheless, my hearing is at about 60 percent, but I'm still having a blast.

Since my last installment, a friend from Japan has taken me up on my offer and joined me on the road. Her name is Shiori, so now you can put a name to the Japanese face you might see in some of my pictures along the way. Nevertheless, here is what we have been up to...

19 March: I landed in Bali and set out chasing my tail. Check the previous post if you're not sure what that means.

20 March: I met up with friends from Australia - David and Tracey. We partied and then parted.

21 March: I met up with Shiori. We partied, ate, slept, ate, slept, watched some pirated movies, ate, slept, and then got ready to leave the Denpasar area of Bali. FYI, don't stay in Denpasar if you come to Bali. It's crap. In other words, too many tourists, too much noise, too dirty, etc. It's the Tijuana of Bali for me, and thus, certainly not representative of the Balinese paradise.

24 March: I met up with a friend of David and Tracey. Didi is his name, and driving is his game. He drove Shiori and I to Amed, a small fishing village on the east coast of Bali. It was great! We caught up with David and Tracey, and had a feast of a barbecue party on the beach the night we arrived - fresh Mahi Mahi, Tuna, Mackerel, Octopus, and Balinese Sambal (i.e. a hot chili mixture that tastes great on EVERYTHING!) . The rest of the time was spent drinking, eating, riding a scooter, swimming (including the ear incident), and 100 percent relaxing. Didi invited us to his house for dinner one night - OH, MY GOD! Say it with me... S-P-I-C-E-Y & D-E-L-I-C-I-O-U-S!! And one highlight of my time here was 26 March. That is the Balinese New Year and silence is practiced everywhere on the island. That means that no one is on the street, nothing is open, and minimal lights are used at night. Basically, if your neighbor can hear anything coming out of your house, you are probably going to get into trouble (and that ain't no joke!).

30 March: Didi drove Shiori and I to the biggest temple in Bali, Besakih, and then to Ubud, which is the art/culture center of Bali. Besakih was beautiful; it is nestled deep in the Balinese mountains and is a good representative of the Balinese Hindu tradition. And now we're in Ubud. It's quite a change from the fishing village, but much better than Denpasar.

As for Bali in general, it has been great, but I will be happy to get out of here. For you travelers out there, Bali is cheap, but not nearly as cheap as the rest of Southeast Asia (save Singapore). In other words, where has my money gone?! However, Bali seems to be in a different world, and so it is worth checking out. Their version of Hindu is quite unique from other forms, most specifically India's version. You will encounter daily offerings to gods and demons. Children and animals (i.e. cows, pigs, ducks and chickens) have the right of way on the street, and whoever is fastest is not only first but also right! Though it is illegal, cock fighting is almost a daily spectacle and evidently you should be betting on the reddest cock. The sarongs are beautiful and worn by everyone. You will never believe how much a 70 year old woman can carry on her head without using her hands for balance. And some final notes: don't win a fight or you'll go to jail no matter what happened; don't get caught with drugs or you'll probably be executed; don't drink the water...EVER!...; expect to get diarrhea.

As for the future, we are leaving Bali on 9 April and heading to Singapore for a whole day. We will fly and that should be the last time I am in a plane for a while. Thank Vishnu! Thereafter, we will embark on a train adventure into Malaysia with no further plans.

So until the next installment, this is the Bali Express signing off.

Selamat malam and terima kasih!