Kuta

Google this: Tropical Bali Hotel
and be very jealous of me. it's nicer than the pictures. That's is my home for a few days while I explore the beach areas of Bali. Right now I'm sitting in an internet cafe in busy and loud Kuta. We are here for the afternoon and my friends the Xiao sisters are getting massages so I'm wandering around by myself. Kuta feels like some kind of weird version of Las Vegas, a bit obnoxious, I am glad I am not staying here. I was walking down the main shopping street which is way too commercialized and crowded for my taste, feeling annoyed by how loud it is here when I realized I was hungry and stopped into a bar that was playing the chili peppers overhead. Had a nice tuna sandwhich and it didn't take long before I have having a drink with a nice Australian boy. And the bartender put on a Foo Fighters song for me. So I can no longer complain about Kuta. This part of Bali is Aussie party central. Though I love Australians dearly I had my share of their heavy drinking nights just a few weeks ago in another tropical location.

Ok time for a proper update.

Anyway, last time I left off after seeing Wayan. That evening I was sitting on the porch of my room when my neighbor rode up on her bike and we became friends right away. Xiao Wei Mak is a 32 year old from Singapore living in Malaysia. We went for dinner at the Laughing Buddah Bar that had nice live acoustic music. I was going to play but was too tired to wait around after that all day session with Wayan. Xiao Wei booked a tour for the next day with the tourist center and so I decided to join her.

The two of us went on a full day tour to see a bunch of temples around Bali. There we 5 other lovely people on the tour a guy from Holland, and three people from France. All good company. Some of the temples involved some pretty long walks (in the heat, it is sooooo hot) so it was a tiring day but the temples were great to see. At the moon temple we saw the biggest single piece casted drum in the world the that is 2200 years old. We also stopped at a coffee plantation where they sat us outside on a little patio area with a magnificent view of a big valley. As soon as they served us samples of different coffees and teas the rain came pouring down and it was a beautiful moment, thunder and all. We had a late lunch up on the mountainside at a restaraunt perched on a cliff that was suppsed to have a "spectacular view." All we could see was the think fog around us and it felt like we were eating in the sky. Again as soon as we sat down the rain came down hard, so loud we couldn't even talk to each other but enjoyed a nice buffet lunch. As we had desset the fog cleared just enough to see the view, which was indeed spectacular- of a mountain and lake and lots of green. That night we had the birthday celebration at Teba house with the family. Seafood and choclate cakes.

The next day Xiao Wei and I had our own private day tour with our driver Tui arranged by Ketut (Teba House owner). We saw a couple more temples, while some of the temples themselves start to look the same after a while the best part are the setting of temples. We went to one that was in the water that had both Hindu and Buddhist traditions. We visited the Botanical Gardens and a market near Lake Beratan. We had lunch up in Minduk in the mountains again (my favored place because it was much cooler up there) at another restaurant with a lovely view. Tui then took us up north to Lovina to see the north beaches and we sat in little gazebo and had a coconut. Then he drive us through Singaraja and took a look at some hot springs. THis day was more relaxing than the previous becuase it was less walking and a lot of scenic driving. Since it was just the two of us we could stop whenever we wanted and is was a nice relaxing day. I spent a lot of the drive learning about Asia from Xiao Wei and her travels. She's graet to have around not just because we can have good talks but sice she speaks Malay she can communicate well with the local. Very smart girl, funny too, and easy to be around. Very glad I met her.

When we got back to Teba House Xiao Wei's sister Xiao Hong was there waiting for us who came to Bali juse for a few days. We all went out to dinner to a nearby restaurant to try a duck dish that is a Balinese specialty. They are both great to hang out with and we all seem to have a similar temperment and way about they day. They invited me out to Sanur with them so I booked a room at the Tropical Bali Hotel with them. They did another tour yesterday but I had enough driving so I came straight to Sanur from Ubud. The hotel was a bit hard to find but as soon as walked onto the ground I was sooo happy. The owners, Michael and Brahma from Sweden greeted me and I loved them right away too. There are 8 huge air conditioned (this is a big deal, i haven't had a/c yet and it's really hot and uncomfortable) rooms facing a gorgeous pool surrounded by trees and flowers. The grounds and architecture make it seem so peaceful and welcoming and COMFORTABLE. I went to check out Sanur for a few hours. It's known to be more low key than Kuta and it is. I took a taxi to beachfront walk and strolled down the boardwalk and noticed it was mostly old people so I didn't feel like hanging out there. Opened up my Lonely Planet guide and found a cafe to have a veggie sandwhich lunch and then walked along the main street and found the nicest internet cafe ever. Sanur was nice but not nicer than Tropical Bali Hotel so I took a taxi back and had a couple hours in the pool to myself. The Xiao sisters came a little later and Michael and Brahma served us dinner on their patio. THis was the BEST meal I've had since coming here. So we hung out on the terrance for a few hours with lightning in the distance. Then I had the best sleep in a nice comfortable cool bed. If you are able to have on tonight be thankful. I will be!

So this morning I woke up and did some yoga and went for a short swim. We were served a beautiful breakast (included in the $40 per night, which is way outside my budget but it is soooo worth it) with fresh fruit, homemade bread, and tea. The three of us took a taxi to Sanur and walked around in the heat, stopped in a cafe for a lassi, and then came down here to Kuta. I have the next couple days unplanned but I'll be back in Ubud on the 28th and spending the rest my time in Bali there, as it is by far my favorite place so far. Plus I left most of my luggage with Ketut so I wouldn't have to drag it all around with me.

So, yes I am enjoying Bali and I do feel like I am making the most of everyday. I rest when I want and go out on adventures when I want. One of the biggest concerns people had for me was that I was travelling alone, but I wasn't along for long. It's easy to get around here, and a beautiful place to be. Though the third world is still very apparent, and I've gotten ripped off, the hoards of shops and sellers become draining, and the traffic can be a bit much, and its soooooooo HOT.......this is easy compared to India. I'm just saying all this cause I don't want to glamorize anything. This isn't paradise, but still absolutely beautiful, enjoyable, and a great place to travel and learn.