The first stop on my whirlwind global tour was the island of Bali.
"You must go to Bali TJ. Bali TJ, Bali". I have have an aunt (pronounced 'ant' where I'm from) by marriage who is from Jakarta, Indonesia. As long as she's been in our family she's been telling me to go to Bali. When my Nana was still alive I remember on numerous occasions sitting at the table with Nana and Ant Heni, and Heni proclaiming that I need to go to Bali because "it good for surping, and titties TJ, titties". So to Bali I had to go.
Although during my stay I didn't see any of the latter, they actually played a interesting role in Bali's history. A famous Dutch artist captured pictures of barebreasted Balinese women on a trip to Bali and published them upon his return to Europe. Men from all over Holland and western Europe began flocking to Bali hoping to catch a glimpse, but unfortunately for them many they only found women who had clothed themselves in honor of the new tourists. As for the 'surping' or surfing as we know it, the waves were pretty small but fun most of my stay, but my last day on the island they began to live up to their hype. I didn't make it down to the famed Ula Watu, but it was "pumpin" as the Aussies say, my last 2 days around Kuta (the main beach in Bali). I definitely surfed some of the biggest waves of my life (double over ankle at least).
Balinese:
The people of Bali (there are about 3 million) are the smiliest people I've ever encountered. It could be the hindu religion that helps them stay kind (for reincarnation purposes). Interestingly Bali is 80% Hindu and the only Hindu majority island in the most populous islamic country in the world. They are also very helpful, and pushy too. Everyone is hustling for a buck. There is always someone near willing to help you find whatever you need, at a price of course. When you do employ their help you feel obligated to give them a tip, but a secret is that they get a kick back from the owners of the place where you render the service/item you were looking for, so a tip should only be given if you feel they were extremely helpful.
When you're purchasing something they push very hard to get you to purchase the item at their price. At first these pressure sales tactics were a little much for me, especially since I am use to doing the selling and not being pitched. But after a while I learned to embrace it and feel good about my negotiating abilities. Here's an example of a typical sales exchange:
"how much?"
"40 (actually 40,000 about 20 dollars)"
"I'll give you 5"
"no 35 it's Bingtang" (meaning it's a tank top with a ripoff Bingtang beer logo on it). There is so much fake Bingtang gear being sold that Bingtang set up their own stores that sell the same type of clothing. There is no noticable difference)
The drop in price means that vendor broke their stance and now it's time to watch the price fall.
"you know I really like this, but I can only pay 5"
"30"
"I'll give you 5"
"no 30"
I walk away
"okay 10"
Cha-ching there it is
"Done"
If you don't negotiate like this you'll seriously over pay.
Aussies:
As much as Bali is the Baliense's land it's feels equally the Aussies', especially the Kuta. Bali is their Cancun and Costa Rica rolled into one. In many cases it's cheaper for them to fly to Bali than other places in Oz. Kuta Beach is where the Aussie rednecks go to lounge in plastic lawn chairs in the sun, drink Bingtang and smoke cigs from morning to night, and endulge in 5 dollar MA-sauges. Despite the image that the Kuta Roos give Australians, as a whole they are probably the most ethusiastic and fun people to travel with. Culturally they are programmed to not let anyone get too high on their own horse which keeps most of them pretty friendly and humble.
Monkeying Around:
There are many great places to visit in Bali but my 6 day trip limited me on what I could see. Outside of the Legian/Kuta area the only place I visited was the Ubud and volcano near there. Bali is a volcanic island and Ubud is a mountainous oasis away from hustle bustle of south Bali, it's famous for its monkey forest, hindu temples and tranquil yoga retreats. The day I arrived in Ubud I paid hommage the apes that put the town on the map just before dusk. They're quite a spectacle. As you enter the monkey forest locals try to sell you a bunch of bananas to feed the monkeys, which I declined. Their forest or home is on the grounds of an ancient hindu temple. These monkeys are the most human-like species I've ever seen. The elders look after and cuttle the young. They groom one another and seem to show effection for each other. However, the moment they sense food or something that may be food all hell breaks loose. When I entered to forest, I walked past a local woman who seemingly keeps the monkeys on their grounds with her broom, and then I saw a "hehe-ing" monkey attack an Aussie woman's plastic bag. They struggled over the bag for a few moments as the monkey persistently tugged as it swung from the bag until the woman finally gave in. The monkey then scaled a tree with bag in mouth as the woman pleaded, "give it back, there's no food in there just a statue", but the monkey ignored her and began to rip the bag and it's contents to shreads. As I continued through the temple the monkeys were hanging from people's shoulders and were perched on their heads grasping for the food they held as others snapped pics of their friends. The environment was incredible and also very intimidating. I felt that any minute these tiny monkeys could turn on me and tear me to shreads (I blame this fear on Dustin Hoffman and the movie Outbreak). Fortunately for me I was spared because at this time of day they seemed to be more interested in the people with food, grooming eachother, and making monkey love.
After the monkey business I found my way to what would become my new addiction, cheap hour massages. I went to a place some Slovenians staying in my hotel had recommended. For a little less than $10 I received the best 1 hour massage I'd ever had. Amazing! Afterwards, I made my way back to my simple accommodations ($15) and proceeded to sleep like a baby.
The next day my driver Rai (pronounced Ray) who had taken me to Ubud picked me up around 10 and we hit the road and ventured up to the cooler tempatures up through beautiful rice terraces and Kintamani Volcano. The most interesting part of this trip was Rai. He taught me a lot about the Balinese the simple wages that most made (maybe $200 per month if they were doing really well). He explained that they had no concept of holiday because a day not working meant a day they weren't earning. He also reminisced about the impact the bombings that had taken place about 10 and 4 years prior had on tourism, and how the decline in visitors put his previous business (selling statues and figures) into bankruptcy. His new job as a driver meant that he lived about 100km away from his family and only visited them once every couple weeks. Apparently many men live in Kuta to work to earn wages to support their families in their home villages on other parts of the island. An interesting note on Indonesia is that everyone has access to education. However, I'm not clear for how many years they can attend, and unfortunately it seems that despite 'equal' access to education that corrupt government and business denies many the equal opportunities to succeed.
Rice Terrace
Kintamani Volcano and Lake Batur
The volcano was beautiful and similar to the one on Maui except it has a lake next to it. Following the volcano I booked it back to Kuta for some more sun, massages and surf, and then on to Bangkok for a brief 24 hour layover...
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