Wayan shows me beautiful Bali

I think I want to be Balinese in my next lifetime. It's just so relaxed here. There is no reason to hurry up, just take your time and enjoy. I found another little beach that they call, White Sands Beach. It's on the other side of Padangbai and it's equally as amazing as Blue Lagoon. Of course I met some locals and chatted with them. I met a Balinese man, Wayan, who does tours throughout Bali, so I jumped on the offer. He picked me up at 8am this morning and I hopped on his motorbike (don't worry mom, I wore a helmet!) and away we went. I didn't realize how much Bali has to offer. It has beautiful beaches, cute little villages, awesome volcanoes, lush forests and amazing rice paddies.

We started down the coast and I was a little nervous about the motorbike and held on for dear life. I trusted Wayan, but I did not trust the other drivers...They are crazy here. We drove for about 1.5 hours and man my back and butt ached! He brought me to a little town to see a show. Then we went to some temples and shops. He brought me to the Monkey Sanctuary in Ubud and I got to laugh at the monkeys for a bit. They were so funny! Then he brought me to a temple with the biggest geyser in the world and the water that comes out of it is holy water. They take baths in it and wash their sins away. I met a Muslim family, which was very weird because the water is Hindu and Muslims rarely believe in it. They were from central Java, Indonesia and I don't think they ever saw an American before. I had to the movie star thing and take pictures with the whole family! After that we went to see the volcano that last erupted in 1963. It was amazing to see. Then, we just drove around through the little villages and would stop now and then to take pictures. I met some little children who were begging me for money, I felt so bad for them. All the women are so talented and carry huge things on their heads. My goal is to learn how to do that! Bali is absolutely amazing. The landscape took my breath away time after time. Tourists are needed here and they are so welcoming, but they are running out of money since the tourism is so down.

Wayan invited me to a wedding on Friday in another town. I'm still trying to decide if I should go...It would be interesting! He showed me his house and I met his family. He dropped me off at about 6pm. I had a full day of enjoyment. The lifestyle is just so different here.

By the way, I met a new friend...Ernie. He sat with me and watched the sunset and drank the condensation off my bottle. I'm glad lizards don't bite!

Padangbai and the Blue Lagoon

I stayed in Kuta on Sunday and wandered around, talked to some locals and tried not going into any shops...That was the hard part! Kuta is a crazy, little beach town with tons to do. It's the Aussie paradise. There were so many Aussies there, most people were surprised when I told them I am American. I guess the American population died down after all the bombing trouble. I talked to some people selling things on the beach...Which, by the way gets very annoying! The guys would try to sell me something and after saying no, they would just sit down and talk to me. Their business is hurting from the lack of tourists. There weren't many people on the beach at all. I sat there for awhile and watched the hottie surfer dudes do their thing on the waves and then wandered around some more. After walking forever, I found a guy selling drinks, so I sat down with him and some other Balinese guys and talked. They were quite funny! I am used to talking to people with accents, but I had lots of trouble understanding them. Their English is very good, but their pronunciation needs work. Listen to me...Nazi English teacher! They talk with ease and don't really care about saying the words right. But, now I think I'm getting the hang of it. After the sunset, I said see you later to my new friends I walked down the street and found a little, airy bar to chill in. I started talking to the man next to me and was amazed by his stories. He's from Wisconsin and has been sailing around the world for 6 years now. He's stuck in Bali until the winds change and he's leaving again. I'm guessing this guy must be loaded with money to last that long. I think he's a little of the ladies' man trying to find willing girls to wine and dine and take sailing. He was telling me about these Swedish girls that he had to send home because of an eye infection. He is now on the hunt for new bombshell to take their places. He was eyeing the working girl sitting next to me as I was leaving!

I got up this morning and made my way to a bus to bring me to Padangbai, about 2 hours east of Kuta. The drive was nice, especially in the air conditioning. I got attacked by people trying to sell me a hotel room when I got out of the bus. So, I got flustered and walked to find one on my own. I did find a great one for about $4 a night. It's a cute, 2 floor bungalow made out of bamboo. After lunch, which was this delicious grilled fresh tuna, I took a walk and ended up finding the cutest, little beach called, Blue Lagoon. I sat there the whole day and went snorkeling and read. I got stung by something in the water, but it was very relaxing and beautiful besides that. I sat in the little restaurant in front of the beach and got some water. I chatted with the owner for a bit. He was really nice and he made the place by himself. I played with his cute baby boy for a bit. That was my day...Are you jealous? I think there is a full moon party on the beach tonight, so I'm gonna try my luck at that.

By the way, I have been typing with lizards watching me. They are my friends now...Bob and Sharon!

I made it!

I am finally here and I didn't freak out. I am quite surprised that I made it with out a little freak out. I freaked out before I left, but then I was fine once I started traveling. I left Tanya's apt. at 5:15am and it was very strange walking down the quite street by myself, about to leave. But, got to the airport and took Singapore Airlines to Singapore. I would definitely recommend flying with them, they are awesome. I watched new movies on the screen in front of my seat and I also played old-school Mario Brothers. They had so many Nintendo games to choose form and your remote becomes the controller. So, I amused myself for that whole flight. The Singapore Airport was great. It was huge and so damn clean! Then I made it to Bali at dusk and actually found my way to a taxi stand, who then brought me to the hotel where I now sit. I did it! The hotel is great, I'm paying less than $10 a night with a pool and free breakfast. I know this sounds awful to all of you stuck in the cold, but it is so damn hot and humid here. It's a big shock coming from winter weather. I'm sure I'll be loving it tomorrow on the beach!

I'm going to stay in Kuta for 2 days and then I'm going to figure out a plan of action for Monday morning. I'll keep you informed with what I'm up to!

Cheers!

The day before...

I'm so nervous! My stomach has been doing flips for the past few days. But, now I have everything sorted. I have money, I'm all packed, my boxes are sent, and my luggage is stored at a friend's apartment. Now, I just have to wake up at 4:30am to make it to the airport in time for my 9am flight. I am going out for a few drinks tonight with my friends in hope to cool down.

I still don't know where I am going once I actually get to Bali. I am hoping that all the advice my friends gave me will help me find my way. It will be an adventure for sure.

Getting ready to go...

I just finished my year contract teaching English at English Friends Academy. It was sad to leave some of my favorite students, but I know I am ready to move on. I moved in with Tanya for about a week before I head off to Bali, Indonesia. Tanya will meet me there a week later. We are packing now and my backpack is already too big and heavy. I have to get rid of some things, but I don't want to part with anything. We are figuring out a budget. We are thinking about $20 a day. I hope not to spend that much most days, but we hope to have fun also and do what we want to do. I'm nervous and excited about this trip. It will be amazing, for sure! I hope you enjoy my web-journal. I will try to keep it updated. I apologize for my misspellings and grammar mistakes in advance. I am horrible at writing and I teach English...Go figure!