September 14, 2010
I’m kickin’ it back in Bali at a beach town called Sanur. It is a fun area with a beach front walk. I’ve done well at avoiding the shopping, but have enjoyed the food and beach. The water is warm and refreshing. The days are hot and humid so the water is a nice relief. The shade and breeze also makes it comfortable. Oh, supposedly, a lot of ex-pats retire here.
Yesterday (my first day here), I started with a huge breakfast. My room rate comes with breakfast for two so each morning I’ve been eating both! It’s a hardy breakfast of eggs and pancakes. Then I walked the town a bit. The main street is a mix of luxury homes and stores alongside more what you would expect in a developing country. You immediately see a strong presence of Hinduism on Bali by the offerings that are on the sidewalk in front of doors. Each morning new ones get laid out. They are small open boxes made of a palm-like leaf and then there are petals, a little food and sometimes incense in them. There are also larger shrines for the offerings. I have to watch my footing so I don’t step on one. I don’t want to upset the gods!
The beach was very relaxing. And since swimming in warm water, reading and lying on the beach isn’t relaxation enough for me I got a 30 minute massage for $4. J The woman did a good job and I had a beach front view on the covered verandah. They also do manicures and pedicures, but I had to show some restraint! Being a beach goer is a bit different when your alone. You can't leave your valuables on the beach. So I have a small dry bag inside another dry bag that I swim with. I slip it up on my arm and it looks like I'm wearing a kids bright green floaty. No one will miss me!
Unlike Korea, I haven’t seen anyone else traveling alone and being a tropical island this is definitely a destination for lovers. So everyone is curious about me being alone. I don’t feel safe announcing I’m alone so now I’m traveling with a friend who has a bout of food poisoning and is in the room recovering. J There is a nearby town that is known for clubs so maybe there are more lone travelers there. I’m quite content with a low key vibe though.
Last night I headed out for happy hour and dinner. I was surprised the menus weren’t full of seafood options. They are definitely there, but chicken, beef and pork is also well represented. The food has a hot spice to it, but it is not as hot as Korea (maybe that’s because they’re tourist restaurants). Satay is common and that comes with mixed rice.
On my way back to the hotel I passed a bar showing the Commonwealth Games so I popped in for a drink. I actually ordered a beer! I’m no beer drinker, but the Indonesian beer (Bintang) was pretty good. They also had a pool table so I played a few rounds. I actually won a couple of games, but that’s because my opponent scratched at important moments. A cover band also began playing so all in all it was a fun bar. I was told to avoid the nearby club, which is apparently only filled with prostitutes. Glad I got the heads up!
This morning I headed out to get an extension on my tourist visa. From the Indonesian website I thought I could get it at the airport, but apparently not and I arrived to late to go there from the airport. I was ready for it took take awhile knowing something would happen and low and behold it did. The taxi driver dropped me off at the US Consulate instead of the immigration office (this is after over-charging me, I found out later). He wants to take me the harbor for my boat tomorrow – I don’t think so! I have found that these setbacks actually often give you something in return. It’s like the universe offering you something in return for your troubles. This reward was that on my 2km walk to the office I came across a gorgeous Hindu temple. I think that’s what it was. I wasn’t given any info and I can’t find it online. It was an old structure built on a square foundation and then with a circle in the middle. The inside has been revamped and looks very modern. There is a central spire that I walked up and it gave nice views of the surrounding park and town. There was a huge sign saying that if you were menstruating that you couldn’t go up. I’ve heard of that before for other religions, but didn’t know it applied to Hinduism. I briefly met 3 young Indonesian tourists there – each of whom wanted a picture with the blonde woman from NYC. It was amusing.
So I finally make it to the office after making many stops to ask for directions and it was closed for lunch. I thought it might be and I only had to wait 20 minutes. There was lots of coming up and down from the counter and searching out the copier that was outside and around the corner. And after all this I was told to come back on the 20th to pay and then on the 21st to pick it up. Considering the taxi fares I’ll be paying I should have just paid a travel agency $10 to do this for me. But if I had then I would have missed out on the really cool temple. So even though I plan to leave Sanur tomorrow I have to be sure to come back so I can get this extension.
After all this I made it to the beach for lunch at 3pm and then had a good swim and quick yoga practice. Tomorrow I catch an early boat to an island off of here called Nusa Lembongan. It is supposed to have great diving and I’m actually looking forward to a more remote location. There are two villages on the island and I can rent a bike and explore.
Oh, here is a shocking bit of info – the books at the Singapore airport were cheaper than at the mall bookstore!
I should apologize for no photos. I left my laptop at my friends in Singapore for this leg of the trip and the computer I’m on now doesn’t have a slot for my memory card. I didn’t even think of bringing my cord that connects the camera to a laptop – I’ve never used it and it’s deep in storage right now. Hopefully, my next stop will have a newer laptop.
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