The week with my brother and family was fantastic, so good to catch up with their lives and spoil my nephews! Full week of tasting many exotic fruits & spicy dishes, making new friends, and learning how to embarrass myself in yet another new language.
The second leg of my trip started with an overnight roller-coaster-on-speed bus ride (imagine a rag doll in a laundromat dryer... yup, that's me), a cancelled flight, a sprint through Jakarta airport, but finally brought me to Bali airport, where I was greeted by my guesthouse driver.
I cannot really give a fair evaluation of Jakarta's airport, since I really only spent 20 minutes there, but I will say that the luggage belts in the domestic terminal are excruciatingly slow!! 15 of my 20 minutes were spent pacing between three different luggage carousels, and within the next 5 minutes I transferred terminals (walked next door), got my boarding pass and re-checked my luggage, cleared security, and sprinted to the boarding gate just in time for take-off. I've missed running through airports, it's kind of like a sport for me, or an obstacle course with the added benefit of stretching my legs between flights. I use my rugby training and "run at the gap" to squeeze between luggage toting pedestrians and wandering children (very unpredictable in their movements), and I actually find airports are almost easier to navigate at a quick run. Needless to say my poor ankle was rather sore after my little run through the terminal, but it made me smile to be able to do it again. :)
Oh, and I found this sign particularly helpful when I went to freshen up in the ladies room. Just in case you were considering it, whatever you do,
DO NOT STAND ON THE TOILET SEAT!!!
Ok, I know, very petty of me to post photos of airport toilet stalls, but I was jet-lagged when I started this little photo series, and now I feel obligated to continue.
My arrival in Bali was fantastic, the zen-like quiet domestic terminal of Denpasar airport was like a breath of fresh air after Jakarta, literally. I somehow thought that this meant Bali must be nearly tourist-free, even the airport is quiet, and then I walked outside and ran into the hordes of flip-flop wearing, loud talking, camera waving tourists. Apparently most tourists travel via the international terminal, which looked to have about as much zen as a Walmart during back-to-school week.
I was met at the airport by the guesthouse staff, and while I was skeptical booking this place online, Budha's Guesthouse really is a little piece of heaven in the middle of an otherwise chaotic part of Bali (Kuta/Legian). Who wouldn't feel relaxed staying in a place called Budha's Guesthouse?? :) Very pleased, and the staff are pretty awesome at making sure that even grubby backpacker guests like myself are treated like royalty, lovely treat to stay here.
My first 24 hours in Bali:
- I strolled through tourists trap along Kuta beach and Legian,
- caught the sunset,
- enjoyed proper street side chicken satay
- met up with a new couchsurfing friend, who took me zipping around town on her scooter to meet up with more new friends,
- danced the night away at Sky Garden,
- navigated my way around the city, on a SCOOTER :) (in search of an affordable fastboat company)
Yaay, I've missed driving a scooter! Driving on the left is a little goofy, my brain would reset to the right side every time I turned a corner, and then panic to remember which direction to swerve away from the oncoming traffic.
- zigzagged down to the southwestern tip of the island (on my scooter)
- climbed some rocks for a better view,
- spotted a dirt road, which led me to one Bali's hidden surf treasures,
Inspired by the surf stars, I asked if I could jump in, and they sent me down the road to another beach for newbies, but seeing as I really never have surfed, it's probably best I don't start on a cliff with coral reef to land on.
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| Another beach with wicked rip tide along the way |
- surfed for the first time ever!!!
The newbie beach was pretty quiet, and I was ready to just rent a board and give it a shot since the pros down the road made it look pretty simple. A couple of travelers from Portugal (also learning to surf) convinced me to pay the extra $5 for an instructor, and after 5 minutes of talking about snowboarding, we headed for the waves. Two hours later and I can already see myself living the life of a beach bum, nothing but surf, sun, and sand baby! I'd like to be modest, but I feel like I was born to surf, and yet it's taken me 30 years to discover this because I grew up in the Canadian prairies and sub-Saharan Africa! Sigh...
Packed day, including a minor "run in" with the local police - not cool to drive a scooter without an international license, oops... Supper with more random friends at the food market, home to Budha's to pack my bag, and off to Gili islands via speed boat this morning!
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