Blogs from Kuta, Bali, Indonesia, Asia - page 51

En route to Bali I had a rather unpleasant encounter with a guy in the mens toilets who left no doubt in my mind that he was making indecent proposals. What is it with all the gay people suddenly!? That was three already in less than two weeks. On the way I also had to stop in Jakarta and wait for a while to catch my connecting flight to Bali. After about 4-6 hours or something silly like that I went to check in only to find that for some reason I had bought, instead of an onward ticket to Bali, a ticket all the way back to Padang!! Aaarrgh! I was not a happy bunny and convinced that it was their fault and not mine (of course...) I had no choice but to buy another ... read more

Traveling is magical. It's as simple as that! Just when you think you have hit your enjoyment threshold, you realize there is just so much more enjoyment and excitement to be had. After having a sensational time in Perth (oh and yes, we did rent bikes on Rottnest Island and spent the day riding around the entire 28K circumference), we flew to Bali, an island in Indonesia. Just to remind you of life as a backpacker...here are a few... You know you are a backpacker when... -You leave a hotel costing $14/night for a hotel costing $7/night so that your travel money can go further! -You learn to use a scarf as a headband, a belt, and even a towel if you so need! -You wonder what day of the week it is, and even sometimes ... read more

I had an open air massage yesterday by the pool in a Bali bed and was completely pampered by two women for an hour, getting a pedicure, foot rub, massage all the while staring off at the ocean and feeling its balmy breezes. Later Nick picked me up on his motorbike, everyone drives them here. We went to lunch to a local Indonesia buffet style place. We drove past the prison where nine Australians are being held for drug smuggling - heroin. Two will be put to death. They dont' mess around here. We ran into a road block as there was a ceremony going on for Galungan. "GALUNGAN" holiday, held throughout Bali, as to celebrate the victory of virtue (DHARMA) upon evil (ADHARMA) when the entire island brightened with festivities while “penjor” the tall-artistically-decorated-bamboo-poles stuck ... read more

What can I say about Bali? I went there with 2 very good friends, Lila & Annabel. It was a fabulous trip with some negatives here and there. The weather was wonderful and the beaches are great. Spent a lot of time on the beach, but also took in the sites and the culture. I was surprised to to discover that there is a lot of Indian influence in Indonesia (hence the "Indo" part). Everything in Indonesia is cheap, however if you are a foreigner, expect to be taken for a ride when it comes to the cost of anything. I hate bargaining, but I became a pro at it by the 2nd day, otherwise you end up being ripped off left, right and center. The starting price of anything always ended up being more than ... read more

We have both recovered quickly from hospital, and unfortunately the doctor said that there was nothing that we could do to avoid getting sick, because even the cleanest of restaurants can carry the bacteria on their dishes, in the water… anything really. It doesn’t help that most Asians spit everywhere and pick their noses. It sucks, because after the first time we were so careful, and it is not even our fault that we got sick again. So we have just spent one week in Bali, we didn’t even rinse our toothbrushes under the water because we just cannot afford to be sick again and lose more time as it is quickly dwindling away. At the end of our stay in Phuket we were SO SO SAD TO LEAVE. We had one last night out which ... read more