Somewhere east of Lovina Beach

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I am walking along the small fishing villages along the northern coast of Bali. Along the beach, I tread a path through the fishing boats (cataramans?) along the shore through the water, as I am literally walking through the "back yards" of their owners. At night, the Bali Sea is lined the entire horizon with a linear line of lights, each representing one of these boats. They head off at sunset every day.

Ducks are all over the place on the beach; the calls of prayer to the local mosque frequently pierce the mellow surf of the Bali Sea. The sun is relentless, as this is a relatively "dry" part of Bali. Along the main road, the sidewalks have long disappeared. I am walking amongst the streams of traffic -- mainly motorbikes, many with 2 or even 3+ (children) riders. School is being let out, and the streets fill with playing children, in their school uniforms, laughing and saying the occasional "hello!" to me. I smile and greet them back.

There is the occasional minibus or car coming down the road. There are also the periodic streams (4-5 at a time) of very large (by any standards) tour buses which plow by -- they are "internal tourists" from Java. I see the packed buses with all of the faces as I walk along. As I travel through Bali, I am acutely aware of the "large mass" of humanity and individuals which are in very close proximity. I stop at a local "restaurant" serving beef satay. Customers come and go, picking up their orders and wizzing off on their motorbikes. Most start conversation with me. After the perfunctory questions, the conversations often end abruptly, I feel often due to language barriers. When one man ended with the conversation "Do you speak Basha Indonesian?" this confirmed my feelings. I watch the kids play. I watch their mother mind and run the satay stand. I watch and interact with the customers (or I should say the interact with me). I've entered a place now which is off the maps, off the guidebooks. After the satay is finished, a solitary traveler with his backpack keeps walking down the road...

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