Blah-de Bali Blah

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And so it begins. This time I actually made my plane and finally at about the 243rd time of asking left Sydney for good, destination Bali! This time I made the airport with a few hours to spare (I resisted the temptation to get there a night early and sleep on a seat, knowing me I'd have overslept and missed it again!)The flight was smooth and fine, 6 1/2 hours in all, aided with my own personal movie screen thingy, annoyingly not aided by the fact that 3 of the 6 movies on offer I had rented with the girls no less than about 3 weeks before, angry! Indonesian immigration and customs was then surprisingly easy, I had heard and read lots of horror stories during such visits and that it could take hours to be processed, not something you want at 11pm at night. Luckily my entire time from landing to walking out the front of the airport was just an hour, and I avoided being anally probed or accused of drug trafficking, which was nice. Thats when the fun began. I decided to visit the ATM in the airport and take out some money, I had some on me I changed at Sydney airport but figured I could with some more for taxi rides, checking into a hostel and whatever else I needed so off I waddled (well you would with half a house on your back too). I wanted to take out some cash to last me a few days, and in the stifling heat, tiredness, bag on my back etc etc it seems I mis-read the old screen, for I ended up withdrawing a million Indonesian Rupees, yep you read that right, a million of the bas*ard things!! Suffice to say, I shoved that stuffed in my wallet quicker than Kate Moss stuffs her bra, I had visions of being accosted there and then-get the white man and all his cash-that kind of thing. As it turns out I needn't have worried that much, from the relative safety of the back of the taxi I worked out I had only actually withdrawn 55quid!!So upon paying the driver I was under the millionaire mark again, never again to return, but boy did I live it up for those 2 minutes woooo!

Kuta
I was then dropped at my destination, the main strip in Bali called Kuta, which to summise is to the Aussies what the Costa Del Sol is to us Brits. I didn't like the place immediately. Admittedly this wasn't helped by the fact that I was walking around back alleys approaching midnight (sorry mum) trying to find accommodation but I could tell even then that this wasn't for me. In my eyes it offered nothing new, inspiring or different than any other part of Asia, looking back I don't really know what I expected. It had the main beach, which apparently offers good surf but I'm not into that, and then the usual streets lined with street vendors, stalls, shops, bars and hostels. But it did it with a little less charm than other parts of Asia I've seen, they aren't even streets as such, its all very small and compact and they are basically narrow lanes or alleys, if 2 cars approach from opposite ends then there's a traffic jam. You then can't go 5 yards without a hawker trying to stop you, grab you, or sell you something, each one will try his luck, even walk down the street with you, then he gives up, walks away,and is replaced by the next guy. A 2 minute walk goes something like this: "Hey mister? Hey mate? Transport? You want girl? Hash? Beep beep?I get you anything you want? lovely girls? I take you anywhere you want go? (whispered) drugs? you sure?" .... new guy comes along "Hey mister? Hey mate? Transport" etc etc It's very draining. You start off being very English and saying no thanks, no I'm good, no really, look I just told you I.. honestly pal I'm fine, OK just Fu* off!!! Eventually you just learn to never lift your head, make eye contact or so much as semi glance at a stall.

Its all such a contradiction too, the place is mainly Muslim and before you arrive you are given lots of warnings about the hawkers, high level terrorism, religious clashes, dangerous natural disasters and alike, but the truth is that the people are innately kind and generous and always willing to help-admittedly sometimes for a price, but they are just trying to earn a living. The place is so spiritual too, every single shop, house, taxi, hawker, every single day puts a fresh offering out to the Gods, usually in the form of a tray with gifts and what I presume to be some kind of incense burning. Most of this is then eaten by the dogs but nobody seems to mind and I liked the spiritual aspect of it, as I said, a nice nation of people.Yes you could argue about the Bali bombings but those people are despised here and you cant judge a nation or religion based on the actions of a few-OK I'll get off my soapbox now. You can't really argue with the prices either, some examples being my own private room with en suite, balcony, breakfast included and the place having a pool-a grand total of 4quid a night! Going out for a feed was just a good, one night I got a peppered steak and chips, with a beer, for the huge sum of 1.50!!In essence though that was my downfall, I figured for that cheap a price I may as well get my own room and chillax (hey i'm down the with the kids!) but this then meant no shared dorms so no meeting people, all the bars and restaurants were then the type of place where you eat and watch a movie on the big screen, so trying to slip in and make friends wasn't really an option. I then figured that I would be moving about so much anyway for the first week or so and not only that but doing the opposite route to most (most come down through Asia, Bali as a last stop, then Australia) that perhaps meeting great people was a forlorn hope. I resigned myself to therefore get out and see more of Bali and then Java, enjoy the sights, and work on the meeting others and getting drunk lots once I got to Phuket and Thailand. The theory was great, the execution was not quite so defecatingly hot. Lonliness set in, or missing my Aussie life anyway, when I left home at the start of the trip I wasn't that sad, I felt stagnated at home and whilst I knew I would (and indeed do) miss my family and friends it wasn't a massive wrench to be honest, I had no massive quality of life or a lot to live for (didn't mean that to sound so dramatic, give over Elton!). Anyway, the point was I had a lot to give up in Aus, my mates and all the good times we had, going out a lot, the wife, even work, the easiness of Sydney, knowing where everything is, how to get it etc, and then suddenly you are in the middle of Asia on your own with nobody for company and not liking the place you are in:

The true measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort
and continence, but where he stands at times of challenge and
controversy. Martin Luther King

Well he was a wise man that Martin(fancy such an important figure in history being called that, imagine if Jesus was called Derrick or something,not quite the same ring you know?!) so I took the great mans advice,picked up my toys, put the dummy back in my mouth and resolved to be stronger, no way was I going to let this trip be ruined because I was a bit sad being on my own, I was the same when I first landed in Aus and that turned out fine. So I set about getting around more of Java, seeing the sights and living the dream."You can complain because roses have thorns, or you can rejoice because thorns have roses".

Some random said that, can't remember who, but its a great saying, yes I was alone in a weird country but thats a small price to pay for all the beauty and experiences I was going to have. So I left Kuta after just 2 days, initially planned 4-5 days but I was glad to have left it, I admit I may have enjoyed it more if I had met a group of craaazy cats to enjoy it with but I like to think I would have still seen past its superficial offers. To me Kuta is to Asia what McDonalds is to the culinary world, it offers nothing new or different, it is a rehash of old ideas and genres, offered at a cheaper rate but no better done, satisfying for 5 minutes but ultimately unfulfilling. And you can fricking well quote me on that one!(Oh by the way, over here they do 24 hour delivery service of McDonalds,maybe you all knew this and they do it back home, but that was a new one on me,a Big Mac to your door at 4am,well I never!!)

Ubud
So off I went to Ubud to find the other side to Bali, and find it I did. It was basically a quieter version of Kuta, wider streets, less hassle, no beach, more laid back, I liked it. Not only that but it actually had some things to offer, indeed the reasons I came here, the Monkey Forest Sanctuary and the general countryside which included the forests and more importantly the stunning rice paddy fields. The monkeys first (long-tailed macaques for those in the know) were a real treat, the people here have built a sanctuary where all the monkeys stay and they are protected with the place also being a Balinese Hindu site so its all very spiritual and looked after. Its a little like Longleat zoo in the UK (ahh happy childhood memories there) only it involves walking through a rainforest feeding monkeys instead of driving through Wiltshire hiding in your car as the monkeys rip your windscreen wipers off! Actually, looking at it like that they are nothing alike. It is great fun though, although a slight contradiction again-I find most of Asia is. On one side you are walking through a truly stunning forest, with wild monkeys all around who grab you, climb on you, you can feed them, take pictures of/with them, at one with nature etc , but on the other hand you are walking through man made concrete paths and surrounded by a dozen other tourists at all times. The price of tourism I guess. For 1quid though-yep you read that right too-it was a great thrill and was even funny at times, they are raving Winnona Ryders for a start and you have to watch your possessions at all times. There is a video above I think of them in action. Ubud then also had the great countryside and surroundings, the rice fields were the stereotypical sights on hills I expected and hope to see as I move around Asia. I know they say the UK and NZ have lush green scenery and nice views but passing this stuff for hours and hours never gets boring, seeing the colour of the fields, the way they water and culture them etc is lovely even to a person like me who has to be pretty much marched at gunpoint to even mow the lawn at home! Anyways, after just a day here I moved on again, its like that a lot, pretty much arrive in a place, find a hostel, then go find the shuttle bus or transport to the next place, then go and see the sights I came here for, mainly due to my tight time scales as I have to be in Jakarta by Friday 6th for my flight to Thailand, still not a bad life though.

OK thats it for this one, so in conclusion Bali wasn't that great but expect another one in a week or so as I move through Java hopefully encountering volcanoes, temples and stunning sights. Thanks for the messages and texts, much appreciated and especially during the initial period when I was on my own and moping-even more than usual! Loving you all

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Since I left Wales!

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Photos

Kuta Beach-Bali
Cloudy day to be fair

Talk about a spirit blowing your head off!
Petrol for mopeds sold in Vodka bottles-Absolute is right!

One chilled out little monkey
Suffice to say, scared of humans wasn't top of their priority list

Monkey loving
Yes I know this isn't me, but I couldn't play with monkeys and take pics at the same time!(they'd have nicked the camera for a start!)

Football transends location
I really liked this picture, the idea of football being played even in a remote far away place

Comments

[Sarah-Jane]

Grabbing life by the Balis
Hey love, Looking good so far, no near death experiences...give it time!! Missing you xxx

[Dave]

head up big boy! u can do it!

[Angela]

Hey mike don't be sad. i know its hard on your own and lonely - its how i felt when i was in Oz - but its a strength of character if you can get through the tough times and come through thinking of you love you xxxxx