Day 82 - 107: Bali, Kuta, Gili and many many other four letter words!

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I had searched for the flight(s) that would get me from Kuching to Bali as early in the evening as possible, whilst still being economically viable. The best route I found was via Singapore. So, on the 19th of Jan, I woke up at 06:00, headed for Kuching airport and flew to Sinagpore, before a 6 hour lay over, spent at the airport in an attempt to save money, and my connection flight to Denpasar.

In the morning I met a woman heading back to Australia and we shared a taxi and a fair long and decent conversation about travelling and volunterring and many other topics. In consistant fashion I cannot remember her name for the life of me, but she was very plesent and helped pass the time by buying me a coffee.

Once at Singapore airport and with 6 hours on the clock I headed to the McDonalds in Terminal Three as they have free internet access, but was caught off guard and hungry and 'forced' to purchase a sausage mcmuffin breakfast. I spent a couple of hours there before the 10 minute log off limit drove me crazy and I headed back to Terminal Two to proceed with my flight secutiry checks and so on. I also bought two John Grisham books to keep me company for my intended days on the beautiful beaches of Bali. Remember this point.

I finnally touched down in Denpasar Airport, Bali, Indonesia sometime around 19:00 on the 19th. I had completely forgot the $25 visa charge, and only had $10 equvallent in Singapore Dollars. No problem, you can use the ATM. So, I left my passport with a immegration officer, and proceeded to the baggage reclaim where 7 ATM's awaited. My Credit Card was declined on all of them. And in a further set back from the iPhone theft, I couldn't remember my other card PIN's as they were cleverly stored on the phone. Ah, the value of a good education. I then, left the airport, amid a deluge of money changers to use an international capable phone, which, requires a credit card. But, I was lucky and it worked. However, my bank couldn't tell me anything as their computers were down... "Give it 30 mins"... So, after explaining to the guard I had just walked passed that I had to collect my passport, bag and visa and that I didn't have a bomb I walked back through the airport the wrong way and began to wait for 1:30 for my card to work.

After waiting and trying over and over and over, it didn't work. And now my card would not work on the credit card phones either. I thought obliged to inform the staff at the desk, which ultimately wouldn't matter, but they then told me if I couldn't find the money I'd be deported to Singapore. Nice.

After a few mor attempts on the ATM's I had pretty much given up. Until a porter began talking to me and suggested if I had a friend in Bali. I did and I didn't. I was planning on meeting John the Canadian, but I didn't have a number or a phone to call him if I did have a number. Then, that education began to work. The Lonely Planet! Perhaps John was staying at a LP listed place. Indeed he was. Phase two, find a phone! Obviously none of the locals would give me theres, but I happened to find a nice Ozzy Girl and she leant me hers.

I had never spoken to John outside of Facebook, so he could be forgiven for thinking me weird when I phoned, told him I was hours away form deportation, and could he get to the airport to lend me money. John, thankfully, jumped on a scooter and came to the airport. so, I headed back outside, waited, returned through backwards, got my passport, visa, stamps, bag and left. Four hours after landing.

We headed to the room that John had got for us, showered, changed, and promptly began drinking. This would be a common theme over the next 26 days. We found a bar that serves "all you can drink" draught Heineken between 18:00 and 23:00 EVERYDAY, and we drank here a lot. It became a predrinking place, and somewhere we could stay too until pretty late. Kuta consists of two main clubs from what I could tell; Paddy's and Bounty. Kuta, is a dirty, smelly, over populated and irritating place. The streets are full of cars, scooters and tauts selling everything or atleast proporting to sell everything you want and at a good price! Of course they lie and the shit they sell is just that. The beach is just as bad. Once I had arrived the beach had large sections full of rubbish, waste and general unwelcoming things. Regardless the beach is incomparable to Boracay. The water is full of people learning to surf and therefore is pretty much an accident waiting to happen. And the top end of the sand is a swarm of more tauts offering sun beds, overpriced drinks, surf lessons and massages. I didn't sit on the beach in Kuta once.

We did leave Kuta and Bali for 5 days to go to Gili Trawangan or Gili T. Gili T is for me, very much like a mini Kuta. The roads whilst limited in number offer the same attempts to purchase anything. It's just that anything else is over priced. The Beaches and I mean all the beaches as I walked around the island a few times were ALL COVERED in dead Coral. We had a few decent nights but were deffinately ready to leave by the Saturday.

We returned to Kuta, and the usualy routine and felt as bored as when we left. The highlight of the trip to Bali was perhaps a day trip to the south of the Island to "Dream Land Beach", which myself and John were invited to attened by two Canadians we met at our Resort. I got nicely sunburnt on the forehead due to water reflecting, and it has since peeled to reveal a nice pink patch.

On Saturday 13th of Feburary at 23:00 I flew to Melbourne Australia in search of pastures new.

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