Bali Bound!

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After a long 20 hour journey, I made it to Bali yesterday afternoon! I'm so excited to just be here. My plans are unfolding very nicely. I'm glad I've decided to "splurge" on this trip and really treat myself. The hotel I'm staying at is gorgeous. No matter how hot it is, thankfully the pool is always cool. The people are so friendly and the food is delish!

I learned a lot about Balinese culture from the driver who picked me up from the airport. In front of every gate in front of the homes here, there is a very large stick-like object with a lantern-looking object hanging from it. My description of these things is crap, but hopefully I'll get a picture soon. These things are believed to keep evil spirits away from entering the gate.

There are only 4 names in Bali. The first-born is named Wayan. The second is Putu. The third is Nyoman. The fourth is Ketut. I asked the driver what happens if the couple has more than 4 children. He said that they just continue in order so the fifth child is named Wayan again. He said that to travelers it seems confusing, but he loves it. He said if he calls out "Ketut" then 5 people turn their heads. Interesting, isn't it?

On Monday there is a big celebration in Bali. It only comes every 5 years. They have traditions that come once every year or 5 years or 10 years or 50 years... even every 100 years. I'm not quite sure what this celebration entails, but everyone will be in the streets all day.

The 26th of March is the Balinese New Year. It is a day of silence. No one is allowed to leave their houses either. If they are caught on the street, they go to jail. I'm going to be in my yoga training by then so I definitely won't be going to jail.

There will be an election in Bali on April 9th. Elections come every 5 years here. There are over 40 different parties! Crazy! The driver said that there will be big parties that night. If their political party wins, they celebrate by getting drunk and partying. If their party loses, they get drunk and light things on fire. Seriously. I'm not joking. He said they set lots of things on fire... papers, political party flags, even trees. That's going to be a cool night!

I learned a lot about Bali from that driver. It was a really interesting conversation. I came to Bali at a good time! I look forward to learning all sorts of new stuff about their culture. This is such a cool place. I know that I'm in a 3rd world country, but I feel completely safe here.

About an hour after arriving at the hotel, I got a knock on the door. My cousin Bob decided to suprise me! I wasn't sure we'd get the chance to meet up, but it was so cool to see him again. We went for dinner and hung by the pool mostly. Since I'm still adjusting to the climate, I wanted to stay close to the pool. Going from -30 degress to +30 degrees is intense. I passed out by 8pm due to the time change so it wasn't a very wild night.

I start my yoga teacher training on Monday which is pretty exciting. I did some yoga this morning and discovered that yoga in this weather is very challenging. I'm convinced that at the end of a full-on yoga class, there will be nothing left of me except a pool of sweat on the mat. Maybe the smell of a fart in the air too.

I hope all is well back in Canada and I hope you all keep in touch! I think Bali is going to keep getting better and better. Yay Bali!!

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Photos

Taipei Airport Advertisement
I stopped to take a picture of this hilarious ad when a pilot that was walking by decided to pose by it. He kept saying "make sure you use this every day... no, three times a day! Very important!" It was hilarious!

Comments

[Melanie]

yo!
That's so awesome you got to see Bob... that's so trippy! Wayan:)