Spines....

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Nusa Dua is 17 kms from Katu and cost about 100K rupee ($10) but we paid $15 because we are tourist and love to get ripped off. My recommendation is to skip all the prepaid transport and go with meter taxi. Unlike Vancouver, taxi's here are super cheap. Most of them are metered so if they refuse I would move on.

Nusa Dua reminds me of Tarmindo in Costa Rica. It is very touristy and full of gated hotel compound where some are 5 stars charging $800 a night. The sun finally came out and it was hot and humid so it made hostel hunting a problem. The first place we looked at was average and the bed did not pass my ass test. If the pillows smell like ass walk away. It was too hot to hostel hunt so I ended up hitting expedia and finding this super nice apartment like hotel call The Sagara. It was uber nice and includes a full kitchen, gas oven, living room, and spa like washrooms.

It was nice to finally be able to swim. The ocean on the east side of Bali is much calmer and cleaner unlike the west side which is much rougher and not swimmable during wet season. All the debris also are deposited on the West side but the East is perfect for snorkeling. I haven't been able to find any good breaks yet. I was told there was a couple of breaks in Sunar and it's 2 kms out into the ocean so you need to hire a boat. Bali is not the easiest place to find a good break during the wet season. I have to say so far 95% of the breaks I have seen are all reef and not surf-able unless a boat takes you or you go enough balls to swim wayyyy out and risk breaking your board because it breaks so close to the reef.

Instead we went swimming....it was a bit of a trip swimming in the Bali sea. You don't have to go very deep and the seaweed brushes against you and at times it seems to want to cling to your leg and drag you down. I was able to dodge the seaweed but ended up stepping on a sea urchin. I watch too much discovery channel so I constantly think of the worst case scenario. There's something about having a surf board, you feel so much safer. Without it I am a big wuss.

I always wondered how it would feel to actually step on one of these bastards. I think I can describe it in two words - it sucks. Yes it's like what you would imagine...the feeling is so immediate like 10 hypodermic needle hitting your feet, the pain instantly rushes to your head. At first I wasn't sure what had happen and then realize damn it...did just step on something. I tilt my head back in the water and raised my leg to find 10 needles in my foot...I swam back to shore and dragged myself out and wasn't sure what to do at this point. I hobbled around aimlessly and was able to find some help but not until I was asked to buy CD's and paintings from 3 different touts.

The guy was nice and took one look at my foot and smiled...he said to pee on it...so I went to the bathroom and of all the times I had to pee, it was a no go. Had to use some serious Chi and summon the water gods to douse the flames.

If you are in Nusa Dua there is one restaurant you have to go to - Bumboo Bali restaurant. This place was awesome...there's not many places that impress me this much and I do eat out a lot.
Everything on the menu is awesome....it's true Balinese food...

I still haven't found any surf so tomorrow we are going to head back to the West to Pudang Pudang to check out some of the breaks.

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