Well, after 24+ hours of travelling to Bali (which lies just south of the Equator and which also, curiously, included a flight through the Arctic Circle to get here - ?) I finally arrived. The island of Bali is about in the middle of the Indonesian chain, and is about the size of Massachusetts and Connecticut combined (or, like Puerto Rico if someone were to pull downward from Ponce and make it resemble a triangle pointing downward). I've been staying in the Kuta-Legian Beach area in the south, which is pretty much a tourist haven for Aussies, Brits, and Japanese. First impressions: Although modernism and western influence have taken a hard toll on the local culture and traditions, the Balinese - in my brief experience - seem to be very warm and friendly folks. The local
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