bali...again...

This is the fifth time I’ve been to bali…yup, five times…the first time I came here, I never dreamed I would return, let alone four more times…I was here first in 2005, three years after the first bali bombing…in 2007, two years after the second bali bombing…and twice in 2009, during my asia trip…and yet, I haven’t really seen much of the island…when I first booked this ticket out of Korea, my plan was to be here for a week, then go visit a friend in aussie…those plans changed but I still had the ticket to bali…fortunately, my friend angie is here…I played rugby with her in seoul in 2007…she’s half Indonesian, but was raised almost entirely in Montana…now she spends a good portion of each year here…I saw on her facebook page that she would be here, so we emailed, and she said she would pick me up at the airport when I arrived…the only condition was that I bring a bottle of whiskey…liquor is crazy expensive here…seeing a familiar face after coming through an airport isn’t something I get to experience very often, it was nice…especially because it was almost midnight, and my other option was to sleep at the airport…(trying to find a place at that hour and paying for an airport taxi is craziness)…she took me to her family house/compound and we caught up along the way…it’s always great to catch up with a friend…she put me in one of their rooms, and everyone slept for the night…

The next morning I was awake at 0615 or so, which wasn’t my idea of fun…I guess I’m just used to waking up early, whether I want to or not…ugh…fortunately, other people were up, so when I wandered downstairs, I got to meet her mom, dad, one brother, and grandma…porridge for breakfast, and tea…angie and her mom do most of the cooking in the house, they’re both awesome cooks…a combination of traditional Indonesian food and American/western food…around snacktime they served up noodles, I’ve forgotten what the dish is called…angie said it’s one of her mom’s specialties…she also said it involves a lot of chopping…lol…that ended up being morning snack and lunch…YUM…after lunch several of us went to get beads for bracelets…there are lots of stores that sell the beads wholesale, it was interesting to see what is available…sometime during the afternoon I got to help out making some of the bracelets the family sends to stores in the states…(sometimes the “handmade in……” labels are real!!)…angie’s mom has a couple factories, and exports clothing to a bunch of boutique stores in the states…all in all, it’s a pretty big business…

Somewhere around lunch ang took me to go hire a bike…renting a motorbike for a month is ridiculously cheap here, only $60USD…having one allowed me to come and go as I please, and not be on anyone’s schedule…why have I not rented a motorbike on my previous visits? Granted, traffic is a bit crazy much of the time, buuuut…

Later that afternoon I went swimming with mom and anna…it turns out that ang’s mom isn’t a great swimmer, but I was able to give a few pointers…who knew all those years of coaching and teaching would come back and help me out again? Hee hee…she doesn’t like to put her face in the water, which is a bit of a challenge, to say the least…but she wants to learn, and that’s more important than anything else…yes, there is a small pool in the middle of the family compound…

Dinner was good, and the whole family watched the most recent episode of American idol…I think there were 3 people left in the season at that point? They all sang three songs…since I haven’t watched American idol since the 2^nd season, it was interesting to see how it goes…I don’t think anything has changed since that second season…lol…

The next day was relaxing as well…working on the bracelets in the morning…it’s fun to be a bit creative every now and again…and it felt like I was a little productiveJ

I went with anna and willie to the beach in the afternoon…even though I knew where the beach was, and I recognized the roads on which we drove, I knew that when I went to the beach by myself, I’d end up getting lost…and I did, the very next day…not all the roads lead to the beach, so I ended up doing quite the tour of the area when I tried to go by myself…lol…I had on suncream, and we didn’t get to the beach until almost 1500, so I got no colour…I know it isn’t healthy, but I love being tan…

During the evening all of us walked across the street to watch the family housekeeper as she played in a gamelon orchestra…normally only men are in gamelon orchestras, so this was neat to see…plus, it’s the only time I’ve seen a performance where the audience is made up of locals, not tourists…ang has quite a lot of experience with these performances, and doesn’t generally like the sound of a gamelon orchestra from bali…I think she says they sound like a long, never ending train wreck…apparently the gamelon orchestras on java sound much better…a gamelon is a traditional Indonesian instrument, somewhat like a xylophone…individual instruments are tuned to the orchestra in which they play, not to a specific note…so you can’t switch instruments in between orchestras…it takes a lot of practice to get the whole group to sound good…and when they do, it’s really impressive…

For dinner, angie and I drove down the street to a café, she ordered…spicy bbq chicken and rice…she did the ordering, and we ate with our hands…yum…and very spicy…I love the little peppers!

The next day I read for a while, and went to the beach…(this is when I got somewhat lost)…I also spent time online, which I hadn’t done for a few days…there are a lot of cafes around here with free wifi…of course, you have to order something to eat or drink in order to access the wifi…depending on how long you want to spend online, its usually worth it…at one point in the afternoon angie sat me down with a map of bali and showed me a few places I should go…she said bali has too much to see and do to spend all my time at the beach…for a little island, it really does have a lot to see and do…and if I wanted to stay here for a while, it would be fairly easy to get a teaching job…I think…maybe…it’s a possibility…

That night angie and I went grocery shopping…there is a huge Carrefour not far away…it’s a bit crazy, but fun too…after only having seen Korean grocery stores for over a year, I had forgotten how many other food products are available…(there is plenty of foreign food available in Korean supermarkets, but never as much as I see in other countries)…

The next day, I drove to ubud…

a new passport

after the retreat in thailand, i came to malaysia again...my passport was nearing 6 months until it expired, and in many countries, if you wish to enter, your passport has to be valid for at least 6 months longer...so i needed a new passport...since malaysia and thailand are the only countries in that area with visas on arrival that are free, and i've seen enough of thailand for now, i decided to come to malaysia to have my passport renewed...
landing in kuala lumpur after the relaxation of the retreat was quite a shock...i like KL, but in comparison it was really really big and crazy and LOUD...
anywho, the morning after arriving, i made my way to the US embassy (which technically meant i left malaysian soil and spent an hour in the US) and dropped off my application and way too much money...go figure, i had turned in the wrong size photos, so i had to run to a kodak shop, have proper size photos taken, and turn those in...they accepted them, and told me to come back with my receipt in a couple weeks...
that night, i met up with layna and a friend of hers, we all boarded a bus that took us to a little town called kuala besut...there is no reason to go there, except to catch a ferry to the perhentian islands...there are two islands, besar (big) and kecil (small)...they're virtually the same in terms of physical appearance (other than size of course) so we went to kecil, because accomodation is cheaper...layna had stayed on kecil when she was last in malaysia, and really enjoyed it...we stayed in the same place she stayed the last time, and i loved it...my original plan was to stay on kecil for 4 nights or so...but i ended up staying 11 nights!!
the water was SUPER clear, and warm...the sand on the beach wasn't the greatest i've ever seen, but it was far from the worst...it was mostly white, and the beach was relatively quiet...there are two main beaches on kecil, coral bay and long beach...long beach is bigger, and much better for laying out...(and we all know i'm the queen of laying out)...you could hire an umbrella for the day, but since that would block all those harmful rays of the sun, i didn't do that...the water was warm, sometimes too warm...it was really really really clear, and absolutely lovely...there were small waves, but you didn't have to worry about being knocked over when the waves came in...during my days on the beach i saw several ladies sitting in the water reading!! more sun for themselves, i'm guessing...hee hee...

anywho, my days were filled with checking email, reading novels, talking to layna and a few other random travelers, and eating yummy pakistani food...nothing strenuous or stressful...in a way, it was nice to be back in the quiet mindset i had during the meditation retreat...

one of the books i read while on that beach was moby dick...it's always been referred to as a classic, but after reading it i have no idea why...i felt like i could've written it...and i'm not a good writer...the author got off topic as much as i do!!! A LOT!!! i know that if i had ever turned in a manuscript like that one to any of my english teachers, they would've covered it in red ink, and returned it to me and told me to rewrite it entirely...there is a lot in that story that has nothing to do with the main storyline...argh...they didn't even see the stupid whale until the last 30 pages of a 580 page book!! i definitely won't be recommending that one to anyone...

the islamic holiday of hari raya took place while i was on kecil...hari raya is the last two or three days of the fasting month of ramaddan...even on the island, which basically depends entirely on tourism, nearly everything was closed...there was only one place open to eat on each beach...i was lucky to be eating with the guys who ran the place i was staying!! during hari raya, friends and family get together and enjoy time together, and eat special foods...ramaddan itself is when muslims fast in order to prove their faith to allah...at least, that's the very general idea...during the month of ramaddan, muslims don't eat OR DRINK between sunrise and sunset...i know i could go w/out eating all day, but in the heat and humidity of malaysia, it doesn't seem healthy or safe to go w/out liquid...anywho...

anywho, after 11 nights on the island, i made my way back to KL...a day trip to the nearby town of seremban, which is easily reachable by commuter train...a very quiet town, especially considering how close it is to KL...i saw a couple churches, a couple mosques, a hindu temple, and met a british lady who had just moved there with her husband who worked on semiconductors...exciting stuff i tell ya...

i often miss what is written right in front of me...the receipt i got when i turned in my passport for renewal said to come back between 0900-1100 m-f mornings...somehow, i missed that, and showed up around 1230 when i came back...oooops...the security people took pity on me, and still let me in...being in that room all by myself was kinda eerie, because it's actually quite loud when everyone is there in the morning...and it's FREEZING when there are no other bodies in there to soak up the air conditioning...i was finally called up to a window, collected my new passport (i hate the picture, the guy taking it wouldn't let me smile...argh) and made my way back to chinatown, where i was staying...i stopped at coffee bean along the way for a much looked forward to chai latte, and they said they were out of the tea they use to make those...HOW DOES THAT HAPPEN???? definitely a disappointment...

after that, i went back to my hostel, picked up my stuff, and went to the aiport...i wasn't completely aware of it, but KL has two major international airports...one is the LCCT, the low coast carrier terminal...basically almost entirely filled with air asia flights...the other is the "normal" international terminal...fully modern, efficient, etc...this time i flew out of LCCT...

thailand...again

this is my third time in thailand...the first time was 5 yrs ago exactly, the second a year and a half ago...the first time i was by myself, and that 7 week trip in southeast asia trip was my first extended trip...the second time was with my rugby team...i wasn't in control of that trip, so it doesn't relate to anything i did before, or am doing now...
when we arrived in bangkok, i was surprised by how much it had changed in five years...(during the trip with the rugby team we didn't stay in the backpacker area, i didn't see it at all)...prices have doubled, and it's become a lot more western...and i think it's more crowded with travelers...though i don't really know...my first time in bangkok i remember being rather overwhelmed, and now i realize i hardly saw anything...i was so worried i'd get lost, or get sick...this time around we just walked around the first day, without any real direction, and no need to see anything...this is layna's first time in thailand, and one of the things we have done regularly when we arrive in a new city/town is to just walk...get the feel of things...at one point we stepped into a kfc in order to use the loo, (yes, it's western, but we knew it would have a loo) and i ended up talking to another foreigner while waiting...i was really excited that i figured out he was canadian without asking him first...he seemed surprised that i knew, but the "eh" was a dead giveaway...only canadians say it that way...hee hee...and he thought i was aussie...i have no idea why...i know i say some words aussies and kiwis use, but i certainly don't say them the same way!!
bangkok is the initial entry point into southeast asia for nearly everyone...so it's super easy to get started...thai food is found everywhere, but so is western food...(which i think is sad)...mcd's, starbucks, kfc and bk have all shown up in the last five years...there are travel shops all over the place, as well as stalls selling everything from batteries to clothes to every knick knack you do not need...according to the guidebook, thais call bangkok krung thep, which means city of angels...apparently, that's a shortened version of the full, official name...i don't feel like copying the full name, it's ridiculously LONG...
our second day we started by seeing wat phra keow (sp?)...better known to most as the temple of the emerald buddha...it's not actually emerald at all, it's jade...it's not all that big either...it sits pretty high up though, and each season gets new clothes from the king himself...most people seem to pay no attention to the "silence please" sign, i wish they would...this temple is probably one of the most well known sights in thailand/bangkok, everyone goes there...i've gotta admit though, it is pretty fantastic...(though the entrance price was half our daily budget!!!)...the temples are wonderfully coloured, and there are quite a few...our second temple was across the street, wat pho i think?...it's not nearly as crowded, layna and i both liked it better...that's where we got to see the largest reclining buddha in thailand...46m long, and 15m high...it's HUGE...there were a number of temples in this complex, we enjoyed wandering around...it's bigger than wat phra keow...this complex also has quite a number of buddhas, over 100 i think...our third and final full day in bangkok we went to a huge market, the weekend market...the guidebook makes it sound great, but we were rather disappointed...it's true, you can find just about anything there, but it's totally touristy...locals don't go there to find anything...we weren't in the mood to shop, but we loved the food stalls...hee hee...i'd never before seen yellow watermelon...
after bangkok we went down south, to one of the beaches...we opted for the phuket area, choosing kata/karon beach...it's not very party oriented, and is rather similar to the beach we stayed at in goa, india...again, there were upper class european tourists...before boxing day, 2004, kata/karon had more backpackers, more young people...they haven't really come back since the disaster...at least, not that i could see...nearly all the menus in town have a combination of swedish/german/russian options...it's amazing to see how DARK some people get...i know i like sun too much for my own good, but i look like a ghost compared to some of the people we saw!!! if you look the colour of an overcooked sausage, the last thing you need to be doing is laying out on a thai beach!!! yes, i laid out, yes i wore suncream, and yes i covered my face...there isn't much to write about the time we spend on beaches...i could do it for ages and ages, i never seem to get bored...but we moved on after just three full days...(one of which it rained, i only got two days of sunning myself!!)

india part 7

after hyderabad we visited bengaluru...the name was only officially changed from bangalore in 2006, so people still use the old name quite a bit...it's more of a business destination than a tourist destination...this ended up working in our favor...since the economy is based on business and IT, that means leisure tourism isn't so important, and therefore there are no touts...AWESOME!!! it was great not to be hassled...we found the city market, and enjoyed walking around it...just like so many other markets in india, if you want it, you'll find it at the city market...toys, clothes, silverware, kitchen supplies, spices, food, chai, etc...everything...we were able to buy fresh produce at local prices, and layna even bought a spoon for a whopping 3 rupees...we were also able to take a lot of people pictures inside the market, and received the bindi mark from a guy selling all the powder used for those marks...
i like to visit gardens, and there were some mentioned in the guidebook, so one morning we set off to find those...they ended up not being all that great, but we enjoyed our walk to get there...we passed a sports arena, and in an effort to find a women's bathroom somewhere in the facilities ran into a guy who offered us chai...he just held it out on a tray, with no spoken words...when we finished he showed us where to put the rubbish, then let us go...strange, but awesome...next to the arena we saw a volleyball tournament...according to the sign, it was sponsored by an indian company, and involved teams from all over india...the first time i've seen tall indians...i didn't even know they existed!!! anywho, one of layna's sisters used to play volleyball, and my roomie as a frosh at uni was a volleyball player (we want mudge!!!!) so we were both curious to watch...we stood outside the fence, figuring only people involved in the tourney should go inside...but rather quickly we were motioned in, to seats at one end of one of the courts...then we were left alone to watch and enjoy...AWESOME!!!
i loved bengaluru...a friendly city without any of the hassle we've experienced in other cities...talking to locals was a joy...
our last day there, we reconnected with ben, though only for four hours...he had gotten distracted in hyderabad...hee hee...we were moving on, but agreed to meet up again later...
after bengaluru we headed for a destination that hadn't been on our originally itinerary...goa...the beaches of goa are known worldwide...well, some people think so...goa is a very small indian state, and not like any of the others...it's one of the richest states...(tourists, farming, and fishing are the major sources of income)...we spent 5 days relaxing on a beach...we picked a VERY QUIET beach...ours was populated mostly by older, mostly upper class europeans...there was no night life at all, and very few other backpackers...unfortunately, layna was rather sick for a couple days, so she didn't enjoy it as much as i did...(you all know how i love to soak up sun)...i did wear suncream though, and even covered my face...i guess i've picked up a few habits over the years...lol...on the train to goa layna was bit by mosquitoes again, this time around her feet and ankles...they didn't bite me at all...strange...her bites ended up getting infected, causing her feet to swell a bit, and cause quite a bit of pain...(they looked gross too!)...one day layna rented a bike and went riding down the beach...she stopped for lunch at a random restaurant a ways up, on a totally different beach...she ended up talking to the owner for quite a while, and he wouldn't let her pay for her meal at the end, telling her she could pay when she returned for dinner later that night...so for dinner we walked back to that restaurant...a measly hour and a half walk at a pretty quick pace...(it did feel pretty good though even though it's such a cliche...a long walk on a beach)...dinner was absolutely fantastic, and again the owner sat down with us...not surprisingly, there is a lot of seafood in goa...YUM...and i had the best mango juice i've ever had...in the end, he wouldn't let us pay for our meal!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i still feel guilty for that...it was fantastic, and he was a great guy...layna repaid him our last afternoon in goa by calling him up and inviting him down for lunch...he's entirely self made, and helps other people in the community...very very cool...we both want to go back to goa...(yet another idea of what to do after we finish the major portion of this trip...not that either of us knows when or where that will be)...
goa is a part of the country that was formerly ruled by the portuguese...so it seemed that most locals have "Christian" names...they are also Catholic...