We Didn't Drown!

There are way too many roosters here.

Something about Bali that’s interesting. Liz and I have been around the shops and though the first time we found them, it was kind of a shock, we’ve grown accustomed to finding small wooden keychain penises and large wooden bottle-opener penises. Apparently, in Hinduism, it’s a sign of good luck. So don’t be offended if you receive one of those little charms from me. ;)

It’s been another eventful few days here. A couple days ago, with only the intention to go to the beach and lie out and read, our driver actually talked us into going to a beach water-sports business instead. At which point, Liz talked me into scuba diving. I have never been more terrified in my life! Looking back, being emerged deep underwater for a half hour straight, feeding tropical fish right out of our hands, and seeing clown fish in the anemone right up close really was a cool experience...but I wasn’t really fond of having nothing between me and drowning but a mask and a little rubber tube connected to a tank. I may have kind of freaked out a little bit. When we began to see sunlight filtering through the water, I reached my hand up, ready for the relief that would wash over me when my skin broke surface. So this leads to our next tip. (Forewarning, this one may seem a little weird—keep in mind that these tips are mostly for my benefit and you are free to choose whether or not to agree.) TIP #26: When in fear of a new adventure, keep the adventurous spirit alive by staying in the moment as best you can, but also picture the comforting face of someone brave (like Jesus, maybe your best friend, or a sumo wrestler) who's spirit can carry you through the adventure. And distract your mind when staying in the moment is like facing death from thick foggy goggles.

Another lesson I’ve learned. If you are lucky enough to receive the opportunity to attend a legit Balinese temple ceremony, always wait until the end. On the way to dinner last night with Pak Wentan and Bu Nanik, Nanik told us that near the end of the ceremony we attended the other night, around three in the morning (after we left), many people began to go into these crazy trances. The most spiritually and enticing part of any temple ceremony. And how many chances is one going to get to see that?!

It’s a rainy day in Ubud today. Liz and I are planning on taking another Yoga class, though I’ve been sore for three days since our last lesson. But I dig it! The instructor begins with a little sermon on how to live a more peaceful and kind-hearted life. It's like church for the body AND soul!

Monkey Business in Bali

My earlier exclamation on Bali’s beauty and culture was a rash statement. I had only been here for two days, that’s hardly enough time to get to know an entire country. However, three or four days is totally good enough. BALI IS SO BEAUTIFUL!!

(Me with a monkey in my lap>>>)

July 8^th Today we went to the Monkey Forest Temple. It felt like we were in Indiana Jones and I’ve never seen so many monkeys in my life! We fed them bananas and just chilled with them. They’re so cute! One monkey even nibbled on my sister’s arm affectionately (though she claims it bit her aggressively) and one confused me with a tree and climbed all over me. The temple was so cool with Monkey statues all over the place. Everything here is ancient, it’s so cool. This morning we also ran into a girl who danced with Liz’s gamelan back in California and her sister. They’re of course staying in the same hotel because that’s how coincidences go. We tagged along with them on a tour of Bali. We saw HUGE rice paddies (though by now, I’ve seen thousands), this place where that make and grow all sorts of teas and coffees and fruits (free samples!), a mountain (which we of course plan to climb), and the water temple (Zelda fans, can you say “fricken sweet?!). Before entering a temple in Bali, one must wear a sarong. Many Balinese people just wear sarongs all the time. This was one of those temples where there was a blessed bath that people were praying and bathing in. I honestly would be cool with going back and jumping in.

July 9^th Today Liz and I explored more of Ubud, on a quest for Kebayas. The Balinese (and I’m sure many other touristy cultures) play this stupid game called “bartering.” For those of you who are unfamiliar with bartering, I’ll explain. The seller tries to sell you something for double or triple the price that the item is worth. If you look scared, the seller whispers, “It’s ok, you can barter.” You then have to proceed to either act uninterested or say something like “Psh. I wouldn’t pay that much. I’d pay…” And you say about 20 or 30 percent of the price. The seller then will either laugh in your face or tell you “No no. Ok, I give it to you for…” And then they knock off about RP 10,000. Then you add RP 10,000 to you price. You continue to go back and fourth like this until you’re at about 50 or 55 percent of the original price.

I hate bartering. Stupid stupid game.

Anyway, we went to the Market (where everything is still expensive, even after bartering) and bought our Kebayas. Kebayas are these long, pretty shirts traditionally worn with a sash and sarong by women at temple ceremonies and performances. After shopping around for a while longer, we met up with one of the young Balinese hotel guys Made (mah-day) and his much older friend, Made, and hopped on the back of their motorbikes for a tour of the countryside. Again, Bali is BEAUTIFUL. After our return to the hotel, we got our new traditional Balinese outfits on and went with our California sister friends, Rika and Linda, and their friend, Yoga, to a temple performance that Liz’s gamelan teacher was playing in. Balinese gamelan music now officially ties jazz as favorite musical style. It’s so magical! Balinese dance is pretty fricken sweet as well. We plan to take lessons soon with Yoga’s wife. After the performance, we hung out at Pak Wentan’s (Liz’s teacher) mansion for tea. He and his wife and Yoga all have such positive energy surrounding them - it’s amazing!

July 10^th Yesterday, Liz and I adventured through Ubud to Wayan’s Medicine shop, from Eat, Pray, Love. At first, she wasn’t there, so we ventured through the unexplored street, visited the book store, and came back. By then, Wayan was there and swarmed with tourists. In order to do her healing, she apparently has to drive her patients to her other location and could therefore not fit us in the car. Ah well. We headed back for our hotel when it started to pour.  TIP #25: If it rains, unless you are in a hurry, just stop somewhere for tea or coffee and wait it out. Don’t choose to walk the mile back to your hotel and definitely don’t choose to try and take a shortcut through the Market. Later that evening, Yoga picked us and Rika and Linda up again and took us to have dinner at Pak Wentan’s house and attend an all night long temple ceremony and performance. At dinner, we met a Lithuanian girl and a French boy whom we hope to rent a house with in a few days. We’ve met so many people from all over the world, it’s crazy. And they are always surprised at how short our stay is in Bali. But that's because Europeans take holidays - usually for a few months. Americans take vacations - maybe for a week? Anyway, we were all very sleepy at the temple performance. After the excitement of watching Pak Wentan dance, our attention began to wane. And after an hour or two of listening to traditionally dressed comedian drag queens without having understood any of their jokes (though the Balinese thought they were hilarious), we trekked back to Pak Wentan’s house and Yoga took us back to our hotel. This culture truly is amazing! But man, they stay up late for the ceremonies. Its like Midnight Mass every week! Today, Liz and I have no plans again, but as the past goes to show, I’m sure it’ll be another eventful Balinese day. Thanks for reading!

The Routine of Paradise

Jetlag sucks. TIP#22: When traveling across the world to a time zone that messes with your day and night a little, don’t go to bed early, no matter how exhausted you are. Drink something caffeinated to keep you awake so you don’t find yourself twiddling your thumbs at 3 or 4 in the morning, wide awake, singing happy birthday to yourself.  Also, FYI, a glass of wine is not caffeinated.

However, Bali is AMAZING! It’s our second day here after a days worth of flights and airports. We’ve even made a few friends already! (Two Canadian blokes who advised us on Balinese wine and one French woman.) There don’t seem to be too many Americans that come here. This is okay with me though—all the different accents add to the cultural experience.

But yes, yesterday and today are my birthdays (I’m counting both Bali’s and America’s time zones so I can celebrate twice).  Yesterday, we spent the day at a Balinese spa, getting treated to massages, scrubs, oils and lotions of which I’m not even sure, baths brimming with pink flowers, lunches, manicures, pedicures, and hair cream rinse. I’ve never been treated so much like a fairy princess in my whole life and it was all for a little over $50 US. 

A few words about the currency. In Bali, their currency is in rupiah. 100,000 rupiahs equals about $12, as I understand it. TIP#23: Before traveling to a foreign country, learn the exchange rate. Study it in a way so that you can easily calculate it. Otherwise, when you find your bags being dragged around the airport for you upon your arrival, you might accidentally be giving these men tips equivalent to about $24. Oops.

But oh well.

Ubud, the city we are staying in, is the most beautiful city I have ever seen. Even it’s equivalent to pigeons are pretty!  There are temples and sunrays and stairways and tropical plants and flowers and offerings to the gods and beautiful dressed up Balinese people and marching gamelans up the YIN YANG! I have never been surrounded by such beauty in my LIFE. The Balinese live by a communal beauty routine. Each day, the locals begin to appear out and about around seven, cleaning their shops and gathering materials to create their offerings. The offerings consist of little handmade baskets of palm filled with anything from flowers to candy. These baskets decorate the statues and streets each day, adding to the general communal splendor. Fresh flowers are also produced each day to decorate most statues and temples.

I wish that cities in the US took care of themselves a little like like this. Their daily routines often seem to consist of no more than emitting as much smog into the air as possible. But thats just an illustration of the cultural differences. America is more focused upon the individual's health and happiness and success; Bali's focus is more upon the community's health and happiness and success. Not that one is right and one is wrong. They're just different (obviously). :) Each morning, Liz and I have our own little routine of practicing some Yoga before breakfast (for something to do, considering we thus far have been waking up before sunrise).

Today we are getting a tour of the countryside from one of the hotel dudes. Then, sometime soon we’ll start our lessons in gamelan and dance from Liz’s professor and his wife. Thus far, I’d call this a pretty chill trip.  I don’t think I’ve ever really been on a trip before without at least having something scheduled. And really, I’m ok with this.  :)

Adventure Guide, Chapter 2: Bali, Indonesia!

Greetings from my sister's apartment in California! In a little less then 12 hours, Liz and I will be flying over the Pacific Ocean to Taiwan and then on to Bali, Indonesia. The adventure will be three weeks long and it couldn't have come at a more perfect time. I am young, single, (finally) healthy, not (yet) broke, and not held down by any commitments to work or attend school. I have packed enough clothes for once, about every over-the-counter drug we thought might be necessary, plenty of sunscreen and ALOE VERA (I learn from my mistakes sometimes), and of course, my trusty bunny, Rabbit. Aside from a little broken suitcase (TIP #20: Always make sure that the extender zipper on your carryon suitcase actually zips.), we are good to go. However, in the words of the character Mark in the movie JUNO, "I know we're prepared. I'm just wondering if... I'm ready."

On every flight, I always kinda hope that fate will give me a new found friend from afar to sit next to. However, I haven't truly made any flight friends since I was maybe fifteen on a school trip to Europe. She was an older Indian woman with several sick daughters who advised me dearly not to get married or even think about boys until I was well traveled and not to travel until I was well established in my career. She told me about her regrets for marrying right away and how it has messed her whole life up. :) She was a fun and colorful human being. When I look back at all my flights prior to our meeting, I realize that I pretty much always made a friend on my flights. So why haven't I made one since? Is it because society has changed and it is now considered more creepy to talk to complete strangers? Is it because I have become shy in the last few years? Or maybe its even worse; am I subconsciously waiting for someone more interesting to sit by me and talk to me? On the flight to LA yesterday, I was assigned general seating. I sat in an empty row by a window, passing seat upon empty seat, I chose to sit alone, leaving fate to determine my flight partner. It ended up being an old man who was on his way to visit his son who lives in California. After a couple details about our trips were exchanged, the conversation ended, and we pulled out our reading material for the rest of the 3 hour flight. 

It was lame. I never even asked where he was from, what his name was, or what he did for a living. And these are the three necessary questions of any Midwesterner (christened by my lovely professor, Kim, as the Theory of Dakotativity). This leads to TIP #21: Always follow the Theory of Dakotativity when meeting someone. You never know who might share a mutual friend or connection. Unless maybe he or she is holding you at gunpoint, swearing to shoot if you say a word. That might not be too wise. 

So my first goal of this whole trip is too make a new flight friend. Or at least a few Balinese friends. I have a feeling my sister and i will be sitting together for the 16 some hours of future flying, splitting our time between watching movies and sleeping. :)

At least I made this new friend. His name is Dexter. 

If you haven't noticed, today is July 4th, aka INDEPENDENCE DAY. A day where Americans gather together to celebrate the freedom and independence that our country has celebrated since the Declaration was signed. The same day I am going to take flight across the ocean to celebrate this independence by striving for.... well.... independence. Granted, I will be traveling with my sister, but we have barely any plans, have no obligations in the way, and have the opportunity to test ourselves, our wit, and our abilities in a foreign country...freely. Independence, here I come.  

Unlike dear Mark in JUNO.... I am ready. :)

...I think. ;)