It’s official - I’m an addict

I’m addicted to music, and well on may way to being addicted to travel. Here comes another catch-up entry, so get you may want to take a bathroom break.

Someday this past week –

Losing track of time, which is a fantastic thing. I decided to scoot up the East coast of Bali and look for the town of Padangbai. It should be about an hour and a half, but I managed to turn it into almost 4 and a half. Drove through the countryside, well as country as it gets here. Let’s keep in mind that Bali is about 100 x 25 miles and has a population approaching 10 million. (It does this without any urban density) Crossed beautiful bridges, ornate temples, lush mountains, palm trees, and all the while kept the dark blue ocean passing on the right. (soundtrack: Los Amigos Invisibles) Cruising on a mo-ped is so fantastic as it is the only place that feels cool in Bali, no where near James Dean cool, much closer to spring in Austin cool. Many times I rather purposely lost myself, one time in particular worked out fantastically. A side road wound through a small village, past some coconut fields, and then to the beach. I found a completely deserted, volcanic black sand beach. Blue water waves crashing into the steep black sand was one for the picture books. (pictures will eventually be posted). I did find Padangbai, a very cool looking tourist port with a ferry to Lombok. Seeing a point of land I had to drive out on it. From the top I saw a path off the far side. At the bottom I found myself alone in a small temple carved into the side of the cliff, overlooking the sea,… Bali is turning out okay. On the way back I stopped at a bridge to take pictures and was asked if I needed transportation, the kids bathing 100 feet below started motioning for money, I was sunburn and hot – definitely time to head home. Arrived at sunset and crashed.

Next Day –

Spent the day emailing and dealing with my credit card replacement. Card is on the way now, Jane & Chuck, you are my heros! Uneventful day, hot, bored, and decided for a change of pace to go drive the Mo-Ped. Hooked up the iPod listened to hip hop and basically raced through traffic. (Colin, while in Bali we don’t have to go bungee jumping or Jet Boating – you can just rent a Mo-Ped and drive it in traffic for thrills) Black Eyed Peas turned out to be a fantastic sound track to driving in Bali. So you can imagine it, just think of roads with 3 times too many vehicles, 80 percent mo-peds, with traffic lights and road stripes that are all but ignored. Everyone is in a rush and buzzing around each other, the wrong way down roads, all gas, all breaks, and no cops. As a dangerous pastime, it definitely ranks up there. To keep from breaking my neck the next day, I booked a snorkeling trip for 275,000 rupiah (a price only a Westerner would pay).

Mid-Week?

Left at 9 for my $30 snorkeling trip. Picked up by two people in a van. Driven 45 minutes to Nusa Dua in the South. Dropped off to a steward who gave me a locker and and flippers/mask. Passed then to a boat with a captain and crew member. I was then driven out to the reef by myself to snorkel with the crew swimming along to guide me to the best spots. (Have I mentioned 5 guys, a van, a boat, and an open facility for me alone?) Snorkeling was great, but would have been fantastic to go on a less windy week. Made friends with the crew and was invited to crawl around the wheelhouse along a 1 inch edge and sit on the bow. The Balinese crewmember and myself sat cross-legged on the bow and watched the eastern style fishing boats pass as we went to Turtle Island. Turtle Island is an “animal preserve” with sea turtles, snakes, bats, monkeys, owls, eagles, and fighting cocks. The fighting cocks are not out of place when you see how the animals are treated. 30 seconds into my hour tour I returned to the boat and we left again back to the beach. In route I noticed a Yacht Club! Asked my driver to stop by, but it was ¼ mile by boat and about 20 by car. So I returned to Kuta. Hungry I went to Matahari, the market center and found a grocery store. The grocery store is rather Western and I found peanut butter, jelly, & wheat bread. With a pb&j for lunch my spirit soared. I then decided to get a haircut…. At “Happy Salon” next to “Happy Snacks” I found a woman willing to wash, cut, and massage my scalp for about a buck fifty. This is fantastic expect the only description I could impart was “short” with a motion of my hands. All worked out quite well, but I still miss you Bianca. Came home to a clean room, clean sheets, and rediscovered my Yoga mat. (It’s amazing how tight I had become ignoring yoga for the past month and a half) Finished the day feeling that I had accomplished something, which was fantastic.

Oddly enough, I had been freaking out a bit about not doing any work. I saw myself as a guy in his physical and mental prime that had just ditched his job and life back home. I did not want to do this just to go get a damn tan. I want to accomplish something with my travel. I want to experience other cultures and learn about myself. Yet, when I started to question myself for playing in Bali I asked myself this: “What is harder for me: Stay at home, surrounded by family, friends, making a great living in beautiful Austin, or step off the edge of the world and see where I land with only myself to count on?” True I am not being challenged daily with work. I am playing on a paradise beach island. Yet, I am doing so rather freighted of the fact that I am 6,000 miles from home, in a third world country, and alone. It is being alone that is the biggest challenge for me, a fact those closest to me would appreciate. I am discovering what I am capable of being on my own, and it’s fantastic. Like I told my good friend George, I am working on building a quite confidence: a knowledge that all I need to be okay anywhere, I posses innately.

Yesterday…

Went Mo-ped’n down South to the Yacht Club by Nusa Duo. Met a great sailing couple from Canada 5 years into a circumnavigation. Apparently, Bali has the only marina in Indonesia. Cruised home, did some yoga and ate lunch. Began to feel board again and realized that no one is going to sweep me up and show me a good time. So I picked a spot of the map and scooted off. I ended up driving around the southern end of Bali, through many resorts, beaches, and even found myself at the end of a rough trail off the road only to discover yet another temple overlooking the sea. Yet, I have never seen water this beautiful. Clear blues and greens crashing ashore onto white sand beaches. Found more deserted beaches, and cruised on. A day full of Jack Johnson, G. Love, The Postal Service, and Donavon Frankenreiter. Ended up at the beautiful temple of Ula Watu approaching sunset. Amazing cliffs dropping hundreds of feet into the sea topped by 400 year old Hindu Temples. There were monkey running around and then, BAMM! From behind one jumped on my head from the wall 6 feet away. We both grabbed for my sunglasses and I ended up with 3/4 of them and the monkey got an arm to start nibbling on. A local showed me the trick of throwing food to the monkey and snagging back the item wanted. Decided not to pull out my camera here and left with blurry vision until I was safe to put my glasses back on. Cruised on to a turn off heading towards the water and found hill overlooking the ocean at sunset. Parked myself with my iPod and watched the sunset, lullabyed by Nora Joans, Nick Drake, and Patty Griffin. I could have been the only person on earth right then – and that would be just fine.

Drove home in the dark, ate dinner, and slept like a baby.

Well expect for the fact that my Malaria pill induced “vivid dreams” are getting rather vivid. At one point in the night, I was nearly convinced that I had split personalities with one taking over at night (ala Fight Club), but I was tired enough to just leave the night up to my alter ego as I just needed some sleep.

Today

A day of writing, reading, and swimming. Wearing a sarong for the first time, and wondering why it has taken me so long to find this wonderful garment. Went to the book store in Matahari looking for a NY Times or Economist to no avail. But realized that as long as I was in Indonesia, I might as well read to the Jakarta Post. Bush’s Inaugural address made front page news just below the article about war ships finishing up relief efforts. The US has won some serious brownie points here with the war ship help in the tsunami relief effort. I was in heaven with a business section, but began to sunburn.

Finding that I don’t have to shave much herew, and that time seems to slow dramatically. It feels like I’ve been gone for a month even though it’s only been a few weeks. I’m curious when I will stop feeling like I am just temporarily away, and start feeling like this is just my lifestyle. Can that happen? Does it require dissolving an idea of home? If so, I know I will always just feel like I am away for a bit. Being away from home is fantastic for facing loneliness. It is empowering to take full control for your own time and enjoyment. Met a beautiful, surfing, American girl at dinner (my first American, her 4th in a month) and discussed our plans. Found we were both going to go up to Ubud in the next few days. Yet, sensing a new side of me, I decided to not invite along this only other native English speaker. I decided I would enjoy that day more on my own.

So I finished up my day with a sunset soccer game on the beach with Balinese. Palm trees and chunks of coral as goals, I really enjoy the things that don’t need any translation. I think I am finally understanding the Bali culture: playfulness.

So I sign off with this thought from my day on the hill overlooking the sunset: A sunset always starts in the East. It hints at the colors and brilliance about to be displayed. This is how my travels are starting to feel