Day 2 in Kuta and it seems as though we have been here for weeks. We love our Green Garden hotel where the staff are quickly becoming our friends. Each morning we head downstairs for a buffet style breakfast that includes a variation on eggs, beans in tomato sauce, fried rice (always) and fruit. I've never had leechies so fresh. We headed to Seminyak for some shopping and found ourselves in a home decor district with swaths of batik fabrics and furnishings. Could I take a lifesize mannequin disco ball home with me? The heat of the day quickly became overwhelming and we jumped back in a cab. The driver took us on a twisted long route and it turned out to cost twice as much as the previous trip. We are slowly getting street wise. It is fun being a millionaire here.
Fresh pineapple juice, a nap and a swim later I almost felt normal. Mom seemingly had no jet lag (must be all that shift work) and the Bikram's hot yoga in Van has prepared me for the intense humidity and heat here. We have have made some great new friends- Merta, the young Balinese man who works at the hotel and the Aussie couple who have been here many times, are a wealth of information. Merta took us all to Uluwatu to see an amazing temple perched high on a cliff on the south eastern edge of the island. We were warned of the monkeys who were apparently very mischievous. This proved to be true- seemingly half rat, half raccoon, they would steal spectacles from atop unforseeing tourist's heads and would only return them in exchange for some food. We hid our Italian movie star sunglasses and held cameras tight. We then drove back down the hillside past the infamous Panang surfer- haven beach to sample some fresh fish and receive a Balinese dance performance at a local tourist hotspot on the ocean. Merta loves dancing and was trying hard to get me out to the night club but the jet lag was making for an early night for me. We all decide we'll check out the engine room the next night.
The Muslim culture is fascinating. So many ceremonies and rituals. We watched a cremation on the beach the first day we got here. No one cried or was grieving as they see death as the step towards the next life. Each day the women prepare little basket of offerings- flowers, crackers and money, that are left outside on the sidewalk.
Today we are off with Merta to Ubud to see the rice fields and find accommodation. Looks like I will be learning how to ride a scooter!
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