Bali Hi

Here we are, entering our 8th month of travel together (my 9th counting my month in Czech Republic) and the autumn of our around the world adventure, in Bali, Indonesia. It seemed so far away at the beginning and now we are actually here. Kuta to be exact….the beach town made famous in 2002 via two bombs and some as yet to be identified terrorists. The event still features prominently in the populations collective memory but the people have carried on and have still managed to retain their warmth and charm they are known for.

The center piece of the town (besides it’s numerous bars and discos) is it’s several kilometer long stretch of white sand and the world class surf that lays beyond it. Padang Padang. Uluwatu. Impossibles. Dreamlands. These surf spots that lay to the south along the Bukit peninsula are the stuff of surfers wettest dreams (sorry. bad pun.) Radka and I, while still lacking the courage to hit the bigger reef breaks, have been taking full advantage of the consistent surf, as the blistering burn on my nose and our matching board rash on our stomachs testify.

There is obviously more to Bali and it’s smaller neighboring islands than just the surf and the discos and we start out on that mission tomorrow. Leaving at 6 AM, it will be a bus to Padangbai where we’ll meet the ferry to Senggigi on the island of Lumbok. From Singgigi it’s a bus ride up north to the port at Bangsal where we catch another ferry to the Gili Islands. There are three in all to explore and they are meant to be quite different than the rest of Bali as they are still under tribal rule. As a friendly Aussie at our guest house just explained to us, "If your camera is stolen you don’t go to the police. You go to the Chief… and he contacts the other village chiefs and says ‘hey this isn’t cool’ and by sundown your camera has materialized. I’m serious." Can’t wait!

Well…internet is a bit over priced here so this one will be a short one. Selamat Malam (good night) for now.