Dreams & Ambitions Discovered: Bali, Indonesia

After Israel I went to Egypt for several days, mostly relaxing in Dahab, a backpackers paradise on the Red Sea. From Cairo I had a 12 hour stop over in Doha, Qatar. Flew right over downtown with a window view, futuristic city. Tried to leave the airport to walk around for a few hours, visa was 31 dollars. No problem, don't know if I will ever be in Qatar again. Then they say I need to also book a hotel from the airport prior to going through immigration. fuck that! I just want to walk around for a few hours. So no Doha

Had an 11 hour stopover in Bangkok. Went to the city for about 6 hours. Found this guy (on right) playing some classic rock covers and had a few beers before returning to the airport for my 6am flight to Densepar, Bali.

Bali is a Hindu island in the otherwise Muslim predominant Indonesia. Since the 1st century CE Bali has been heavily influenced by both Indian and Chinese culture. Today they are world renowned for their unique culture including dance, sculpture, painting, leather, metalworking, and music.

My first night in Asia started out rough. I found a cheap room in Kuta and returned around 1am to find my sheets covered with insects crawling around. Open the door and rats go scurrying. Didn't sleep all night. In the morning a girl told me I had to leave because they had guests who booked the room prior and would be paying more than me. I have low standards and do not demand much for my accommodation but no bugs in the bed is a serious plus.

After my disastrous night in Kuta I headed to Ubud on what would be the first of many scooter rides in Indonesia. Ubud, located over an hour from the coast is considered the cultural center of Bali. Ubud is also home to the monkey forest, a Hindu temple complex

appx 340 monkeys call the Temple home

They are not as friendly as they look

though quite smart

hand carved komodo dragon sculpures in the Money Forest

While in Ubud I couchsurfed with Lena, a strong Polish women. I rented a scooter and joined her and her Balinese boyfriend Blacky for a ride to the beach

black sand beach

Was a Hindu ceremony happening

The Hindu culture here is very different than from that practiced in India

I kept the scooter and did a road trip of the island on my own

terraced rice fields

Mt Batur is an active volcano on Bali

On the second night of my road trip I was planning to stay in Amed since I had heard great things but it was too expensive. It is the kind of place people go for their honeymoon

So considered the plans of sleeping in one of the hundreds of boats that line the beaches. After night fall I rode past about a 100 Hindus playing live music and dancing etc. so I stopped and asked if it was ok to come in. Turned out it was a ceremony for the Gods, not sure the exact purposes because the English of the people who attempted to explain it to me was not proficient but was still a fascinating experience. Did not take any pictures because it was dark and they would have came out poorly, plus didn't want my flash going off. Anyway, was kindly invited to stay in the village for the night. Stayed with this family.