Jaywalk the World: Bali

I've spent nearly two weeks in Bali -- about half that time around the party epicenter of Kuta beach and the other half in a town called Ubud, the mecca of divorcees 'round the world after being featured in the Love part of the book "Eat, Pray, Love" (so I'm told). Although I've been enjoying myself relaxing and hanging in these places, I don't think these locations make for a great story even when I embellish the minor dramas. Regardless, here's a run down.

Kuta is filled with bogans (the Aussie word for hicks) that work in the mines, who come here to blow their surfeit of money between their month-on, month-off work schedule. Inside one of the many clubs in Kuta my Aussie friend kept apologizing in embarrassment for his shirtless, rowdy countrymen, saying, "I hope you don't think that all Australians are like this." Then added with a look of concern, "I'm worried one of these bogans are going to deck me in the head because I'm wearing a sarong." Thankfully, that didn't happen.

In Ubud, "the cultural center of Bali", I found a lot of traffic and uncommissioned taxi drivers looking to make more traffic. "Taxi?!" No thanks. "Yes?!" Still no. Walk three more meters and another driver who watched me refuse the previous taxi driver asks, "Transport?!" No thanks. "Yes?!" Nope. Jedi mind tricks don't work if you live in reality. Repeat... Ad infinitum.

On Kuta beach, I found the same persistence from hawkers, who come to interrupt a conversation or stand in front of the view. My frustration in this method is usually assuaged by the fact that I'm on a beach drinking a beer. My favorite hawker is the guy who sells the bow and arrow set. No joke: A real bow, with pointy arrows and everything -- perfect for a good time on a crowded beach. Bring the kids too. I'm hoping to see a rad surfer buy the set, and then cruise around on the waves shooting arrows at anyone who steals his wave.

Back in Ubud, on one of my busier days, I cruised around on a scooter with friends, saw some temples and a lava flow from a recent eruption (2009, I think). On the lazier days (most), I sat on my porch veranda reading or at a cozy cafe with painfully slow free wi-fi. Once I sent a text message from Skype, and I swear a guy in an official looking postal uniform came up to my computer and magically pulled out a small print-out of my text for delivery. Hollywood, just in case you didn't get it, I was at the Juice Cafe, four days ago.

My veranda for reading in Ubud

Balinese Hindu cleansing themselves during the day of Yellow.

On left, the lava flows from the most recent eruption of Mt. Batur, and on the right, Lake Batur .

Well, I haven't been spending this much time in Bali just because I love bogans, clubs, and self-proclaimed granola towns that are swarming with traffic. In fact, if that was the case, I'd already be gone. But I've been sticking around primarily because I have a few friends in the area, and I needed to get some administrative things done in life. First, I got my Australian Working Holiday Visa, which required a trip to the hospital for a tuberculosis chest x-ray screening. TB free! Secondly, I got an extension on my Indonesian visa -- 7 day waiting period -- and now I'm all set until the end of August. Third, I visited the Bali Marina and posted a crew available message for anyone sailing to Australia.

Lastly, I've been mentally wrestling with the idea of flying (gasp!) domestically in order to check out Bunaken National Marine Park near the Sulawesi Islands, which supposedly has one of the best scuba diving sites in the world. That's a lofty title to hold, and one which the Lonely Planet has bestowed on basically half the decent scuba sites in Southeast Asia. Bunaken, as I've gathered from experience divers, is deserving of such a title. And with round trip flights at 150USD, probably a once and a lifetime chance for a soft-core diver like me.

Regardless, I need to escape Bali sometime soon, so Gili Islands, Lombok, and Komodo are all on the list. For now you can enjoy a few of the pictures from around Bali that I've recently snapped.