Back in the Sun
Trip Start
Apr 11, 2008
1
18
19
Trip End
May 15, 2010
Kuta, Bali, Indonesia
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
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My arrival in Bali was less than ideal. We had gotten up at 3:30 in the am to watch the sunrise over Mount Bromo in Java. Then we went for a short climb to the top of a volcano, a quick jaunt around the rim, and back to the hotel to pack our things and head for Bali. The trip took a little longer than we had imagined it being, even without the unnecessary extra 3 hour wait for our bus
Motorcycle Excursions
. The bus had teeny tiny seats that I could even imagine the small Indo people being uncomfortable in. This wasn't a big deal for the first leg of the journey - to the coast - however, because the bus was mercifully not packed and we had three seats for two people. The last leg of the journey (after the ferry and on the same bus on Bali, to Denpasar), was absolute hell. By that time the comfort of having one and a half tiny seats to myself had worn out, my back was sore from the odd angle that nearly all Asian bus seats are tilted at, and I could not get comfortable because, though I had one and a half seats, the part between them was raised and so difficult to sit peacefully on. So when we finally departed from the bus in Denpasar, all I could think of was getting away from the numerous taxi drivers offering "cheap cheap ride[s]," choosing one, and getting to our final destination, Kuta. So I didn't notice that my belly wasn't feeling quite right when we set off in our taxi.
After five minutes of sitting in the back of the taxi, I noticed all right. My stomach started seizing up on me, coupled with intense pain, and I desperately needed to use the bathroom. I took comfort in the fact that the ride was only a half hour, and just hoped that I would be able to make it that far
Temples on the Beach
. But of course, the half hour turned into more like an hour with the traffic into Kuta, which is a big tourist place (and also happens to be the site of the Bali bombings). I was in the back seat in between Beth and her friend Katie, doubled over in pain and worried about losing control of my bladder while still in the back seat of the cab. Thankfully, this did not happen. But the moment the taxi pulled over, I rushed in to use the toilette - thank god! Of course the taxi didn't take us to the right place. And since I was in the bathroom still, Beth, Ryan and Katie had to let the taxi go. So when I emerged we started out on foot looking for a place that wasn't too extravagantly-priced. We found one, and while I rested for the night, Katie, Beth and Ryan went out for dinner and drinks.
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Aside from that horrendous arrival, my time here has been a blast. The first three or so days I spent with Ryan, Beth, and Katie. We went shopping (Katie is a bit of a shopaholic and I enjoyed looking around and getting a few things), we sat on the beach in the sun (and I am now pretty darn tan again), and we took surfing lessons
Nights Out
. The surfing has by far been my favorite thing about being in Bali. I've always wanted to learn, and now am determined to get good before my time here is up. We ended up getting lessons, since we thought this would be the easiest way to learn. Our guidebooks suggested that we just find a guide on the beach rather than in the stores, since it was cheaper, and we ended up finding a fantastic guy. He came up to us while we were lying on the beach and offered lessons. We weren't sure at first, so decided to go and compare prices down the beach, but his deal was the best. His name is Wyan and all four of us took our first lesson with him and his brother.
Wyan was an excellent instructor. His English was adequate, but mostly he was really concerned that we all learn properly. I've taken two lessons with him since, and also rented boards from him. When I just rent boards, he is on the beach or in the water giving me pointers, even if I'm not paying him to.
Anyway, the first day was just spent learning how to catch a "white wave," which is what they call a wave after it breaks (and is white). This is pretty simple, especially on a long board
Killer Sunsets
. There's not much paddling. The only hard part is standing up on the board, though I actually did on my second try! We spent an hour lesson perfecting our white wave technique with Wyan and his brother and were all doing pretty well at the end of it. The next day we went back and just rented surfboards to try on our own. Since the previous day, we just went when they told us to go, we didn't quite understand what Wyan meant by "white wave." We found out soon enough, though. After going out pretty far and trying to catch actual big waves, and thus nosediving and getting rocked by them, we discovered that we needed to be further in. After these misteps, we had a great time catching waves. Katie, Ryan and I were all pretty good by the end of the day. Beth was still having some trouble though.
The next day Katie, Ryan and I went back for another lesson - this one to learn on the big "green waves" while Beth went diving. When there are big waves, the hardest part of surfing is not standing up on the wave, it's getting out there in the first place. The waves were pretty huge that day, and I was on a shorter board than I had had the last two days (so it wasn't as easy to paddle, or as fast). We learned how to roll our boards so we went under the waves, but even with that, I was getting tossed back to shore with nearly every wave that came. Between waves, I would paddle hard to try to get past the point where they would catch and carry me, but I wasn't fast enough and would inevitebly end up where I started. Finally, I got out, but by that time my arms were burning and I felt sick from having swallowed so much salt water. Wyan admitted the next day that he probably would have had us wait to take our next lesson until a day with smaller waves, but it was Katie and Ryan's last day in Bali.
Anyway, I didn't have much luck that day. I was already tired from getting out. I caught a couple of waves, but failed to actually stay up on the board. And it took me soo long to get back, I didn't have much opportunity to practice. I also managed to break two boards! One flipped with a wave and got dragged so hard that the fin hit my leg and actually broke off on it! I still have a massive bruise covering the whole width of my thigh where it hit me. Wyan said I was lucky it didn't cut me. The other board broke when it got caught and carried by a wave, then stopped by the cord (the surfer has a cord around his/her ankle that is attached the the board so it won't float away). The cord snapped with the force of the wave.
After the second board broke, I called it a day. We were all so sore that we went for massages: probably the best thing I've felt in my entire life.
So Ryan, Katie, and Beth went home the day after my two broken surfboards, early in the morning. I was a little bummed about them leaving, but I'll have one more night with Beth in Bangkok before going to Jordan, and I'm in frickin' Bali. I didn't think I'd surf that day because I'd be so sore, but I ended up going in the evening. I took another lesson, and didn't get up on many big waves, but I did get up on a few.
So I'm enjoying my time in Bali, even though I'm on my own. I'm considering heading to Amed maybe tomorrow or the next day. Kuta is really touristy, and Amed is a little more low key. I've been surfing here a lot. I got up some more - on my own this time - on the big waves. I still need to get the hang of it though. But I do have until the 9th!
In the meantime, I'm enjoying my time in the sun.
