Hey
Gentle Bali
We arrived in Bali several days ago -- after a bout of indecision about 'where's next?' back in Bangkok, we decided to head for the sun in Indonesia.
We arrived close to midnight on Thursday (the 8th) and spent Friday having a look around Kuta, the party-beach town everyone told me to avoid. Kuta is what anyone would expect of any party-beach town --> Bob Marley music, drinking, surfing, more drinking, and lots of shirtless beer-gutted men escorting girlfriends with a headful of Bo Derek braids (not a good look) down the street. Benjamin made several astounding observations during our 1-day stay in Kuta: 1) most of the girls with braided hair are fat chicks and 2) Bob Marley should have lived longer so there would be more material to play over and over...
(drums, please: badam bam) But seriously folks...
My first impressions: everything about Bali is gentle and delicate. The people speak softly; the music tinkles like wind chimes; the birds sing as if taking care to not wake you up; the blue skies are pastel; the breeze stirs; the pace is mellow; people are relaxed; smiles flow freely. Everything -- buildings and the environment -- is ornate and decorative: gardens, stone statues, carved wood, flower motifs, and colorful tassled umbrellas. I am surprised to find that the air isn't naturally perfumed or sweet to the taste: it would be fitting if it was.
We are now in Ubud, the artistic center of Bali and have set ourselves up in a bungalow-style room that overlooks a garden. Aaahhh... Peace and tranquility. It's just what the doctor ordered. Benjamin and I decided that we needed a 'vacation from our vacation' the other night as we discussed our floundering spirits.
It is tiring to be on the road for such a long time: always on the move, planning, learning new currencies and languages, taking lengthy and cramped bus or boat trips, and constantly fending off the hawkers and touts (to name a few reasons). I don't want to admit it, but we are burned out.
There's this other thing lurking in the back of our minds, too: have we spent too much time in Asia? Is it possible? There are only so many temples, and Buddhas, and rice paddies, and jungle one can see before the 'wow' factor becomes 'so what?' We came to Indonesia to find the sun, but to also find something different, something new...
So, if the blog entries become scant -- don't worry; we are resting... or climbing volcanos... or lazing about on a beach.
We arrived close to midnight on Thursday (the 8th) and spent Friday having a look around Kuta, the party-beach town everyone told me to avoid. Kuta is what anyone would expect of any party-beach town --> Bob Marley music, drinking, surfing, more drinking, and lots of shirtless beer-gutted men escorting girlfriends with a headful of Bo Derek braids (not a good look) down the street. Benjamin made several astounding observations during our 1-day stay in Kuta: 1) most of the girls with braided hair are fat chicks and 2) Bob Marley should have lived longer so there would be more material to play over and over...
(drums, please: badam bam) But seriously folks...
My first impressions: everything about Bali is gentle and delicate. The people speak softly; the music tinkles like wind chimes; the birds sing as if taking care to not wake you up; the blue skies are pastel; the breeze stirs; the pace is mellow; people are relaxed; smiles flow freely. Everything -- buildings and the environment -- is ornate and decorative: gardens, stone statues, carved wood, flower motifs, and colorful tassled umbrellas. I am surprised to find that the air isn't naturally perfumed or sweet to the taste: it would be fitting if it was.
We are now in Ubud, the artistic center of Bali and have set ourselves up in a bungalow-style room that overlooks a garden. Aaahhh... Peace and tranquility. It's just what the doctor ordered. Benjamin and I decided that we needed a 'vacation from our vacation' the other night as we discussed our floundering spirits.
It is tiring to be on the road for such a long time: always on the move, planning, learning new currencies and languages, taking lengthy and cramped bus or boat trips, and constantly fending off the hawkers and touts (to name a few reasons). I don't want to admit it, but we are burned out.
There's this other thing lurking in the back of our minds, too: have we spent too much time in Asia? Is it possible? There are only so many temples, and Buddhas, and rice paddies, and jungle one can see before the 'wow' factor becomes 'so what?' We came to Indonesia to find the sun, but to also find something different, something new...
So, if the blog entries become scant -- don't worry; we are resting... or climbing volcanos... or lazing about on a beach.
posted by Cheryn at 3:37 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home