And then reality hit. To say that the last 48 hours has been trying would be an understatement. The type A personality does not like to relax for days on end; staring out into the jungle, walking around looking in shops, looking for the next "poetry" reading (or artsy fartsy event) at some local cafe. In short, I've never been so bored in my life and found myself counting down the minutes till I could leave. I feel for the people that have had to hear me complain about my boredom (because the internet allows me to repeatedly email my thoughts).
Now I feel that my lack of full research and reliance on a not so good tour book has contributed to this situation as has the inability to ride a scooter or to have planned out hiring a driver for a day. I've been reliant on walking on shoddy sidewalks in short days (sun is only up for about 12 hours - sets at 7pm) and thus am over walking 45 minutes to get to anything. My bungalow, food, yoga, everything. I'm tired of walking and I don't want to walk to "relax" anymore.
Below: One of the "better" sidewalks
To be fair let me explain a few things. First, I've been living by a not so good guide book that has successfully lead me to every touristy thing to do here, for which there is little. It also means that I run into a lot of tourist who don't want to converse and no Balinese people (unless they're trying to sell me something or offer a taxi ride). I've to this point only heard a few stories about Ubud and not much else. Second, you're surrounded by the "I knew Bali back when it was "Bali"" type tourist who, by the way are sitting at a tourist trap with their non-Balinese friends. I.e. they're full of shit and want to be part of something but refuse to immerse themselves (judgmental much, yes I am but you all know this about me and this is what I'm observing)
So tonight I'd had enough and refused to walk to town for dinner and decided for the first time (yes, in the dark) to turn right instead of left out of the rice patty field (where my bungalow is located). Approximately 100 yards down the road to the left I hear music and see a bar, the seats in which are bicycle seats. The bartender invites me into look and I'm so excited because I think the seats actually peddle. They don't but the bartender informs me that after 10 drinks they just may.
I have to say that the handful of Balinese people I have had the pleasure of speaking with are great; they love to talk, tell their story and to talk about Bali. While they'll admit they are poor they want for little and love their families. I say this because for all the tourist that journey to Bali, a Balinese person would have to work approximately 3-5 years to save up for an airplane ticket and up to 10 years to actually take a full week vacation. If they did decide to do that, rumor goes they'd leave and want to return shortly there after as they miss their families. They appear to be genuinely happy.
Moving on.....I decide to stay at round bar and strike up a conversation with the bartender who's born and raised in Bali. I hear all about the festival tomorrow (I keep forgetting the name), what there is to do in Ubud, etc. Then enters two American couples who were out on a double date while their kids were with a sitter. They haven't lived in the states for years, have lived in various countries with their kids and have decided to settle in Bali for a bit. Yea, they're happy and not missing the hustle and bustle of corporate life either. I could go on about the internal turmoil of this trip but I'll spare you all.
I decide to leave the restaurant and I hear "how's round bar"? I look around and see an older gentleman and his wife (Pete and Inga - from Australia) and I say it was great, met nice people, spoke to them about their time/experiences here, learned more about Bali from the bartender... all in all (finally) a really enjoyable night. He then tells me that when I had first left for dinner he was walking back to get his wife and told her he'd seen a young girl walking alone and how great he thought that was. By happenstance, he (now with his wife) sees me again so stopped me to say hello. Long story already too long they've given me great ideas of things close by to do and are meeting with me tomorrow to give me even more literature on things to do.
And while you may all be bored out of your mind reading this, I want to leave you with this - even when you're sure you've made up your mind about something, make one small change and see what happens. It could be a game changer.
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