Byebye Bali
Trip Start
Oct 03, 2009
1
5
25
Trip End
Jul 24, 2010
Pattaya, Thailand
Saturday, November 7, 2009
That evening we went to Ubud. We chose to stay in a hostel that Lonely (Lying) Planet described as so popular we were advised to book in advance. After some searching and asking around, we found out this place had gone bankrupt at some point since Lousy planet had been published, so we settled on a room with no running wate and fan which was painfully slow, but at least there were Dancing Princess Barbie bedsheets.
Ubud is a lovely town with a real Bohemian feel to it and lots of character. Really cool shops that I would go crazy in had I not had to carry everything around with me for the next 9 months. Apart from shopping, Ubud offered us a Balinese cookery course where we got to go to the market in the morning to learn about the ingredients, then cook them, and the best part - eat them! We made tuna tepes, chicken satay and the best was the dessert - a very sweet coconut pancake.
After Ubud we moved on to Kuta - a resort town completely different to anywhere I've been yet just because it was so busy and touristy. A lot of accommodation was fully booked and the beach was heaving with sun worshippers and surfers. On the plus side, this meant there was finally some night life to enjoy which seems to be a novelty around here. The highlight of the night was Nikki and I being peacocked by a Peter Andre wannabe. One of the bars we ended up going to we only found out later had been the site of the 2002 bombings which was quite a sobering thought. A couple of days of lying in the sun later, it was time to leave Kuta, Bali, and Indonesia all together, and also sadly Nikki and Sarah to continue my journey alone into Thailand. Bali has been beautiful - another place I've love to go back to. I'll miss their culture, their strong belief in luck, and the lovely little banana leaf, rice and flower offerings they leave everywhere.
Having been in Malaysia and Indonesia for a month, I've picked up a few driving tips which I would never have known if I'd never been. I'd like to share some of this knowledge I've picked up about when the appropriate situation is to honk your horn in the car. I dedicate the list to my little brother who is learning to drive ;)
1) To say hello to someone you know
2) To say hello to someone you'd like to know
3) If there is someone in front of you going slowly
4) If you're going around a corner
5) When there is a chicken / dog in the middle of the road
6) To make everyone around know you exist
7) To make sure the horn still works if you haven't used it in the last 15 seconds
Onto Thailand where the roads seem a little less insane. I'd booked a hostel to save myself some hassle of looking for somewhere at night by myself, and I had been given clear instructions on how to get there from the airport using public transport. So I managed to get the right bus but the wrong direction, which I only noticed when my 2km journey took over half an hour. I got off the bus, got chased by angry dogs, looked for a bus stop in the other direction, admitted defeat and got a cab. Then the cab driver admitted defeat by stopping to ask for directions a few times. The following day I travelled to Bangsaray, a small village close to Pattaya, where I'll be working with elephants for a week. I had a walk around and the village was full of old white men with Thai wives. Very surreal. I felt like I was in a Louis Theroux documentary, so I sat down and had dinner with them! Strangely enough, although now surprising, one of the old men was originally from Northwood. Crazy!
