I have so much more to write about since leaving cambodia last week and chilling with my cousins in Singapore the last couple days. Things like how awesome the food is in Singapore and checking out the Singapore Marathon yesterday. However, I'm in Bali right now and that means Bali take's precedence.
I've been hanging out in Kuta but made trips to Kuta-Legian (just north a few hundred meters) and Sanur (15 km north east of Kuta). Kuta is where some major bombings happened in 2002 and 2005. There have recently been fear of reprisals (read the state department bali warning for more details) upon the recent execution of a few of the terrorists involved.
That being said. Even though this is the "rainy" off season it's def picking up for the western holiday season and there are tons of dutch surfer bro-s and chicks, so much so I might go crazy. It's a really weird phenomenon, I guess I really don't even know if they're dutch, but they look like they're from LA, they surf, and they speak a different language - something Northern European. I had no idea there was even any surfing up there in the freezing cold.
Bali is unchecked sprawl that is nowhere near beautiful. The beaches in Kuta and even Sanur where I went snorkelling today are rather filthy and the sand is not picturesque. I've heard there are some other stretches of beach that look way better, let's see if I find them. The beach townships themselves are littered with touts, hawkers, and western shops like circle k quick-e-marts, MacDo's, and KFCs. Everything is a concrete nightmare.
On the bright side, my hotel rocks. for $15 which is just a wee bit expensive for backpackers is an oasis in this sea of third-world-resort-urban-disaster. The room as AC and hot water, is clean and overlooks the sweet-ass pool where people congregate for drinks and chillaxing. It's well designed with over the top asian architechtural highlights (think pagoda awnings galore).
On another positive note: Bintang rocks. Cans or bottles, I like this local pilsner, it's ubiquitous in Kuta.
So I'm taking a surfing lesson tomorrow at 8AM and will try to visit Seminyak, the classier newer nightlife later this week. Otherwise it'll be a pretty chill trip. I'd wanted to visit the Volcano up north, but tourist interest is very sparse and I'd have to pay for the whole vehicle so probably wont happen.
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