Thursday, September 13, 2012

Sept 12th Ho Chi it to me baby


Well. Vietnam has been quite the learning experience thus far. Day one we flew to Singapore Airport from Denpasar. The start of the day went off without a hitch and everything flowed very smoothly. I did a painting collaboration the day before with a local artist named Suarsa, and I had called him early in the morning to say I would take the painting with me, I wanted me too but I didn't think I could carry it around, and couldn't afford to ship it. So he brought it to my hotel and we got everything packed up. I left some clothes behind to lighten my load some. Also some inscents as a gift to the family. who ran the place.

We boarded the first plane with no problems and were off to Singapore. The decent into the Singapore airport was a picturesque view of oil tankers and drilling pipes all around the coast...  We got our bags and headed for check-in. We didn't think it started yet so we were gunna get some tasty japanese food ( in know..) but then we saw our check-in flight counter so we went up, and then we were refused boarding because we didn't have a letter for a visa upon arrival!!! So we had to use Stephs ipad (thank god we had some sort of computer..note to self, get a frackin laptop) to apply for a visa online thru a 3rd party site. We couldn't just call the embassy because they had JUST closed (double doh). We applied for a rush visa, and it would have cost us about 30 dollars to get the visa orginally, but it ended up costing us like 250... frgs@%kS%3kaglersnuff. We got the email approval after about an hour and a half or something. Luckilly the airport had cool gold water droplet things that raised and lowered from the cieiling in 2 seconds to make cool ass 3 dimensional  designs to keep my stress at bay lol. 

*eep visa wtf do we stay in sing... whaaaaaat its making particle waves...omg we have like 1 hour before our flight leaves and... now its creating a ball shape hovering over a wormhole omfg* 

We got the email approval! packed up our pile of luggage, and headed to the check-in counter.... only... there was no one there... all the screens had pictures of Jet Star logos on them with no flight details.. fuck me...moment. pardon my language.. But we just spent 250 dollars for... nothing... I dont thiiink so! Tracked down the manager. Showed her the letter. Got moved to the front of another flights check-in line... waited patiently.... for the 4 ladies with like 8 shopping bags full of duty free stuff to get weighed... check in. Then ran for security. Seeing that our flight was on it's last call for boarding, we started a light jog.. Then seeing our gate was the last one in the terminal (always.. idk how I always pick the last gosh darn gate with like all flights...) We started running down the moving walkways breaking up couples gingerly holding hands at a stand still. 

Flashes of my flight to Guatemala from Toronto running thru my head.. Then We arrived, with still a few ppl waiting in line!! Woo Woo!! the weird thing is that the security checks at this and in Denpasar were all AT the gates and not at the entry into terminals. 

We were on the plane!! No tvs on the plane. And we did order a meal when we booked the flight, but our tickets didn't say so.. boooo. So I paid 10 dollars for a gross stew thing and a bun, which was just a McDonalds lookin hamburger bun... that wasn't even cut in half lol.. I couldn't get the plastic off my stew mush. the sides of the plastic wrapping on it just peel off around it not breaking the seal. So I stared stabbing it with my fork and knife (both sides..) and they  were just bending to the whim of this plastic!! I have tears in my eyes from laughing at how ridiculous the whole day was lol. 

We got to Ho Chi Minh and their was a man waiting with our names on a sign.

dishearted with Day One in Ho chi Minh

So we got to the airport and a guy was standing there with a sign with our names on it, we gave him our passports. they told us we would have to get our pictures taken there for the visa, but that never happened. we got our visa's. Met a nice girl whose bags were taken before getting on the plane, full of stuffed animals and presents for a school she was working at.

We paid for an airport taxi instead of dealing with a regular taxi. We prolly over-paid but it's okay for piece of mind. The place we are staying at turned out to be down this alley way and not on a main road.. so we were like.. Wtf.. lol.. and so was our taxi driver!! But we found it and rang the bell and Camille came to answer. It was about 11:30 when we arrived. I messaged her the day before from Bali on Couchsurfing.org. Which we had tried to do in Ubud but it didn't work out. Camille is staying in a shared apt accommodation. It's very interesting. No one has locks on their doors. Their rooms are just like a bachelor pad inside, and their is a bathroom on each floor for 2 apts to share. They share 1 medium/small fridge, and a stove top on the counter. Plus the roof has 2 patios that are really incredible. Camille is here on an internship for school in France and so is her friend  Hiba who lives on the same floor. (2 rooms a floor, 6 ppl live here.) Their is a Vietnamese man named Duc and another Vietnamese man (but from America), named Peter. They are all early, to mid 20's, and their is a random older couple around 40 who lives here as well.

We finally got to inflate our therm-a-rests that we've been carting around with us! Exciting stuff!! Her room is on the 4th floor of a spiral staircase. So we are getting a good leg work-out, reminds me of Paris with Liane in May 2011.

 Next day we went out on the town. Walked towards the water. It was a lovely hot day. All we had heard about was how it was rainy season and it just rained allll the time. And it did rain that night, but was done by the time we went out. By 11am we had walked for maybe 20 mins, and we were trying to find a place to get some food. I saw a cafe but didn't say anything cuz I thought we could do better (in my head..) and we kept walking, we stood by the side of the road waiting to see how we would cross 4 lanes of busy traffic with no light or stop signs.. So we were standing at the edge. I had my backpack on, and my red plastic clutch in my hand with the strap around the wrist. Then a motorbike with 2 guys on it pulled up and looked as tho they were stopping, but it was super close to us, so I took a step back and then the guy on the back grabbed my clutch and the driver gunned it!! I held onto that sucker like you wouldn't believe and the damn wrist strap broke. Steph apparently was holding onto me cuz she thought they were trying to grab me! When the strap broke she thought it was my wrist! So they got my purse and drove off. Luckilly I planned for this and had most of my money in my bra :P but I had my bag keys in their too, with my Animation festival Lanyard from my last year of volunteering. haha Balls. Now I'll have to volunteer to get a new lanyard. But I'll be traveling during the festival this year!! Haha Ce la vie I suppose.  So a little shaken up, thinking, did that just seriously happen??

Some trolley drivers (who cart tourists around..) came and helped us cross the street, saying "They gotchyaa" Telling us its the gang, they no work, just want cocaine -while doing needle in vein actions. They told us to go report it. I didn't wanna bother, it wasn't much money, and it's not worth the police's time. They kept trying to get us into their trolleys, but I'm like, I don't have any money!! They just got my wallet, plus the visa stuff, the last thing I wanted was to blow more money.. They were like, we take u around and then we drop you off at hotel and you go in and get money to pay us. They wanted 400,000 for the day. ($20) but we walked away, and promised we'd go straight to the police station. So we're walking, walking, and they are following, following... They stuck a deal for (what I thought was 17,000..but was 70,000...each) So we went  hopped in.. they took us down the road, then down this weird side street, which they never mentioned before so we would have never found it basically. They dropped us off. Pointed to what looked like just another store.. said it was the Police Station. Their was a few cops chilling on bikes texting, our trolly driver said a couple things to them. Then told us we had to go back to the hotel to get a translator... And we asked our trolley driver to just translate for us, since he SAW it happen, and now he's all like, I only know a little bit of english and said he'd be right back, then took off. Cops now giving us blank, "we don't give a shit" stares... So quite frustrated and taken advantage of we just started to walk back to the hotel. which was harder then we thought cuz we got so turned around. We stopped and talked to two English couples walking together, they told us how to get to the water from where we were to find our way back to the hotel. We got to the hotel and walked in and went up to the counter. At this point I'm thoroughly dis-hearted with the Vietnamese.  The clerks at the hotel gave us these weird looks because we weren't staying there, so they didn't want to help us.. I'm starting to tear up at just how F***d uncaring ppl were being, Feeling quite saddened at the compassion of Vietnamese. Steph felt that too and was just like.. "okay.. We would like a train out of Ho Chi Minh". We could barely get the train station website from them, they wanted to book it for us. blah blah.. rar rar. got the website.. then got another website and had the website we were given scratched off.. wtf..

So we got some food nearby, thoroughly starving by now. We ordered rice pourage and some plate of something, It was really not that delicious.. lol.. But we got iced lattes with swirly straws!! So it wasn't so bad haha..


Wednesday, September 5, 2012

Ubud, Bali Sept 4th-5th

Well! It's September 6th, 2012. I finally got to an internet cafe in Ubud to hook up a hardrive and get my pictures off my camera cards. The reason I can't do this with my travel buddy's tablet is because it doesn't have a usb port. Useless!! Oh wells tho. We will survive haha. This has been an awesome 4 days. feels like longer...

The flights getting here weren't too bad. Kind of an awkward feeling when night never comes.. I left Ottawa around 12pm thanks to my good pals Megan and Ashley who picked me up and drove me to the Airport. Good thing too. As per my usual before having to do anything, I was way behind. I was up till about 3am packing and trying to finish a poster for "Domestic Workers", in Kerala, India. I did get it done luckilly.about half an hour before I had to leave haha. Always rockin the last minute. In my dillusional state I somehow thought I would be able to go to the Daily Grind Cafe in Ottawa and hang up artwork. Hopefully my roomate reads this and does it for me ;) *nudge nudge*. 

My first flight was an hour to Toronto, then I waited about an hour or so and Flew from Toronto to Hong Kong. About a 14 hour flight. I just happened to be sitting beside like the only other white girl within visual range. and we didn't have anyone between. I've been lucking with long flights so far to have to site with 2 other people. She was traveling to Australia to see her brother. And even used to live in Ottawa up till 6 months ago. The world is incredibly small it seems. I've learned to take all this as fated circumstances. Not that we are soul friends for life or anything. but just accepting that I meet who I meet at the right times. On the flight I watched "Confucius" with Chow Young Fat. With Subtitles. I didn't even know he did this movie! He was really amazing. Also Watched a Bruce Lee Documentary. A Little different then "Bruce Lee: Dragon" haha. Way Better. I didn't know he was a Cha Cha Champion. And that he tought so many celebrities "Jeet Kune Do" at his house. Or that All of the movies he did had so much of his real life in them. He really was an incredible person. Never playing a part. Even when Acting, he never put on a face for the "role" was the same on screen as off screen. An important lesson he brought to the world. But he went beyond that. His every move, every step, and every word, was an expression of his true and genuine self. He didn't just fight, he expressed every part of his being with every movement. I'm prolly babeling now, but it's something important I too have learned to do with my art, and am always working on with my life. When I draw a picture, I somehow express everything that I am in that moment, with the lines. You may ask how this is possible? or you may not.  I believe it stems from my personal honesty. Something that has been very hard to find in a world where your told what to be and how to fix yourself from an external perspective at every turn. All I had to do was find the right lines to express myself, carving the way for everything from within myself to pour forward, no easy feet. But afterwords you see how simple it is.

The last flight was only 4 hours. I couldn't choose from a big list of movies, it was an older plane. I watched what was on, I ended up watching Matrix 1. Always a good choice.. I got in around 1am. Originally steph told me that she was going to be there a day before me. But she emailed me while I was in air so I never knew, that she got the date wrong and was getting in the same night as me. So I'm looking all over the place, being followed by cabbies trying to give me a ride, no sign of steph waiting, I didn't write down where we were staying so I couldn't even just go there to find her!! hahah Bad news bears moment. Then I saw her!! This tall blue angel hah. Blue dress, and matching blue pack, leave it to the ladies to co-ordinate while backpacking :P

We got in a cab, but it didn't have a meter, and my friend Rio told me I shouldn't get into cabs without a meter. He wouldn't give us his taxi certification either, so we got out and got our bags and went and found another driver, We got over charged to, like 5 dollars. We found a cab for 80,000 Rupea, which is 8 dollars. instead of 100 000. We should have only paid 50, 000. But what can u do. everyone gets ripped off now and then, and It's not that big of a deal.

We got to the " Matahari Guest House" in Kuta around 2 am. It Took me a few hours to fall asleep getting used to the 12 hour time change. We both woke up around 2pm. Steph hadn't slept much her last week in Seoul. I've bounced back pretty well. All those late nights and random hours I keep already prepared me pretty well for traveling lol.

We didn't get much done on day one, as we were organizing gear and then we had to find some food. we walked and waaaalked and ended up on the beach. then we found out where this place called "Warung Madè". got some balinese and Indonesian foods.OH YES! On our way to dinner a lizard fell on Stephanie's head. more like aimed for it jumping off a building. hahah She freaked right out. Too funny. Then we walked around for a bit more. We ended up back on the beach I think that night, and we just watched the waves. We stood in the water for a bit and felt the tide go in and out, until a big tide came in and soaked our bottoms haha. Awesome!! My first time standing in an ocean!! Ireland was my first time touching an Ocean. The moon was still full that night. I never saw it blue... but I left on the blue moon.There were a few stars out. I haven't seen a lot of stars tho still. We sat on beach trying to dry our wet bums and just chilled, it was a warm night. There was actually a lot of people just sitting on the beach watching the waves. I thought that this light was mars when got on the beach.. low and behold it was definitly a plane.. I'm gunna ask for mercy with the fact I didn't have my glasses on :P.

The Headed out  Tuesday with the Mission to learn to surf! We were gunna pay 45USD each to learn for a couple hours with a company, but it was actually Euros that the price was in, and we didn't bring enough. so then eventually our good pal Cassam who we had been getting all our tour advice from told us there are guys on the beach who would teach us for 150, 000 Rupea. each. which is 30USD for both. instead of like 114Us.

Me and Steph went swimming first before doing any surfing. I finally got the nerve to test my small digital camera's waterproof ability. It went really well! The instructors were just fine. Spoke enough english and had a ball laughing at us and us at ourselves, and cheering us on when we caught a wave I could only hack an hour of it. It's incredibly exhausting!! and I have no muscles or abs. But I did pretty good. I could do it everyday actually. wont be my last time surfing that's for sure. Afterwords we de-salted ourselves, which was good cuz I swollowed so much salt water. haha. I'm still to this day getting sand out of my ears hahah.
We got invited to hang with some Australians drinking with the local surfer guys. Apparently my surf teachers name is Ducky haha. or that's what she called him anyway.

The Australians gave us a turtle ticket. Apparently Every now and then in Kuta they do this massive baby turtle release! My first apalling moment was because they were messing with the natural hatch and journey to the Ocean that I had been taught about in Documentaries, but then I found out that because of the lights from the town, the turtles get confused at night when they hatch and head toward the city instead of the water. My 2nd appalling moment was because civilization had gotten so big that the natural order of nature really was gone.. But it is what it is, and they are doing what they can to continue the process in its current circumstances. So we each got a turtle in a plastic container. some ppl named theirs. I just named mine "Turtle Power"- for u Nathan. Steph named hers Crush. And this guy near me named his Dave (Australian). And we just watched them make their way to sea. It was a race of sorts. For a while mine and stephs were buddy buddy, journeying together, d'awww. I watched some get stepped on by tourists trying to get to the side to take a picture... a little ridiculous... Respect yo?

We went home and got changed and then made our way to our last dinner in Kuta. So many weird gimmicky places to eat at. Nothing by western style music all around, or live bands performing western music. Their is even a place called Bubbe-Gump-Shrimp.. Your prolly thinking.. Forest Gump. But their is no way they would make a restaurant like that after the movie.. out front.. is a bench .. with a box of cholates and a ceramic pair of shoes.. yup.. theee shoes...

We found a place finally with some balinese food. It was an Indian place, so we just got some yummy Dal, and Chick peas, butter chicken, and 3 big naan breads. Tried a naan with dried fruit!! Delicious! and Yogourt Smoothies!! Num Num! Then we headed back to the cafe near our hotel to find a place to stay the next day! We also weren't sure where we wanted to go. I know I wanted to get out of our 15 dollar a night hotel and find a cheaper place like a hostel.

we ended up not finding anything so we just took a shuttle van to Ubud and figured we'd find something when we got there. They didn't have enough seats on the bus for me or steph. So steph ended up sitting on the floor!! hahah And one one woman got on the wrong bus and our driver got super annoyed having to turn around to drop her off after she was shouting, "WHERE ARE YOU TAKING ME!!" But with an Australian accent. I sat next to a couple from the Netherlands. Their is quite a good mixture of people from all over here. And all the locals or vendors just ask, "Where you from?" I find it is for another reason then just wanting to know. These people have a way more connected knowing then people may thinking..

When We got to Ubud, a  man named Ketut asked us if we had a place to stay and we didn't so we followed him haha *Warning flags* His hotel is called "Tunjung- bungalowes" and its this Orange palace of a place with balconies and en-suite bathrooms, and plants everywhere. also a koy fish pond. And his brother took us straight to room number 5, the 5 is on an orange ball.. Idk about you, but this place was our destiny haha. we share a bed, which is fine. We don't care, we have our silk liners we sleep in. and its only 7.50 a night each. pretty amazing, plus we have a drying rack for our clothes. We picked up some laundry powder today from COCO supermarket to clean our clothes. I've been using my soap bar up to this point to scrub the travel sweat away haha.

Our first night in Ubud and we saw a "Barong and Keris" Dance. Similar to the one I saw at the Indonesian Embassy in Ottawa. But so much more. The story it told seemed to be that of a retelling of the history of humanity, and the struggle between "Dharma," and "Adarma" or good and evil I think. We had to rush to go back to NanJung to get more money for dinner since we spent it on the tickets!! We ate at this lovely restaurant with lots of tasty health foods and pro-biotic smoothes, we've eaten there for all our meals so far in Ubud!! It has pillows you can sit on and cool meditation art. A lot of yogi's come here to eat. The whole place is filled with Incense and calming music... Plus pillows this is a recipe for nap tie. which I almost do everytime I go there haha.

Our first full day here in Ubud was September 5th. We were just gunna walk to the elephant cave Temple but our Hotel owner Ketut said it was too far, so we decided to pay him to be our prive driver for the day for 170,000 rupea each. about 35 dollars. Little cheaper then a tour, and we got to take our time and no worries of our tour group leaving us behind. Much better! We spent like 2 hours at the elephant cave. which should have only taken us about 30 mins, but we walked on these paths and went to these other temples that weren't part of the elephant cave package, so we payed 20 rupea to go further on the path, some guy tried to be our guide, until he told us he wanted 10 dollars which we didn't really care to pay him so we just walked it ourselves.  Went across this shifty bamboo bridge. chilled at these abandoned temples built in the bottom of this cliff. amazingly gorgeous sites. and water.... apparently we could of gone swimming there, but we didn't know.oh wells!

After the Elephant caves we went to a temple with Rice paddies! Never seen a rice paddie before. I still have to find out what rice looks like when it's pulled out of the water. Their was a ceremony going on at the Temple that day. Ketut said that it was for family's getting blessings I believe. The intense music they play is called "Trance" music (not like rave music in Canada, but spiritual tripping without the drugs) . And it really is. Tho you know those beatles in Canada that make that loud screeching sound on hot days? You should of heard them at the elephant caves. I felt all the energy in my body seemingly uplifting from my feet to my head and beyond. Keeping our great mother Terra in high spirits me suspects. Who needs drugs when nature is a drug all its own, and all around you.  Tho we were offered mushrooms randomly. Its like duck duck goose, but instead of duck its 'Taxi', and instead of goose its mushroooms? and you have go to a higher octave when u say mushroOMS. haha

After  The Elephant cave we went to the Stone Temple. We ended up buying sarongs, which were scarves, not sarongs,  but we wore them as sarongs for a few days. The worst thing is the cost at all these temples. It adds up. We were "late" we thought to see the ceremony, but it was pretty ongoing, and it was a family receiving blessings from the priests. But they had the band playing trance music for it. and lots of inscents burning. It was called the Stone temple because it was built into the side of a rock, and it was surrounded by rice paddies. 

They had these 3 huge half pyramids carved into the stone.


We headed back to the car, and went on to a view of Mount Batur, and Lake Batur. You could see the path from the Eruption in December 1999 I think. Ketut said he was here watching it erupt. You can see the lava path below where its all black and scorched, and where it's still green. I got bombarded by women trying to get me to  buy some of their fruit. They just cut it and make you try it then charge you if u buy it. The best one was so expensive. I saw ketut laughing from inside his truck at me surrounded.. Steph was inside using the bathroom.. hahah I had no backup!! Their is a reason why women are usually selling and not men. Women can get the job done with their subtle pushyness haha. 

We saw some mandarine trees on our way down.  Ketut was trying to get deal on them for the Kuningan ceremony. We headed back to the hotel and then out to dinner. We keep going to this place "Atmans". With Organic and tasty tasty food.  Fell asleep basically waiting for it. And they have really speedy service, I was just bombed. I think we were in bed by like 9pm that night haha. We are up everyday by 8 or sooner. 


Who knew I would have to go to the other-side of the world to finally operate on a normal time schedule. Its settled, I was born on the wrong side of the world... I have always been oddly drawn to Asia, that MUST be why ;)



Sunday, September 2, 2012

Kuta, Bali Sept 2nd-4th 2012




Well! It's September 6th, 2012. I finally got to an internet cafe in Ubud to hook up a hardrive and get my pictures off my camera cards. The reason I can't do this with my travel buddy's tablet is because it doesn't have a usb port. Useless!! Oh wells tho. We will survive haha. This has been an awesome 4 days. Feels like longer...
 
The flights getting here weren't too bad. Kind of an awkward feeling when night never comes.. I left Ottawa around 12pm thanks to my good pals Megan and Ashley who picked me up and drove me to the Airport. Good thing too. As per my usual before having to do anything, I was way behind. I was up till about 3am packing and trying to finish a poster for "Domestic Workers", in Kerala, India. I did get it done luckilly.about half an hour before I had to leave haha. Always rockin the last minute. In my dillusional state I somehow thought I would be able to go to the Daily Grind Cafe in Ottawa and hang up artwork.


Hong Kong-Night

My first flight was an hour to Toronto, then I waited about an hour or so and Flew from Toronto to Hong Kong. About a 14 hour flight. I just happened to be sitting beside like the only other white girl within visual range. and we didn't have anyone between. I've been lucking with long flights so far to have to site with 2 other people. She was traveling to Australia to see her brother. And even used to live in Ottawa up till 6 months ago. The world is incredibly small it seems. I've learned to take all this as fated circumstances. Not that we are soul friends for life or anything. but just accepting that I meet who I meet at the right times. On the flight I watched "Confucius" with Chow Young Fat. With Subtitles. I didn't even know he did this movie! He was really amazing. Also Watched a Bruce Lee Documentary. A Little different then "Bruce Lee: Dragon" haha. Way Better. I didn't know he was a Cha Cha Champion. And that he tought so many celebrities "Jeet Kune Do" at his house. Or that All of the movies he did had so much of his real life in them. He really was an incredible person. Never playing a part. Even when Acting, he never put on a face for the "role" was the same on screen as off screen. An important lesson he brought to the world. But he went beyond that. His every move, every step, and every word, was an expression of his true and genuine self. He didn't just fight, he expressed every part of his being with every movement. I'm prolly babeling now, but it's something important I too have learned to do with my art, and am always working on with my life. When I draw a picture, I somehow express everything that I am in that moment, with the lines. You may ask how this is possible? Or you may not.  I believe it stems from my personal honesty. Something that has been very hard to find in a world where your told what to be and how to fix yourself from an external perspective at every turn. All I had to do was find the right lines to express myself, carving the way for everything from within myself to pour forward, no easy feet. But afterwords you see how simple it is.


Sept 1/2nd-First citing of
the moon since Aug 31st
The last flight was only 4 hours. I couldn't choose from a big list of movies, it was an older plane. I watched what was on, I ended up watching Matrix 1. Always a good choice.. I got in around 1am. Originally steph told me that she was going to be there a day before me. But she emailed me while I was in air so I never knew, that she got the date wrong and was getting in the same night as me. So I'm looking all over the place, being followed by cabbies trying to give me a ride, no sign of steph waiting, I didn't write down where we were staying so I couldn't even just go there to find her!! hahah Bad news bears moment. Then I saw her!! This tall blue angel hah. Blue dress, and matching blue pack, leave it to the ladies to co-ordinate while backpacking :P

We got in a cab, but it didn't have a meter, and my friend Rio told me I shouldn't get into cabs without a meter. He wouldn't give us his taxi certification either, so we got out and got our bags and went and found another driver, We got over charged like 5 dollars. We found a cab for 80,000 Rupea, which is 8 dollars. instead of 100 000. We should have only paid 50, 000. But what can u do. Everyone gets ripped off now and then, it's not that big a deal at 10 bucks I suppose.

We got to the "Matahari Guest House" in Kuta around 2 am. It Took me a few hours to fall asleep getting used to the 12 hour time change. We both woke up around 2pm. Steph hadn't slept much her last week in Seoul. I've bounced back pretty well. All those late nights and random hours I keep already prepared me pretty well for traveling lol.
 We didn't get much done on day one, as we were organizing gear and then we had to find some food. we walked and waaaalked and ended up on the beach. then we found out where this place called "Warung Madè". got some balinese and Indonesian foods.OH YES! On our way to dinner a lizard fell on Stephanie's head. more like aimed for it jumping off a building. hahah She freaked right out. Too funny. Then we walked around for a bit more. We ended up back on the beach I think that night, and we just watched the waves. We stood in the water for a bit and felt the tide go in and out, until a big tide came in and soaked our bottoms haha. Awesome!! My first time standing in an ocean!! Ireland was my first time touching an Ocean. The moon was still full that night. I never saw it blue... but I left on the blue moon.There were a few stars out. I haven't seen a lot of stars tho still. We sat on beach trying to dry our wet bums and just chilled, it was a warm night. There was actually a lot of people just sitting on the beach watching the waves. I thought that this light was mars when got on the beach.. low and behold it was definitly a plane.. I'm gunna ask for mercy with the fact I didn't have my glasses on :P.


Swimming in the Ocean for the First time! Kuta Beach, Bali 

The Headed out  Tuesday with the Mission to learn to surf! We were gunna pay 45USD each to learn for a couple hours with a company, but it was actually Euros that the price was in, and we didn't bring enough. so then eventually our good pal Cassam who we had been getting all our tour advice from told us there are guys on the beach who would teach us for 150, 000 Rupea. each. which is 30USD for both. instead of like 114Us.

 
Me and Steph went swimming first before doing any surfing. I finally got the nerve to test my small digital camera's waterproof ability. It went really well! The instructors were just fine. Spoke enough english and had a ball laughing at us and us at ourselves, and cheering us on when we caught a wave I could only hack an hour of it. It's incredibly exhausting!! and I have no muscles or abs. But I did pretty good. I could do it everyday actually. wont be my last time surfing that's for sure. Afterwords we de-salted ourselves, which was good cuz I swollowed so much salt water. haha. I'm still to this day getting sand out of my ears hahah.
We got invited to hang with some Australians drinking with the local surfer guys. Apparently my surf teachers name is Ducky haha. or that's what she called him anyway.


The Australians gave us a turtle ticket. Apparently Every now and then in Kuta they do this massive baby turtle release! My first apalling moment was because they were messing with the natural hatch and journey to the Ocean that I had been taught about in Documentaries, but then I found out that because of the lights from the town, the turtles get confused at night when they hatch and head toward the city instead of the water. My 2nd appalling moment was because civilization had gotten so big that the natural order of nature really was gone.. But it is what it is, and they are doing what they can to continue the process in its current circumstances. So we each got a turtle in a plastic container. some ppl named theirs. I just named mine "Turtle Power"- for u Nathan. Steph named hers Crush. And this guy near me named his Dave (Australian). And we just watched them make their way to sea. It was a race of sorts. For a while mine and stephs were buddy buddy, journeying together, d'awww. I watched some get stepped on by tourists trying to get to the side to take a picture... a little ridiculous... Respect yo?

We went to the hotel and got changed, then made our way to our last dinner in Kuta. So many weird gimmicky places to eat at. Nothing but western style music all around, or live bands performing western music. Their is even a place called Bubba-Gump-Shrimp.. Your prolly thinking.. Forest Gump. But their is no way they would make a restaurant like that after the movie.. out front.. is a bench .. with a box of chocolates and a ceramic pair of shoes.. yup.. theee shoes...

We found a place finally with some balinese food. It was an Indian place, so we just got some yummy Dal, and Chick peas, butter chicken, and 3 big naan breads. Tried a naan with dried fruit!! Delicious! and Yogourt Smoothies!! Num Num! Then we headed back to the cafe near our hotel to find a place to stay the next day! We also weren't sure where we wanted to go. I know I wanted to get out of our 15 dollar a night hotel and find a cheaper place like a hostel. 

Really we just wanted to get out of Kuta. It was so touristy, and really inauthentic with the Vans, Polo, Roxy and other Western style shopping. I coulda stayed for you forevor, mistress of the sea, but never fear, we shall meet again.