A Bali Welcome

After a long flight (27 hours from San Francisco) I arrived in Bali via Seoul and Singapore pretty exhausted from doing nohing but sitting on a plane. Singapore Air, the Cadillac of airlines, but despite the three "gourmet" vegetarian meals it was still airplane food and there really was not enough room on the plane to do any serious yoga without elbowing passengers in the nose. I mostly slept. The airport in Singapore is pretty swanky though, and I enjoyed the surprising range of options available at 3:00 AM feeling rather rested after my 17 hour nap, as it was. Around 5:00 AM I realized that my ticket did allow me access to the Premier Club so I got a hot shower with ample products and a fairly good Asian breakfast, but passed on the wide of complimentary international cocktails other passengers were enjoying. The three hour flight to Bali involved another two meals and we landed at noon, sated indeed. Bali is the destination of choice for Australians, Chinese, Germans, and others whose economies are not in the crapper and there were about 200 people going through the two open customs lines. A large sign read "BRINGING DRUGS INTO INDONESIA IS PUNISHABLE BY THE DEATH PENALTY." They don't fool around. Simple caning is simply for the arrogant. It seems that most of the pasty visitors are going to the exquisite beach resorts on the southeast coast. I plan to avoid that plan.










My driver, kindly recommended by a friend, met me at the end of the customs line for the drive to Ubud, the heart of Balinese culture and agriculture 35 km from the coast. Made (pron. MA-dey) is a 30 something tourguide with a heart of gold and my first introduction to what is truly a remarkable people, generous, accepting, spiritual, and cautiously integrated into the modern. I think Bali is a place apart from the rest of Indonesia, but more on that later.



Made took me around to look for a house and thankfully discouraged me from some of the ones I looked at on the internet that as it turns out were more like hotels in the heart of Ubad's hustling tourist center. But, this is no Cancun. You can still get a one hour great massage for about $10USD and unlike India there are few touts or unionized beggars. We spent the better part of the afternoon looking and finally I decided to take it easy and check into a guest house and search tomorrow for a rental in the countryside which is what I want. The house, in the middle of Ubud is a family compound that is at least several centuries old and houses the traditional shrine building, outdoor kitchen, and a two ornate guest bungalows. Like everywhere in Bali the family spends a couple hours each day leaving offerings of flowers, incense, and food at dozens of altars across the compound.