bedridden

Well it's official. I'm stuck Resting Icing Compressing and Elevating while in Bali, the beautiful island getaway where surf sun and sand are the obvious of avenues to a good day. Unless you have a sprained ankle and infected wounds from your genius attempt at experience. So, in short: ankle = bad; Bali = good; bad ankle in Bali = really bad; good friends made who have an air conditioned apartment and Mac book and free internet = not too shabby. Plus they surf all the time anyway so I don't feel like I'm getting in the way. More time to blog! I was chatting with a friend today and went to refer to a link I had posted a few posts ago,  and couldn't remember the name of my own damned blog to type into the browser. Yes, I'm that bad. Good thing is that it's only because I've been having such a good time. So now I have ben able to skype my family a few times, a few friends, I realize it's time to get back on the blog wagon. Also, Andrea has started a blog of her very own (see my blog roll, upper right corner) and I realized while reading her first few posts how happy it made me to "hear" her voice. I should get back to mine, I thought. 

So here I am. In Bali. In a villa in Seminyak, which is adjacent to Kuta, southern Bali, Indonesia. Which, to my surprise (and Zach's, I was talking to him when I wikipedia'd Indonesia), has the 4th largest populous in the world. Crazy, right? Fun little factoid. Bali itself is not super over crowded, and I'm in probably the "worst" area, w/r/t crowds and tourists. However, I am experiencing a healthy shock to how western it feels. Everywhere you look there are white faces, and english spoken. Aussies EVERYWHERE. It's so close to Australia (it was 5 hours from Melbourne) that the Australians visit all the time, much like we visit Mexico. Well... we Californians, anyway. It's much cheaper, little to no restrictions on drinking, it's got great surf, it's beautiful culturally and aesthetically, plus the people are generally very friendly (although "don't fuck with the Indos" has been established as law). It's got the "no worries" vibe of down under, with less accountability. Why not visit? Or, as in my friends' cases, relocate. Plus Australia is on a huge break for Easter (2 weeks), making it more crowded and crazy than usual. Apparently.

We spent the first two nights in Kuta, doing the dance club and shopping portion of our trip, before we were to go see the rest of the island. On day three we went to Uluwatu, about an hour south of Kuta, where there is great surf and is much more quiet and mellow than hectic Kuta. This is the day where we decided to rent motorbikes, and I got into my accident. It's not only tough to be in a foreign country and be injured, but as I soon realized it is tough to be with travelers. We're all on vacation, having a good time, and when there is a man down situation, nobody wants to be slowed down. It felt pretty shitty to have the girl I was traveling with be annoyed with my disability, and not hide her disdain. I was told to get over it and deal with it, stop complaining (I wasn't), and effectively have been left behind. It's alright though, I am happier healing in peace and quiet than feeling both like an anchor and prima-donna. I wouldn't expect her to be burdened with my problem, but a little respect/consideration would be nice... anyway. If she and the girls we met up with are out of town then I can meet up with them when able to keep up the pace. The interesting thing is that the one I came with was terrible, while her friends we met up with were alright, but with my travel buddy acting as my ambassador... I'm pretty sure they think I'm someone else completely (along the lines of a drama queen and attention whore... her words). If nothing else, it's made me realize how spoiled I am with the amazing friends I have at home!!

The people I have met in Bali have been great. So don't worry, I'm in good hands. They live in the Villa Bunga, where we are staying. So cheap and really small, with a pool and spa and small staff who have all come to my rescue. Putu is a woman who works in the spa and has tended to my wounds with "chinese medicine." Her english isn't so good, so when she brought me the bottle and said it would help, and I asked what it was, she said, "Chinese medicine." Ok... but what does it do? "Chinese medicine." Is it for open wounds or just scars? Pain? Antiseptic? "Chinese medicine." haha. Ok. I'll take it. As for the boys, Kama is from Oahu, and Mario is from northern Spain. They both live here 6 months out of the year and export and build furniture to sell in their respective homelands. Sweet life... 6 months of surf and Bali then 6 months in other amazing places... I think I might need to look into this lifestyle. Anyone interested in starting up an import store? :) They've opened up their places and computers and connections to us all, gracious hosts and good "doctors" ... so even though the girls have gone on to Ubud, I have a better support system here in Seminyak. The girls will be back to being my bff's once I'm no longer a buzz kill. *yay* 

I'm disappointed I don't get to see the rest of the Island, but I think it will be alright towards the end. I'm here for a grand total of two weeks, and I think towards the end I will be alright to take a day trip or two. The whole thing can be seen in a day, technically. On Tuesday we will be going to Lombock, an Island right next to Bali that is much more rural and submerged in nature. There are going to be waves there next week, so the guys will take us to their place out there and we can tag along. Too easy! Back to Bali on Thursday, then back to Australia on Saturday... unless I decide to stay a bit longer. If my track record is any indicator of the future, then I reckon I'll still be here after they all leave. 

I will be able to post more now that I'm bed ridden and have access to a computer and free internet, but because I'm bed ridden and spending so much time on the computer I won't have as much to write about! But I think I owe it to myself and everyone who said they liked reading about my travels to write about some things in retrospect. I miss you all terribly and will spend the afternoon and evening picking out the best stories to tell you about from the last few months. 

xoxo