We arrived in Bali at 5pm local time and had a driver lined up to take us to our hotel. I was still groggy, not quite sure what day it was but we had finally made it. After about an hour ride to the hotel and a quick trip to our room to drop off our belongs. It was time to eat. Out into the streets of Bali we went, wandering but really following our new friends to the restaurant they always visit during stays here. The food was warm and the company was nice. I ended up nodding off at the table. After all the sleeping I’d done on the plane you’d think I’d be able to make it through dinner. Nope.
The next morning I woke to roosters and other animal sounds I’m not familiar with. Breakfast was brought to the patio outside my front door. I decided to take any easy day and start to get familiar with my surroundings. We walked the town and got lost a bit, visited the day market that catered to tourists like me and grabbed a beer at 10 am. While my travel partner and his friend chatted, I watched the street in front of us fill with locals, tourists and groves of scooters. Around noon we headed back to the hotel to relax by the pool. I got up the nerve to take a yoga class.. easily the best decision I made that first day. But after eating lunch and taking a shower, an old friend of mine named jet-lag took me out for the next 14 hours.
The next morning I woke up to roosters and other animal sounds I’m not yet familiar with only this time it was 5:30 am local time and my travel partner was pacing our room in the dark. Coffee. I needed it but our room didn’t have any sugar. As we walked to the corner market and back the sun joined us. Breakfast was delivered to the patio and it was delicious. It was no later than 8 am and already a scorcher. It was time to start the business part of this trip which meant hopping on the back of a scooter and driving to a different part of the island and off we went. I begged to stop to get a picture of a rice field and the group of us ended up getting a personalized tour of a carving studio that had been pasted down from one generation to the next. It was truly incredible looking at the craftsmanship and attention to detail every single piece of wood work was paid. The few times I could peel my eyes away for a moment to take a photo; it didn’t accurately depict what I saw.
I’m just a few hours into my travels and I cannot wait to see what else this journey has in store for me.
Impetuous Expedition 