Days 71-82: For Good Luck
This blog entry is rated “IM” and may not be suitable for mature audiences. Our apologies to grandparents and parents (with the possible exception of Dennis).
Immediately after replying to comments about “Episode III” being out – and how we were ready to buy tickets home – we went to the supermarket to buy shampoo. There, on the shelves, in stacks, were (bootleg) DVDs of “Episode III.” Too bad we have no way to watch a DVD for two years…
We spent a day in Senggigi on the west coast of Lombok Island to run some errands, and more importantly, use their blazing-fast internet connection. (Note that “blazing-fast” means it wasn’t dial-up, but just marginally faster.) Found out that Marcus got caught by a speed camera in NZ and they mailed the ticket to the states. Come and get me copper! Senggigi must have been a fancy resort town at some point in the past, but now it is a hollow shell of empty resorts and even emptier overpriced restaurants. The tourists were outnumbered by guys selling fake Rolex watches by at least 2 to 1.
Senggigi is one of the access ports to the Gili Islands, which we found out is a bit redundant because Gili means “island.” The island of Gili Air is the smallest of the three and can be walked completely around in an hour. The three means of transport on the island are bicycle, donkey cart, or your own two legs. We opted for the last, but that didn’t stop every guy and his donkey cart from offering to give us a lift for 100 meters for a “cheap price.” Got an awesome bungalow for $4 with only occasional visits from a mouse. Every restaurant on the island was located right on the beach.
Spent a few days relaxing and finishing the Ramayana before heading to the cultural center and craftwork mecca of Bali in the town of Ubud. Marcus finally got that excellent cup of locally-grown coffee he’d been searching for. We caught a few Balinese dance performances. The first was the Kecak dance, which is a hyper-abreviated version of the Ramayana with a hundred guys chanting and about four dancers (including two women playing the two male good-guys, which threw us off for a bit). Our favorite character was Hanuman the white monkey who “trashed” the city of Lanka by bashing bunches of spinach together. The other dance was the Legong and it was a collection of different dances. Without really knowing what was going on, we had to interpret the dances ourselves. One we called “Want to buy a Rolex?” because the dancer kept displaying the inside of his cloak, and another was “Freddy Kruger” which was clearly designed to give small children nightmares.
Ubud and the surrounding villages produce an amazing array of woodcraft. But one theme prevailed at every store, and that was wooden penises in all shapes and forms. Penis ashtrays, penis pipes, and penis bottle openers were the most common. One of the shop owners caught Marcus looking at one of these fine items, and she said knowingly: “For good luck!” Indeed.
Certainly a conversation starter. “Got a bottle opener Jimbob? Er….. I’m not really thirsty any more.”
We’re not familiar with this chess piece.
One thing we got reasonably good at was bargaining (no, we didn’t buy a bottle opener. Sorry Jonny.). Two main things we found were to completely ignore the first price out of the mouth of the shop owner and to walk away even if you want the item. It was amazing how rapidly the price would fall the closer you got to the door. It was also good to shop in the morning to get the “morning price.” We understand that the first sale of the day was considered lucky and would be followed by rubbing the money from the first sale on a bunch of items in the store, “for good luck.”
Speaking of fine craftsmanship…. Luxury!
Ubud was also home to the Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary with this statue at the entrance. Is that monkey being spanked, or am I crazy?
We took a boat to Nusa Lembongan off the SE coast of Bali which is a surfer island, but also a nice place to just roam around. We saw some flying fish which just sounds oxymoronic but are remarkable to see. Nusa Lembongan’s biggest crop is found underwater: seaweed. The whole island is surrounded by seaweed farms. Someone told us they export it to Japan for use in cosmetics. At night the waters were filled with boats with lanterns harvesting. It was really a neat sight.
Reminded Marcus of Bakersfield, but underwater.
While roaming around Nusa Lembongan, we ran across an area called the Devil’s Tears which was a rocky point with a bunch of coves that would blow water and spray 10’s of feet into the air when large waves swept in. Nice to find cool stuff they don’t mention in the guide books.
We returned to Kuta for our flight to Malaysia and have to say this place is a sleazy tourist city. You can’t walk more than 5 feet without all of the following occuring: “You need transport? Yes? Tomorrow?”, “You want massage?”, “Watches!? Cheap price!”, “You want manicure madame?”, “Transport?” (making steering wheel motion), “Marijuana?” (disturbing in a country where this can be a capital crime),”Where are you going?”, “I love you.” (to Kel, of course), “You want Oakleys?” (offering Marcus a bootleg version of the glasses he’s wearing). It seems rude, but just ignoring seems to be the easiest solution since acknowledging the comment just invites more inquiry.
Kelly decided to try an avocado juice which turned out to be a thick avocado and chocolate fudge smoothie. Yum! She got through the first 1/2 inch of the drink. While it tasted good, she had to fight the gag reflex after every sip.
We walked by the Peace Park and memorial at the site of the 2002 bombings. We’ve heard from people all over Indonesia that they are just desperate for tourists to return to the country. When they find out we’re from America they get excited that Americans might be returning to the country. After spending a month here, we have to say that it is a fantastic place to travel and we’d encourage anyone on any budget to come. We’re only leaving because our 30 day visa is up, but we’ll definitely be back.
Tags: Indonesia
Kelly & Marcus
June 2nd, 2005 at 7:46 pm
I, for one, am aghast and horrified at the repulsive display of these hideous and highly offensive objects. Never have I been more disgusted.
[PS – Send two bottle openers, one ashtray, and one pipe asap so I can personally destroy them.]
June 3rd, 2005 at 5:33 am
Interesting to see what various cultures think will “sell” to the tourists…. I trust that none of the above mentioned items are in the package you just sent home!
SCHOOL’S OUT!!! 🙂
Have a safe flight today…
Hugs xoxox
June 5th, 2005 at 10:26 am
That’s not a chess piece, it belongs to the Queen, she just forgot to put it away…