Kuta Sunset
We try to take out money at the airport but all the ATMs don’t work. The employees say that’s always the case, but the taxi drivers know this and will stop at an ATM on the way for you. Seems shady. There are three counters to exchange money at. The actual exchange rate is $1 USD to 12,800 RP, and the counters offer 12,400 or 12,500. Ian goes to the counter with the 12,500 exchange rate, and the girl gives him a 12,400 exchange rate. Ian’s quick to notice, though, and she laughs it off and gives us the right amount. She works at a bank.
We’re always trying to do our homework before going anywhere, and we’ve read that the taxi drivers at the airport are all scammers. Typical. We exit the gate and we’re immediately attacked by taxi drivers. ATTACKED. We say “no thank you” and they follow us until Ian gives them (major) attitude. When they had all offered us the “best price” of 100,000 (after starting at 400,000) to our hotel, we walked to the road and found a “taksi" who put the meter on, and the trip totaled 40,000.
We’re staying at the Harris Hotel Galleria. There are four Harris Hotels in Bali, and the chain is really corporate and nice. I think it's the first hotel where we actually have a smoke detector in the room. Everyone is super friendly and it’s by far the best bed we’ve slept in in two months. It has a pool and fitness center, and the courtyard connects to the Galleria, one of the major malls in Bali. We’re paying $35USD a night.
We take showers and I read the information handbook. The first page is WHAT TO DO IN CASE OF TSUNAMI. Jesus. Ian reminds me of the 2004 tsunami that killed 230,000 in Indonesia. If anyone listened to my fears about going on this trip, you undoubtedly heard my fear of dying in an Indonesian catastrophe. Indonesia seems to have some major tragedy every other year. I would be your friend that dies in a tsunami.
Anyway, we get dressed and head to the beach! The second my foot hits the sand Ian makes me look him in the face and promise I won’t engage the hawkers. I agree, but BOOOOOOOOOOOO. They come up to us with bracelets and kites and promises of the best massages yet. I look at the ground and pout.
Kites Ian didn't let me buy
OMG the ground! We’re on Kuta Beach, and we were warned it’s dirty. It’s pretty from far away but it’s a junkyard close up:
The beach is way crowded, though the locals say this is “lower than low season”. A group of Indonesian girls ask to take pictures with us. There are seven of them and each one wants a picture on her phone. I told them I was surprised they recognized me and to look for my upcoming album.
We walked and walked and got hungry. We have delicious Indian food at Gateway to India, and we’re halfway trough our meal when it goes dark. Part of town lost power. (Over the next few days we realize it's a semi-normal occurrence.) No lights, no fan. Our server brought us a candle and I think it was a lovely touch to the evening.
On our first full day in Bali we went to Waterbom, the #1 Water Park in Asia and #5 in the world (http://waterbom-bali.com). It was EPIC! It was super efficiently run and had the happiest employees in the world. They literally clap for you when you come out of a slide. I love when people clap for me.
When you buy your ticket, you get a bracelet with a barcode on it. You pre-load a minimum of 300,000RP on your band, and pay for everything by scanning it. You can top up at a bunch of different counters. I got a bracelet with a chip in it for our locker rental. So easy. We got one more band for all the photos. The photographers would take a picture of us and scan my bracelet, and at the end we could review them for purchase. I vowed not to post this picture, but... come on:
Go ahead and draw dicks where you see fit.
LifeProTip: Wear a one-piece to a waterpark. Saw so many nip slips.
The rides were so fun and unlike ones I’ve ever been on. When you climb up the stairs there are different motivational quotes and/or signs that tell you how many calories you just burned. Classy touch!
We were there from 11AM to 5PM. We rode all the rides at least three times and did about 116 laps in the lazy river. We ate nachos, churros, hotdogs, and ice-cream sandwiches, and then ran around like sugared-up kids, all while the employees smiled and clapped. It was the perfect date. Beyond the rides you can get massages, a fish pedicure (where little fish eat the dead skin from your toes), your nails done, your hair braided, and caricatures drawn.
Interesting to note: a lot of female park-goers were completely covered head-to-toe in wet-suit style swimsuits. I didn't know there were water hijabs!
When we were finally tired and hungry enough to leave, we walked out of the park and onto one of Kuta’s main roads. We got dinner and enjoyed the sunset. My life = so complete.
We take a cab back to the hotel. I am just so happy I could die. I lie on the bed and THE EARTH STARTS SHAKING. I’m from California, I know what an earthquake is, and this is a big one. Flashback to the tsunami info. Flashback to my whole life and childhood.
We grab our phones and run down the stairs to the lobby, where other guests are wondering what happened. We asked the receptionist what we should do, and she says “I... want to... run from this building.” Comforting. We ask other employees if this happens a lot and they all said no. Ah!
We email our parents goodbye and look at tsunami reports. The immediate results say there was a 7.1 earthquake off the coast of Indonesia, and no word on tsunami activity. About six minutes later, it says there is officially no tsunami warning. Yeah, so no one got great sleep that night.
Ian stocks up on drinks
I'm supposed to be working but there are so many giggles coming from my desk.
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