To get the Visa at Bali airport you need $25 US dollars. I, luckily, had $25 USD left over from living in the USA and visiting it with Jess on The Tour. However $1 of it was in coins. This was not acceptable. Oh dear. They accepted many other currencies including Hong Kong Dollars - I did not have enough of these - argh, did not accept card ARGH!!! Queue behind me waiting patiently and not heckling yet. Luckily I had enough Indonesian Rupiah, and the nice lady at the till helped me work out which notes to give her. I may have sworn. I hope not. (Like when Emma was teaching and wrote on the board in pink highlighter. One of those situations: accidental stress-swearing, that you don't realise you have done. If it happened, that is.)
Our hotel is basic but lovely. It's on Pratama Street (well, not street. Jl Pratama if my brain is actually remembering things) - in the 'village', rather than the touristy resort bit where the posh people go. As we were driving down a street with tin-rooved shops and various dogs and chickens in the street we were both a little bit concerned, however the locals are nice. Yes, walking to find somewhere for dinner, some kids did follow us for a bit, but they were just interested. Generally - particularly on the resort...although I'm sure their hearts are pure - everyone is friendly, welcoming, says hello. When I was a tad lost yesterday walking home I asked a teenage girl at the side of the road with her motorbike (or possibly moped) if she knew where Pratama Street was. She looked at my map but didn't know. She was very apologetic and did the hands together in praying form (salaam?) thing as she left. Ridiculously nice person :)
Having walked up and down that street a few times now I'm less paranoid that all the dogs have rabies. In fact, so far, nothing I've seen has had rabies. Hurrah! (Or, at least, as far as I know it didn't.) Walking back home from the incredible beach yesterday, after getting lost within the warren that is the tourist resort down there - complete with Pirates Bay cafe + treehouses for the kids/me if I thought I'd be allowed up there) - I was passed by a truck crammed full (like a Thameslink train during rush hour) of standing Balinese men. They shouted to me and I smiled and waved back. (I had my headphones in but they seemed friendly.) I caught up with them at the roundabout and waved at them again and one did a thumbs up as they pulled off. I wish I'd been brave enough to hold up my camera and visually ask them if I could take a photo.
Photowise, today I lay on the beach reading for less time, in an effort to not burn my feet again (I also have a shoulder burn pattern that looks a lot like the tattoo the guy gets on his face in The Hangover II - I think II.) I went for a walk to the end of the beach, where there's a cliffy bit with a big statue on it. There was a load of building work going on, and a scuba diving instructor (among other things) I chatted to briefly told me they're building a helicopter landing pad. Anyway (returning to 'photowise'), I walked past that and out round the corner to a round wooden platform which looked out across the ocean. It was full of a big - it turned out - family from Java. I sat down and started reapplying suncream to my feet. Looked up and one of the adults was standing over me. He said, 'Excuse me, photo please?' I said yes, and the whole family clustered around me in a big 'family photograph' (I gave them my camera too). Lots were taken, and their uncle, who lives in Bali, who they'd come to visit, explained that there weren't really tourists in Java, so whereas he'd seen many foreigners before, they hadn't. It was fun being a tourist attraction!
Anyway, had better go and start thinking about dinner. Will chuck up some photos first. And maybe this evening I'll beat Zoe at Uno.
Our hotel is basic but lovely. It's on Pratama Street (well, not street. Jl Pratama if my brain is actually remembering things) - in the 'village', rather than the touristy resort bit where the posh people go. As we were driving down a street with tin-rooved shops and various dogs and chickens in the street we were both a little bit concerned, however the locals are nice. Yes, walking to find somewhere for dinner, some kids did follow us for a bit, but they were just interested. Generally - particularly on the resort...although I'm sure their hearts are pure - everyone is friendly, welcoming, says hello. When I was a tad lost yesterday walking home I asked a teenage girl at the side of the road with her motorbike (or possibly moped) if she knew where Pratama Street was. She looked at my map but didn't know. She was very apologetic and did the hands together in praying form (salaam?) thing as she left. Ridiculously nice person :)
Having walked up and down that street a few times now I'm less paranoid that all the dogs have rabies. In fact, so far, nothing I've seen has had rabies. Hurrah! (Or, at least, as far as I know it didn't.) Walking back home from the incredible beach yesterday, after getting lost within the warren that is the tourist resort down there - complete with Pirates Bay cafe + treehouses for the kids/me if I thought I'd be allowed up there) - I was passed by a truck crammed full (like a Thameslink train during rush hour) of standing Balinese men. They shouted to me and I smiled and waved back. (I had my headphones in but they seemed friendly.) I caught up with them at the roundabout and waved at them again and one did a thumbs up as they pulled off. I wish I'd been brave enough to hold up my camera and visually ask them if I could take a photo.
Photowise, today I lay on the beach reading for less time, in an effort to not burn my feet again (I also have a shoulder burn pattern that looks a lot like the tattoo the guy gets on his face in The Hangover II - I think II.) I went for a walk to the end of the beach, where there's a cliffy bit with a big statue on it. There was a load of building work going on, and a scuba diving instructor (among other things) I chatted to briefly told me they're building a helicopter landing pad. Anyway (returning to 'photowise'), I walked past that and out round the corner to a round wooden platform which looked out across the ocean. It was full of a big - it turned out - family from Java. I sat down and started reapplying suncream to my feet. Looked up and one of the adults was standing over me. He said, 'Excuse me, photo please?' I said yes, and the whole family clustered around me in a big 'family photograph' (I gave them my camera too). Lots were taken, and their uncle, who lives in Bali, who they'd come to visit, explained that there weren't really tourists in Java, so whereas he'd seen many foreigners before, they hadn't. It was fun being a tourist attraction!
Anyway, had better go and start thinking about dinner. Will chuck up some photos first. And maybe this evening I'll beat Zoe at Uno.