More Bali

Okay. Yes, I said we would update more. Yes, I meant it at the time. No, I have not updated in the 19 days since I wrote that.

Are we over it yet? Good.

So, Kuta: It's gaijin heaven, and not just for the gaijin. The part of town that I'm in, Poppies Lanes 1 and 2, is an ecosystem of tourism. Dozens of cheap hotels, overpriced restaurants, little tourist boutiques, and guys hanging around bikes saying "Transport?". Ten minutes walk in one direction is the beach, lined with guys renting out surfboards and selling drinks, and in the other direction are the clubs, lined with prostitutes. If I thought the separation between tourist and local was bad in Ubud, it's a mile wider here. Gaijin are marks, not people.

I'm being a little unkind here. Quite honestly, I've enjoyed the tourist experience; I've been rafting down a tropical river, scuba diving in a WWII shipwreck, and I learned to surf. Everything here is cheaper than the US or Japan ($7.50 a night at my hotel, and $5.00 for a full meal) and I'm finally warm at this time of year, which hasn't happened enough in my life. I've even been on a date to a temple with a local girl (pictures of which will be posted soon). I have one more week here, and then I go back to Japan for a few days, where I'll meet up with Dane and Shan again. I would say I'll post something then, but we've both heard that one before. Maybe we'll be lucky.

Peace,
ian