Indonesia - Day 6 - May 6, 2011

Day 6 -- May 6
Location; Sanur, Bali


Wow, this was day 6! The time sure flys when you're having fun.
I didn't do any touring today -- enough yesterday to last me for a day or two.
At breakfast I met up with most of the people on our exchange - nobody misses breakfast here :) We don't eat together, but do tend to cluster in one area so we can figure out what everyone is doing that day.




There is "stuff" for sale everywhere!!



At 11:00 Mary Gayle & Dick Van Ingen, Dan, MJ and I met in the lobby and walked to a salon named Maria's, where we got massages. I got a special aroma therapy one, for which I paid a premium -- it was the equivalent of $13 US. What a treat. We have many tales to tell of the whole experience -- it was fun and it's great that everyone seems to get along so well.


We all are something of a comedy show when we try to pay for things. There are too many zeros -- 100,000 rupiahs is equal to about $10 (that's rounded off a bit).  To compound things, there is paper money all the way down to 1,000 rupiahs, which is worth about a penny. AND, the color of most of the currency is quite similar. There's also some coins, but they are pretty worthless.


Guess that's why the cab driver laughed when I tried to pay him two cents!  And I thought I was giving a generous tip at that! The Balinese seem to take our confusion in stride and are so good natured about it.


A few of us spent a few hours in and around the pool in the afternoon. Good conversation and lots of laughs, especially when we tried to be kool and hang out at the swim-up bar -- the bar stools (in the water) were so high one lady couldn't get up on them. She laughed and said that was the first time that she couldn't belly-up to the bar.

We tried to find a place called the Night Market, but after walking and walking and walking, we finally gave up and had dinner at a place called Mona Lisa. Best dinner that I've had since arriving. What a treat.



In Bali, if you can't carry it on a motor cycle or scooter,
it probably isn't going to make it home with you.



There was a torrential downpour this evening and there was water everywhere. The streets are flooded and part of the lawn at our resort is under water. I'm curious to see if it's all gone by tomorrow.


And so ends another day. Tomorrow we leave for Bandung and I probably won't have easy access to the Internet for that week.


What I've been doing here in Bali is writing in the evening and then sending it in the AM when I go down to the lobby. It's good to hear from everybody - sorry I am not always able to respond to you individually, but I am getting the messages.