To Infinity and Beyond

We started the fun proper at SFO right off the bat.  Checking in to our flight, China Airlines told us they could not allow us to board because we had no return or onward flight booked from Indonesia.  They insisted Indonesian customs was very strict about this and did not want to be held responsible for our deportation upon arrival. 
    Thinking fast, we told them we would sign online and buy an onward ticket.  We didn't have return or onward tickets because we planned to get to Bali, play around for a while and then decide when and where to go next.  I can't imagine we are the first and only people who have ever tried this and found it pretty hard to believe that Indonesian customs would be too worried about us.  Nonetheless, China Airlines was overly concerned about our return ticket and was sticking to their guns. 
    We quickly found $80 one-way tickets from Jakarta to Kuala Lampur and bought them on Orbitz.  With the confirmation page still on the screen we returned to the airline check-in, proud of ourselves and hopeful.  Well, we had not received the confirmation email yet, and the confirmation page did not show our names or enough flight information to satisfy the manager on duty at the check-in counter.  We scrambled around on the internet some more, and we able to pull up the "My Trips" page of Orbitz which showed us that the reservation to Malaysia had been canceled already without explanation.  This cancellation page, however, showed more information about the flight and date and had our names listed.  Unfortunately the words "Trip Cancelled" were branded across the top of the page.  Clever, crafty and resourceful, Facundo took a screen shot of the page, photoshopped out any information the suggested the reservations were not good, we returned to the China Airlines manager, showed him our false documents, and were given boarding passes and 22 hours to think about what we had done. 
    Well, 22 hours later we arrived at the airport in Bali, purchased our 30 day visas, and cruised thru customs without even so much as a bag check. 

Taiwan Layover.  Facebook, Facebook, Gmail, Gmail, Facebook...

I'm sitting on the 2nd floor breakfast buffet balcony at the Hotel Puri Bambu, overlooking the pool and surrounded by tropical vegetation and birds.  A rooster crows over and over again, and has been doing so for quite some time now.  It's about 730am, and he's certainly been at it for over an hour.  It was still dark when I first noticed.  I'm basically wide awake and restless.  I began stirring very early this morning after a very busy day yesterday that had me sound asleep by 10:30 last night.

Yesterday we rented a small motorbike, costing us about $6 for 24 hours.  Right now we are in Jimbaran, which is a relatively quiet fisherman's village just south of the airport and at the northern end of the South Bali Bukit Peninsula.  Accommodations here are absolutely wonderful, but certainly a little more expensive than I want to spend as a daily rate on average. 

Cavernous Stairway, Padang Padang.  Walk into the light.

So, we rented the motor bike and went exploring for a place to live for a week or a month or whatever we decide.  First we headed south.  Leaving Jimbaran there was a good amount of traffic on the main roads, and I promise you of anything I have ever done in my life, and I don't live the most reserved or cautious lifestyle, riding these motorbikes around on streets the seem to have very loose interpretations of traffic laws is probably the most life-threatening activity I have ever taken part in.  The further south we got, however, the more open roads we found.  The southwest part of the peninsula is very green and open and the shoreline seems to be lined with rocks and cliffs and bluffs.  We were headed in the direction of Ulu Watu which I would say is a good 20km from Jimbaran.  We ended up finding Padang Padang beach, which is a small secluded cove beach with large rock cliffs encasing a patch of white sand.  Friendly waves break about 100 meters out, weathered Balinese try to sell you sarongs, illegal DVDs, and food from a dirty grill with picnic tables under a canopy.

After a dip in the Indian Ocean, we hopped back on the motorbike and went to explore the towns just north of the airport which had more traffic, more tourists, more shopping, more congestion, and just overall a lot more chaos.  We barely made it to the first corner of the first town before we decided that this was not really for us.  If the objective is to drink heavily and partake in general debauchery at a lower cost than your home country, then this is surely the place to be.  Already exhausted, sunburnt, and on edge from navigating a motor bike through the crowded renegade streets may not have helped to sell us on Kuta or Seminyak.  Whatever the case, we quickly gave up and made our way back to the Puri Bambu which is where I am now, at the 2nd floor balcony breakfast buffet, about to get a $5 hour long massage.  It is now 8:15. 

Oh yeah, and somehow my camera is broken already.  I would.  Cameras and cell phones simply are not safe with me. 

Wish you were here.