Bali

After graduation on Sunday, I went to the AIESEC closing ceremony. They had some traditional songs and dances in a really neat, historic restaurant. After this, Ocha and I headed out for the beautiful tropical island of BALI.

14 hours by travel car--what we would consider a large van, with six other people--was not so bad. We drove through the night, from 7pm until 9am, and I tried to sleep most of the way. At one point I opened my eyes just briefly to see the silhouettes of palm trees and the rolling waves behind. I drifted back off to sleep in pure happiness.

The first day in Bali, on Monday, we went to Kuta beach. Many local and foreign tourists crowd this popular beach, ideal for beginning surfers, sunbathers, or wading into the forceful waves. The locals are constantly trying to sell you things. Mats, hats, bracelets, hair braiding, henna tattoos, etc. Some walk back and forth down the beach, but most hang out in the shade to catch the foreigners just as they are entering the beach. It is rather funny actually--westerners want to be in the sun as much as possible, to get that coveted golden brown tan. But the Indonesians...they stay under the trees, to be as white as possible. It makes you think; why are we always trying to change our skin color? Is it really that important? Anyway... I was sprawled out on my towel, peacefully reading a book (Ocha was, naturally, back in the shade), when this surfer dude comes and just plops himself down next to me. His name was Mars, and he stayed right where he was until Ocha and I left the beach. He spoke English pretty well, after only living in Bali for two years and learning English on his own. He wasn't super pushy either like most of the locals, but he was trying to get me to rent a surfboard and take a lesson from him.

On Tuesday, we went to Sanur beach. In my opinion, this beach was wayyy better than Kuta. There were not as many people because huge resorts lined this part of the coast. (And one great thing about being an American tourist here...they think you belong on private beaches! Hehe). The water here was crystal clear. I could see my toes and the white sand in water up to my neck. This is what I had been waiting for, what I had dreamed of Bali being like.

We walked along the beach for awhile. It was beautifully lined by the fancy resorts and cobblestone pathways. Palm trees and other tropical plants were cleanly arranged around the restaurants and lawn chairs. We stopped at one place to eat a much needed lunch. I only ordered a smoothie though- I hadn't seen prices so high since the states! I have had the pleasure of cheap Indonesian food for the past six weeks: With Ocha, two full meals and two drinks is only about $2.50. After this, we didn't eat at any more fancy looking places. Roadside warungs for us.