Our first full day in Bali... at breakfast we tried new-to-us dragon fruit and snake fruit. I had a made-to-order omelet that was wonderful.
Then followed a harrowing ride to the dentist. Traffic is insane here, plus add torrential rain and questionable drainage on top of it. Despite the jokes about me staying in Bali, I could not do it just because of the traffic alone. My dentist appointment was amazing--25 minutes and I had a pain-free filling that cost me just under $50 US. We also got rupiah from an ATM, and hauled our dirty clothes to a laundry service. My huge armload cost me about $6 for wash/dry/fold. We'll pick it up tomorrow.
Weary from the non-stop activity of the previous tour, we took the afternoon off to read and relax. I met up later with Cricket by the beach where we had coconut water straight from the coconut, and I had a light salad for supper. Because this spot is so close to the equator, sunrise and sunset are almost exactly 12 hours apart, currently around 6:30 am and pm. Early darkness suits me just fine.
We were warned immediately not to drink the water here--bottled water only. Even the "natives" don't drink it. It smells kind of nasty, too. This is truly a case of "water water everywhere but not a drop to drink."
Cricket is staying at the hotel with us, but today he took us by the house he rents here. It is a two-bedroom, two-bath place with a pool that is a mansion in this area. His Balinese friends consider him "filthy rich," but he's very middle-class by American standards. Just down the way from his place is a huge pile of trash. Living conditions here are dreadful for the average Balinese worker, whom Cricket says makes an average of $300 per month. There is no such thing as our Social Security.
Feeling extraordinarily blessed,
Leta
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| Cricket and coconuts! |
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