Back from Bali

Well I've already neglected this blog and its only the 3rd post. Well if anyone is reading this, currently Im suffering from jet-lag. Jet-lag always hits me on the return especially when I travel against the turning earth. My mind thinks its night time still but my body see's the day when it gets back to California. Its utterly confusing and my body hates me for it (as evidenced by my lack of appetite).

But anyway Indonesia was great. Well at least Gili Air was, it was what Hawaii probably was back in the 1900's. But no motorized vehicles, no internet, no western TV, and no idea whats going on in the outside world will do that to you. It had an easy going mentality that was so genuine, it makes the bay area look like an utter rat race that I usually reserve for L.A. I loved the fact that I went days not knowing what day it was and the shear amount of stars you could see from this island was amazing. But I did do something... really I did accomplish something. I learned how to open water scuba dive so I wasn't a complete slug, I got to play volleyball everyday with the locals (and they were freaking good), and I finished a book. (The book was on central Asia, The Great Game) it was a good book). What a great vacation.... I hope this island stays hidden because it reminds me of my own untouched treasure and therefore no one should go there except for me.

As for the other island, Bali, one incident really sticks out to me. I mean other than Indonesian driving, everytime you go on the roads you put your life in the hands of the driver. Its a kind of driving videogame that ends with your life. The 3rd time I was in an Indonesian car is was when my driver came within 3 feet from ending our lives while trying to pass a scooter, and I cracked/ started to laugh and I couldn't stop laughing. It was a little sadistic and strange but when your going 40 mph in these ultra-mini-vans passing scooters that have up to 6 people on them, you get a strange sense of your own insignificant mortality.

Anyway as for the event that I side tracked from above, pops and I went on a hike mapped by one of the travel books that took us on the outskirts/ricefields of Ubud. Ubud is a really amazing artistic cultural treasure, you can understand when you go there why art of all kinds flourished in that region. We were walking up this rice field and this man was washing his cow. (Yes I will repeat he was washing his cow.) The cow was not a small cow it was at least 500 pounds and when it saw my father it couldn't stop staring. Even after we passed it the cow turned its huge 500 pound body around and continued to stare at my father. I guess the cow never saw a white person before.

I'll post sooner than later .... I swear...