Post from Michelle:
We landed in Bali yesterday. Every time the plane lands in a new country I feel like a little child about to open an anticipated gift. Not knowing what to expect but aware it will probably be something good. And our first destination, Kuta, did not disappoint.
It is like nothing I have ever seen. Bright lights, miles and miles of shops, merchandise flowing out to the sidewalks, almost touching the streets. Never ending streams of motorcycles and taxis pass on narrow roads, horns honking, while music blasts from bars, and venders yell out their wares as you pass - "You want massage?" "You want tattoo?" "How about ice cream?" (Although with their accents it sounds more like "ass cream.")
Kuta is a commercialized, gaudy beach resort town. The international airport is down the road so most tourists make it a starting point to their vacation in Bali. Cheap hotels, crowded beaches, surfer dudes and scantily clad women make Kuta a typical beach town, but 10 fold. The only Indonesians you meet are the vendors desperate for your money. We are warned we must bargain fiercely for every purchase.
Walking through the city is not an easy task. It is easy to become disoriented and lost in the narrow streets lined by high walls. Potholes in the sidewalks threaten to swallow you whole if you aren't paying attention to your step. I must also take care to step over the small offerings in the doorways of each store and restaurant, placed there to ward off evil spirits.
This is not the true Indonesia. Instead it's a non-stop European party scene. It's an overwhelming, wild experience but I will be glad when I leave. In the meantime, I will soak in the energy around me, practice my haggling skills, and enjoy a couple beers.
It is like nothing I have ever seen. Bright lights, miles and miles of shops, merchandise flowing out to the sidewalks, almost touching the streets. Never ending streams of motorcycles and taxis pass on narrow roads, horns honking, while music blasts from bars, and venders yell out their wares as you pass - "You want massage?" "You want tattoo?" "How about ice cream?" (Although with their accents it sounds more like "ass cream.")
Kuta is a commercialized, gaudy beach resort town. The international airport is down the road so most tourists make it a starting point to their vacation in Bali. Cheap hotels, crowded beaches, surfer dudes and scantily clad women make Kuta a typical beach town, but 10 fold. The only Indonesians you meet are the vendors desperate for your money. We are warned we must bargain fiercely for every purchase.
Walking through the city is not an easy task. It is easy to become disoriented and lost in the narrow streets lined by high walls. Potholes in the sidewalks threaten to swallow you whole if you aren't paying attention to your step. I must also take care to step over the small offerings in the doorways of each store and restaurant, placed there to ward off evil spirits.This is not the true Indonesia. Instead it's a non-stop European party scene. It's an overwhelming, wild experience but I will be glad when I leave. In the meantime, I will soak in the energy around me, practice my haggling skills, and enjoy a couple beers.