another world..

i was in shock for my first 24 hours in indonesia.. one thing i have learned about myself is that i am extremely over confident when preparing for things i know nothing about.. whether this is good or bad im not sure, but it definitely keeps any worries or doubts completely out of my mind.. i thought 'yea ill just fly into bali around 9 pm, build my bike and find some nearby jungle to camp in'.. easy.. not so much. this place is crazy dense and there are people flying around on motorbikes everywhere.. just crossing a street, even side streets, can be very difficult, time consuming, and embarrassing.. there isnt a lot of 'free space' to just set up camp.. also it is very hot with insane humidity (another thing that didnt cross my mind at all prior to arrival)..

my prior island experience in the carribean and fiji was what i based my plan on.. but bali is different, this is no touristy paradise.. in the virgin islands you have to go and 'find' local culture, but here it is the opposite and i knew nothing about kuta, denpassar, or any other part of bali.. luckily i met a guy, alan, on my flight.. he was from san francisco but just traveling around aus nz and indonesia.. he had extensive travel experience in southeast asia and im so thankful for his guidance.. we split a cab and a cheap room in kuta, which is near the airport and the most touristy part of bali (maybe all of indonesia?)..

when i think of being viewed as a 'tourist' it turns me off to traveling.. the touristy parts of the virgin islands are all ran by white people and i believe that bad people go there when they die.. but here in bali it is still very local with lots of cheap food and culture.. you just have to barter a lot and even walk away before agreeing to a price.. in fact aside from a couple resorts and a bunch of australians it wasnt that touristy at all, or so i thought.. nonetheless i left after one day and went to seek out 'real bali' in the touristless denpassar...