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Latest Bali Journal Entry:
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Last China Journal Entry: CLICK HERE |
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October 2001 |
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Keep checking Jim's site http://www.thedude.com/bali for his updates and pictures (he'll eventually have about 10 days worth) Also, let me say a word about the emails I've received from you all concerning my personal safety here and stories you may have read/heard about Indonesia. (Thank you for your concern and love and support) But let me be perfectly clear: I AM EXTREMELY SAFE HERE ON BALI. Also it is VERY SAFE to fly through the Jakarta airport. Other than that I would not now travel thru Java or visit other islands in Indonesia. But over-all it is MUCH safer here in Bali that in the average American town or city. No gangs, no crime, no drugs, no drive by shootings, no traffic accidents (ok, I've seen ONE since I've been here). So please NOT TO WORRY, but thank you all for worrying - now you can stop. AND you can come visit me here. A quick note - "why is it so safe, etc in Bali when we hear bad stories about violence in Indonesia?" - all of Indonesia is 90% Muslim; while the island of Bali is 96% Hindu and about 2 % Muslim; "So?", you might ask. Well the answer is that the Balinese are Hindu and the Hindus believe in reincarnation. Therefore they don't do BAD things because they don't want to come back in the next life as a cow, for instance. Pretty simple! The Balinese have truly integrated their spiritualness into their daily lives. It is beautiful to observe! Also, "how do I know what time it is there in Bali" - PDT is 15 hours BEHIND Bali. (Or Bali is 15 hours ahead of SF) So, let's say it is Wednesday 6PM in San Francisco, just ADD 3 hours to make it 9PM then change the PM to AM (adds 12 hours) to make it 9AM the next day. - Thursday in Bali. Or it's Wednesday 6AM in SF, so add 3 hours to make it 9AM and then change the AM to PM so it'd be 9PM the same day here (when you change an AM to PM it means it's the same day here; if your changing PM to AM, it means it's the next day here). Did I make that seem too complicated? I hope not. Try it now! So, I've been busy here (yea, really). Since I just really love Bali and it's people so much, I was trying to figure a way to help them here. Plus, I don't want to get bored here (not that that is really possible). Plus, I'd like to start some business here so I could get a Business Visa where I could stay for up to a year at a time on Bali. My solution? The t-shirt business. Here's my idea. Solid color t-shirts with a logo like: UBUD On The Island of Bali Where UBUD (the town I'm in now) could be SANUR or NUSA DUA or some other town; OR it could be a verb like GOLFING, RELAXING, SURFING, DIVING, etc. OR it could be the name of a hotel, like OKA WATI'S or AMANDARI, etc. There aren't ANY t-shirts on Bali (that I've seen, and I've been searching) that are anything like this. AND everyone wears t-shirts here. So there is that! Now 2 more twists - first, that ALL manufacturing, production, etc would be done on Bali - thus adding to the local economy; and second, that 10% of ALL profits would go to the local high schools. Over here the grade schools are free to all, but the high schools do cost the people money and some can't afford it. So 1/2 of the 10% (or 5%) would go to scholarships, while the other half would go to computer equipment! I've run the idea past several local people here that I trust and they think it's a great idea. I'll be speaking to the principal of the local HS today to get his/her input. I've done research into how much I would need to sell to retail outlets for (about $5); I've started talking to t-shirt manufacturers; have an appointment at the American Consulate to see how they could help; etc. So, yea, I'm staying busy. I'm hoping to have product in the local stores by December. December and early January are the 2nd high season here (July & August the other). But, since I've never done ANYTHING like this before, I'm going very slowly. Once I get some product, I'll go around to all the stores, hotels, dive centers, etc to do the initial sales myself. Of course, I'll want any feedback any of you may have. So if you have a thought (either positive or negative) I want to hear it! But it is not ALL work for me. There is time to walk in the rice fields in the mornings, see local dances at the palace, and have some incredible (and cheap) food. I've finally started dropping some weight (or fat as some might say); "so I've got that goin' for me... which is nice". Well, it's been one heck of a day for Big Bali Bruce. For starters I've ordered 100 t-shirts today that will be ready within 3 weeks. I'll attach a picture to the next Bali Update so you can get a better idea of the simple design concept. (It's just a picture of one of my own t-shirts with a print out of the logo placed on top along with the 2 t-shirts with the colors I've chosen for the first run (maroon/burgundy & teal/bluish-green)). I'll take REAL photos in about 3 weeks of me wearing one). I am so excited about this I could almost explode :-) (see the quote at the end of this email) So I can now be called "CareFree Garments of Bali". I may change the name later but that's it for now! I'll speak to Oka Wati tomorrow about her Hotel being the very FIRST shop to carry them. Once I've gotten a commitment from her, I can start going around to the local (nice) hotels and take orders (I hope). So there's that!Second, I purchased a cell phone today (I'll need to be called so places can increase their orders!). But, NO I'm NOT giving out the number. The VERY best way to reach me is still by email (even for an emergency). But, now I can have business cards, order books, and stationary printed up. Oh boy, this is fun. Imagine me, a t-shirt manufacturer/wholesaler. And lastly, I had called the American Consulate here on Bali to see how they could help me and in what way. Well, it turns out they can't/won't help me (unless it is an emergency). But, I did speak to a real nice man and asked for a reference that COULD help me. He referred me to a local (American) attorney. I called him yesterday and made a 4PM appointment today. I had my list of questions ready to go (Virgo). But, after the usual pleasantries, I asked about fees, etc. He said that this meeting would be free and that any future fees could be offset with my help with his/their web site :-) He also said that I didn't really want a Business Visa (which is what I thought I wanted), that what I wanted was permanent residency status. This would allow me to live and work here permanently. There is no real hurry to do this, but in the mean time I'll need to fly to Singapore every 60 days on my Tourist Visa. But, when I do this change of status, it's like having my own corporation here. With all the usual legal/financial safeguards that come with incorporation (I was incorporated in Calif. from 1980 thru 1992, so I am familiar with those protections). Anyway, he was very nice and even invited me to his home for dinner (next week), to meet his Balinese wife and 2 kids!I still have a lot to do, like speak to the local high school principal, get stuff printed, start visiting hotels, etc. Plus I still need to go back to Amed for about 5 days to complete my Advanced Open Water class. (So that'll put me out of internet connection for that time). Then back here to Ubud. I've already started scouting for a house to rent. Saw several really nice ones. All out in the rice fields but still near town. They were in the $180-250/mo range. You read that right. $6 to $8.50/day! For another $10 per week I can have someone who will clean and cook 1 meal a day for me. ("Am I lucky or what?" Peewee Herman) So get on your phone and contact your favorite travel agent and get over here. There is NO place on Bali that is unsafe to walk the streets daylight OR after dark! Can you say that about your town? I didn't think so. There is basically NO CRIME here! None! And EVERYONE is happy and has a smile on their face. I've never seen so many happy people. Well, gotta go. Have a big day planned for Friday. Let's see there's the 1 1/2 hr body scrub/massage (thanks again Suzie) at 11AM followed by a 1 hour facial (both for $14). Then maybe a wonderful (and healthy) dinner for under $3. Ok, has that gotten you to run to phone? Well, get running!
Good things are still happening here for me. I've
attached a picture of what one of my t-shirts will look like. It
should give you an idea of the simple design. I have also rented a
motor-cycle for several months while I was near Kuta (they have the
best prices and best selection of MCs there). It is a brand new (46
miles actually), Honda Tiger 2000 (200cc). This should be large
enough to drag my (getting smaller) butt around the island and over
the mountains. Then on Saturday, I will be on my way (by MC) back to
Amed to complete my other 2 dives that will be all I need for my
Advanced Open Water Certification. I hope to do a night dive (they
can be really incredible, as a completely different set of animal life
comes out at night) and a wreak dive (there is a WWII freighter that
is sunk about 100 feet off-shore. While I am there I also will visit
ALL the local dive shops and ALL the nice hotels and take orders for
t-shirts (I'll have my business cards and Order books by then). I
have printed up the different logos I will be presenting to the
different shops. (So remember, while I am in Amed there is NO
internet connections available, so the next Bali-Update won't be until
after the 24th or 25th.)
Now for the next news. I have just
come from a meeting with the owner of several houses that are just
west of Ubud in Campuan. One of his houses has just become available
and I saw it Monday. It is just as cute as it can be. Two stories of
traditional Balinese style and situated in the middle of the rice
fields. It has a large bedroom upstairs with windows all around and a
desk for my computer and "Carefree Garments". Downstairs has a large
living room; a cute kitchen; a really beautiful bathroom with an open
to the sky shower made of all natural stone, and a large porch, which
they use here as another room. The house has a large fish pond in the
front and has views of the rice fields from ALL the windows. And, get
this, for $250 per month, it includes all utilities (water, gas,
electricity, phone, and even internet connection) AND a full time
house-keeper. She'd clean, do laundry, shop, and cook 1 meal per day
(breakfast, of course). Can you believe it? All for under $10 per
day. Yes, I really have died and gone to heaven. This all came about
because I was looking for a place with a faster internet connection
than my hotel (which is 33.6). I found the only place in Ubud with a
DSL type connection. Wow. I spent about 6 hours there on Sunday,
downloading music and having them burn a CD for me containing back-ups
of all my important data. :-) While there I got talking (of course)
with the owner. He's a great guy, married to a beautiful Balinese
woman, and is French (neat accent). Anyway, we chatted about my
background and what I was doing here, etc. It then came up that he
knew someone who just had this great house come available. So Monday
we went to see it, and I fell in love with it at first sight! I've
also attached a picture of it (it shows the view from it's front
porch). So, we have signed a contract for a 6 month lease. I'll be
moving in Oct. 29th. The phone line is already in, so I'll have an
actual number to give out incase anyone wins the lottery and wants to
call me here. And, I'll be getting a PO Box here in Ubud in the next
week or two, so I'll have a real address that awaits the 2-3 weeks it
takes to receive mail from the US.
It's hard for me to believe that in 4 days I will have
been here for 1 month. I have never felt so alive; so creative; so
out there; and so at peace, in all my life. AND my heart says this is
still the exact correct thing for me to be doing. No second guessing,
no stress; no qualms! I just keep meeting the most incredible people
here. Mostly Balinese, one Frenchman, one guy from Montclair (he lost
his house in Oakland fire!), and a neat retired Naval Captain (and
former spook, I think).
So anyway, after October 29th, I'll now have a place
for you to stay (well maybe just 2 of you at a time). Have you called
your travel agent yet. Better get cracking so you can email me and
reserve a spot on the date of your choice.
Just a short note before I leave for Amed tomorrow.
I've attached several more shots of the house. One is a short little
mpg movie. It's a pan of the rice fields in front of the house,
the sight and sound of the ducks in the fields and ends with my
house. It was taken from the porch of my (soon to be) neighbor. The
second is a picture of the house from his 2nd floor. He's another
really great person I've met here. Unfortunately, he's moving back
to Calif. in the middle of November, but he'll have a chance to
introduce me to all the folks living in my new area!
the 20th!
Well, I almost called this the
Bali-Downdate10202001. The universe, which has been opening every
door in exactly the right order for me since last June, wanted to be
sure I was staying 'present'. Just a little reminder from her, that
being in the present is, perhaps, the most important thing to be
doing. Especially if one is riding a motor-cycle. Since the Balinese
(and MOST of the world) drive on the left side of the rode, I created
a mantra for myself on my 1st trip to Bali in 1995. I say this over
and over again in my mind as I drive my motor-cycle. It goes like
this "stay on the left and pay attention, stay on the left and pay
attention,......". I really do say it over and over again to myself
as I drive along. Well, because of today's events (notice I haven't
mentioned what happened yet), I have now changed my mantra to "stay on
the left and pay attention to the road, stay on the left and pay
attention to the road,......". Because of the slight difference
between the old mantra and the new one I had my first accident today.
It was no ones fault (but my own), I can't blame it on some other
driver; I can't blame it on bad road conditions; I can't blame it on
the sun being in my eyes; I have only myself to blame. Still with
me. Ok, here's what happened - I was driving my (almost) brand new
rented Honda 196cc 'Tiger 2000' to Amed for 4 days of SCUBA diving and
t-shirt sales. I wanted to go my favorite way, which is taking all
the back roads as there is much less traffic, and because the scenery
is much more beautiful. I wanted to go via Tirtagangga, which is on
the East part of Bali and one of my personal favorite spots for it's
beauty. Everything was going well. I had my backpack on, which, of
course, carried my laptop computer, camera, water, and sunscreen. On
the back of the bike I had a duffle bag with my diving gear, a few
clothes, my t-shirt samples, order book, and Logo examples, and my
bathroom gear, all tied down with the bungee cords I had brought just
for this purpose. SO, even though I had ridden the bike around Ubud
for 2 days, the bike was a little bit top heavy (not even counting
yours truly), but still a very stable bike. So anyway, I'm cruising
along saying my (old) mantra and keeping my eye out for any photo
ops. So just as I'm starting to slow the bike down in order to pull
over because of the beautiful photo op I noticed, I took my eye off
the road for about 1/2 second too long. The front tire went just a
little off the road and then spilled the bike over to the right. I am
actually fine (well maybe a little less than fine), my only pair of
long pants now have a trophy tear on the right knee, my tennies are
fine, my shirt (my favorite one, of course) has a small tear on the
right side, and all my other clothes are fine. Even the computer is
fine. As for me, well, I now know what is just under our skin in the
knee area. It's more skin, but not much more. No broken bones (thank
the Universe for that). No major medical problems at all really.
Just a good couple of gashes on my right knee and a small gash on my
right elbow. When this happened, luckily I was going very slowly.
The bike took most of the wear. And it only has a good gash on the
headlight! Not even any scratched paint! A very sweet Balinese man
and his cute as a button 6 year old daughter came running over to see
if I was ok. I said I was (giving the Universal OK sign with thumb
and finger); righted the bike; looked it over; looked myself over;
crossed my fingers and started the bike right up. My knee was pretty
skinned up, so as I continued my trip to Amed I had my eye out for a 'klinic'
or 'hopital'. Within a mile I came upon a 'klinic' in a very small
town. I stopped, went in and the nice man and his wife and breast
feeding baby, went to work to swab the areas and apply iodine (I think
it was iodine, 'cause it stung like hell), as the beautiful wife
breast fed her child she asked me where I was from and then wanted my
name and address because she has a friend there (or something). After
her husband finished his work and put gauze bandages on the cut areas,
I asked 'berapa' which is the word or 'how much do I owe you'. He
laughed and shook his head no. I said, 'no really how much can I pay
you'. He again shook his no and refused ANY money from me. I asked
if I should go to a hospital and he said yes, just to have them look
at it and give me anti-biotics. So I got back on the bike with my
newly bandaged knee, and went to the hospital in Almapura. I actually
knew where this hospital was as Jim, Kelly and I had been there about
2 weeks earlier for his sun-burned back and my 2 infected ears. So I
arrived and walked right in. After a few hand gestures and a few
pointings to my knee and arm they showed me into a examining room.
Almost immediately the 'doktor' entered (not the same one Jim & I
had), looked it over, asked if I was allergic to any medicine and then
spoke to the two orderlies who then began to, very carefully and
gently, swab the areas and apply anti-biotics. They did this twice.
Then the 'doktor' reentered with the medicine. It was some
anti-biotic pills (3 times a day after meals (shit, so now I HAVE to
eat 3 meals :-( a day, some pain pills (just in case I can't sleep
tonight), some more sterile bandages and some more special patches
containing anti-biotics to put on the cuts when I change the bandages
twice a day. I told him I was on my way to Amed to SCUBA dive and
would that be ok. He said NO. To stay out of the water 'till it
healed (about 2 weeks) and after 3 days to go to the 'klinic' in Ubud
and have them ensure that it was healing and there would be no
infection. Total bill for him, the 'hopital', the 2 prescriptions AND
the bandages and special pads came to....... drum roll please....
$16. Yes, $16.
So I VERY carefully drove back to Ubud and returned to
Oka Wati's were everyone wanted to know every detail of my accident.
I was a little embarrassed to explain my stupidity, but they all took
it in stride and said I'd be fine. They carried all my stuff to my
room, brought over some ice to reduce the swelling and basically
treated my like a (wounded) king. They are so sweet here.
I laid down for a while and fell asleep. When I awoke
it was just getting dark, so I HAD to make myself get up and go find a
nice place for dinner so I could take my anti-biotic on a full
stomach. Craig, the guy who will be my new neighbor in a week, had
suggested several places to eat in Ubud that I had not tried. So I
went to the closest one of those. Had an incredible meal in a really
nice place - huge salad, several fruit juices, several mineral waters,
a wonderful entree of rice, sweet potatoes, chicken, tempe, veggies,
and a salsa, AND a dessert (my 1st since Jim & Kelly left - really) of
warm pecan pie with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. I almost fell off
my chair which would have hurt like hell, when the bill came.
Including tax (10%) and service (5%), the total bill was about
$7.30!!!!! I can't believe this place. So I'm writing this tonight
before I fall asleep watching 'Oh, Brother Were Art Thou' on my DVD
(for about the seven hundredth time), god I love this movie. JUST in
case one of you readers has NOT seen this film. Please turn off the
computer and go directly to your closest video store and rent it. It
is soooo funny. It's a cute and funny story based (loosely) on
Homer's Odyssey, and stars George Clooney, John Turturro, Charles
Durning, Holly Hunter and others. It's done by the same folks that
gave us Fargo and The Big Lobowsky! It is NOT violent (no one is
killed), just a very funny movie taking place during the 30's in
Mississippi. Anyway, PLEASE rent it!
I'll email this tomorrow morning and I hope I'm not too
stiff. On Monday, I'll have Wayan, my driver, drive me to Amed for
the day, so I can still stop at all the places and take t-shirt
orders.
So a big 'THANK YOU' to the Universe for such a gentle
reminder to pay attention (to the road) and be present, here on Bali!
Well after being in Bali for just over one month, I
guess I can say I've been pretty busy and accomplished a great deal.
To summarize:
I actually saw the very first of my t-shirts
yesterday. I feel like a new father. I've enclosed a photo of Wayan,
my driver and friend, who is modeling the t-shirt. The first order
for 100 will be available this coming Sunday, and I'm very excited.
Tomorrow, Wayan will drive me to the Amed area to visit all the dive
shops and the nice hotels there, to take orders. Then Thursday thru
Saturday (wearing my new business slacks), I will visit the nicer
hotels in the Ubud area to take additional orders. When I pick up the
1st order of t-shirts on Sunday, I'd like to place my second order for
500 or 1,000 t-shirts (at a lower price!). So, other than my slight
MC injuries, everything is going along nicely.
I'm looking forward to moving into my new house next
Monday. There will be a few things I need right away. A wok, a floor
fan, a surge protector, a small stereo and speakers, and a World
Radio. I don't think I'll be getting a TV for a while. I really
don't miss it and I usually have too much going on to have time to
watch it anyway.
I've also received some emails from a good friend who
is interested in getting in the jewelry importing/exporting business
with me. He's an incredible business man and I really hope we can
work out something together. I'd scout out the silver jewelry, obtain
the 'good' price and then ship them to him. This could really be fun
for me as I love shopping and I love bargaining. Wow, what a combo!
Well that's about it for me. I'm to visit the local
clinic here in Ubud today so they can be sure the scratches are
healing properly and there is NO danger of infection.
On Friday I'll have my last (of 6) Indonesian lessons.
As Steve Martin says: "they have a different word for everything
here". But other than learning vocabulary the language is not that
tough to learn (just have to keep at it).
Just s short update to say I'm still OK. I went to the
Ubud clinic on Tuesday, they checked all my assorted scrapes and
bruises and announced that I would live AND walk again. Actually,
they cleaned everything, applied new bandages, said to continue taking
my anti-biotics (I only had 1 more day anyway), continue to change the
bandages twice a day, and that I would not only be able to walk again,
but (if I wanted) I could still sing and dance! (But, I think my
ballet days are now officially over) All for $6. So I dutifully do
as directed. The only pain I have is when I remove the tape holding
the gauze on. Wow, that smarts!
I also now have an official address here on Bali:
Bruce Briscoe
P.O.Box 247
Ubud, Bali
80571
Indonesia
So, if you want to send me anything, that is the
address to use. However, my friend Suzie sent me some photos about 4
weeks ago, that I never did get. So, perhaps, only mark the envelope
as "DO NOT BEND" or something. Don't put "PHOTOS" or "CONTAINS NUDE
PHOTOS" or "CONTAINS CASH - DO NOT OPEN", or "HOMEMADE COOKIES - DO
NOT OPEN", you get the idea. Again, if there is something you want to
send, please send me an email and tell me when you sent it. I don't
propose to check the box hourly, or even daily.
In my next email, I'll give out my local phone number
(and my cell phone number) for anyone wishing to call me. HOWEVER, I
am looking into a thing call DIALPAD. I think the set up is free and
then we can call each other over the internet. I'll let you all know
when I have it set up and tested (and what the fees are, if any).
I had my second fitting for the two pairs of slacks
today. Again, three sweet people came all the way up from Nusa Dua
(about a 1 hour+ drive). I wanted the slacks a little shorter (I like
NO break at the shoes), and the buttons for the suspenders moved a
little. No problem. They'll be ready tomorrow, but, since I'll be at
the airport on Saturday, I had planned on going shopping again at Nusa
Dua (The Galleria), so I'll pick them up then. Wow, they look and
feel wonderful!
I'll be at the airport on
Saturday to pick up two friends (that I have not met yet) of Terra's.
Jim DeRoche and a friend will be here for a few weeks. I've set them
up here at Oka Wati's (at $35/night instead of $55; plus breakfast)
and will help them see the Komodo dragons and anything else they
want. It's fun to help visitors, if I don't really know them or if
they are close friends or relatives; either way, it's fun!
I think I'm all set now for my move on Monday. I'll
have my phone set up, my internet access all set, and even the
housekeeper! So, I'm really excited about that.
Because some of you have been forwarding these
little Bali-Updates out to friends and relatives you thought
might be interested; they have emailed me and asked to be added
to the list. So, thank you, one and all, the list is now over
50 interested folks!
Today I moved into my new
bungalow in Campuhan, which is just west of Ubud. Now I have an
official address, and 2 phone numbers here:
Bruce Briscoe
P.O.Box 247
Ubud, Bali
80571
Indonesia
Home phone: +62 0361 976110; and
Cell phone: +62 081 236 23830
I think the 62 is the country code for
Indonesia; and
0361 is the Area Code for the Ubud area; and
my actual local number is 976110. Other than
the 62, I have no idea about how the cell phone number works
or means.
I will have an answering machine on the home
phone this week (I hope); the cell phone automatically
remembers the numbers that have called it. I'm still looking
at Dialpad, but I think it costs about $.25/minute for
international calls. Maybe someone in the states can discover
the best way (cheapest) way to call Indonesia, and will pass
it on to me and I'll pass it on to you all!
I am sending this email out from my (new) home
ISP AND at 56.6k! Instead of the 33.6k at the hotel.
I'll need to get a few things right away for the house. A few
lamps, extension cords, a second floor fan, and a few other
things. But, everything here is cheap and pretty easy to
find.
Ok, now to catch you
up on other things. I picked up 100 t-shirts with "UBUD On
The Island Of BALI" on Sunday. I think they really look
nice. Really nice material and very well made. Two different
colors - maroon and teal, with white lettering. The label
says "CareFree Garments" on one side and "100% Cotton, made
entirely on Bali, Wash in Cold Water" on the other. I've sold
15 to Oka Wati's Hotel and will begin to visit the 12 other
nice (top-end) hotels in Ubud later this week! I hope to go
back to Amed next week to begin taking orders there, now that
I have actual t-shirts to show. Everyone that sees them likes
them a lot! I just hope the other hotels will like them too.
Last Saturday, I got my first
haircut here. Wonderful shampoo (with a great head
massage), and a great cut (just the way I wanted it, a little
shorter in the back so it's off my neck) and a great back
massage. All for $4. While I was there I noticed this woman
come in and talk to Paris (the owner) and then her phone would
go off, and she'd step outside to talk. This went on for most
of the time of my cut. When I finished the haircut, we got to
chatting. She's German and spends about 1/2 of the year here
on Bali and the other half in Europe. Speaks fluent
Indonesian, German (of course), English (better that I do),
Spanish, and Italian. Gee, no Japanese? Anyway, she designs
dresses and then sells them at some sort of trade marts in
Europe, I think we might call them 'craft shows', but they
seem to be a little different. Anyway she invited me to
dinner in Kuta with two of her friends. So she picked me up
at 5:30 and we drove to Kuta which is about 1 and 1/2 hours
away. She was a better driver than Wayan, MY driver. Driving
and chatting the whole time. Very interesting. She knows
Bali like the back of her hand and her friends have been
telling her for years that she should do some kind of travel
guide thing. I told her my ideas about a web site for
travelers to Bali and my background in Web marketing. She got
very excited. Unfortunately the dinner was a going away
dinner for HER. She is planning on returning in a few months
and wants to discuss some sort of collaboration about
Traveling in Bali! Small world. She also really liked my
t-shirt design and the idea of helping the schools here. The
two friends we meet were almost as fascinating as she was.
One had just filled a container with Balinese Antique
furniture to be shipped to Hawaii where it is almost all sold
already. The other woman has been here for 30 years doing
Batik designing. What a great evening the four of us had. I
dredged up every great joke I could remember (all 4 of them)
and every wonderful story about Bali that I had experienced.
They kept asking Sabine "where did you find this guy?" I felt
like the king of the ball. You know me, surrounded by 3 women
- I was in heaven. AND they were all very interesting as
well. So I think I made 3 new friends all in one evening!
Sabine dropped me off at about 11:30PM which is about 3 hours
after my normal bed time here. But I slept well that night
knowing I had made several new contacts. The Universe just
keeps opening those doors for me, and I just keep strolling
through!
Also this week, two friends of friends (Terra,
Nick, and Carl) came into town. I arranged to pick Jim & John
up at the airport, had a room ready, here at Oka Wati's (at a
nice reduced rate), and had some brochures about the Komodo
Dragons for them. They'll be here about 3 weeks all
together. We hope to get over to Amed, next week, for Jim to
get PADI certified and then to join John and I in some great
dives! They are both real characters (you didn't really warn
me about that did you Terra?). One sells radio advertising
and the other is a businessman who did (or does) own some
radio stations and lives ON the first tee at Pebble Beach!
Anyway, I think we'll have some great times together while
they are here. I've explained a few of the peculiarities
about Bali - the bargaining, to watch where you walk because
there are holes in the sidewalks, a few words in Indonesian,
etc.
So this week, I'll be busy getting settled in
my new home. Doing a little furnishing for it. Visiting some
hotels in the Ubud. And preparing for a fun trip back to Amed
for diving next week!
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