hi everyone!
it's been quite a while since i wrote, i think a month or something already, so there's a lot to catch up on. after my last entry, i had two more weeks in bali, (the cost of extending my visa turned out to be too high), and then headed to bangkok for 5 whirlwind days, before coming to laos. as so much has happened, i'll just write about the highlights of my last days in bali first, and write about bangkok and laos some other time soon..
once i found out that i wouldn't be able to extend my visa, i started feeling like i should pack in as much as possible before leaving the beautiful island. the last two weeks of my trip were quite a bit busier than the start, but i'll just mention some of the very best parts -
Midnight Trek on Mount Batur
one of the only tours i really wanted to do (there are tours of every imaginable kind in Bali), was a trek up Mount Batur, a volcano that is the second highest peak on the island. the only way to do it, because of the extreme heat in the day, is to go very early in the morning and get to the top before sunrise. i arranged the trip with putu, a local balinese who runs a little tour shop of his own in ubud, a very good guy with the biggest heart. incidently, he and his family and friends became some of my very best friends in bali! but back to the trek.. putu picked me up at 3am and we drove by motorbike through the dark for an hour til we arrived at the crater lake, where the trek would begin. there, we met a local guide, who handed me a small handheld flashlight, which would be my only light up the entire mountain! at first, i wasn't too pleased about that, but later on, when i would see by the light of day how very steep the way actually was, i would be glad that i hadn't seen it earlier.
we trekked up the mountain, which was much, MUCH steeper than i imagined, for two hours, stopping every now and then for a break and to look at the stars, which were beautiful! i could see some reflections on the lake, as well, but for the most part, the view remained a mystery to me at that point. by the time we got to the rest stop, three quarters of the way up, it was just about 6:15am and the sun was starting to rise over the mountains of lombok, the next island. we got some hot tea and watched the sky turn red, purple, orange and finally golden. and at the same time, i could finally see the view of the land - the gorgeous crater lake, the farmland in the valleys, the ocean behind. really, it was one of the most beautiful sights i've ever seen, and certainly the highlight of my time in bali!
the last bit of the way to the top was the steepest, and more terrifying now that i could see clearly! we made our way up slowly, i never looked down even once until we got to the landing! but it was worth it to have breakfast at the top. then we trekked back down, which took considerably longer than the way up, since i was moving as slow as possible. much of the way is slippery volcanic ash and even where the way is rocky, sometimes the rocks are loose. on top of that, it was soo hot by that time! still, i moved much slower than the average person. poor putu - we were the very last to leave the parking lot when we finally got to the bottom!
Amed: Quiet on the Eastern Shore
with only a few days left, i decided i wanted to hit the beach, and left ubud for amed, a quiet beach town on the eastern shore of bali. just the drive there alone was worth the trip - some of the most beautiful scenery in an already amazingly beautiful place! gorgeous terraced ricefields with rolling mountains in the background - its funny, in a full month of looking at ricefields pretty much every day, the wonder never decreased! every time, they were still just as beautiful and lovely as the very first day, so green and lush!
putu (remember he's a tour guide), recommended a place for me to stay and im soo glad he did, because the place was truly incredible! i had my own bungalow, amidst a row of many more, made all of natural raw materials - wood, bamboo and straw! it was raised on stilts, with two lounge chairs on the front porch and a hammock! you can see for yourself in the photo.. and the best part (as if that weren't enough!) is that there was a small private beach just yards in front of my room. it was really something! every morning i woke up early enough to see the sunrise over the ocean (i know most of you are thinking - sunrise? courtney? but its funny, ive got in the habit of waking up much earlier here than at home and ive prob seen more sunrises in the last month and a half than ever in my life before!). anyways, i spent one day snorkeling - some of the best i've ever done! - and saw so many fish and beautiful coral. another morning, i went out with the fishermen at 5am, which was really great! aside from seeing how they fish, which was really interesting, i got to see the sunrise really up close (we seemed soo close to the horizon!), and a great view of bali from far off. i thoroughly enjoyed my time in amed. =)
Back to Ubud to Relax like it's my JOB!
after amed, i returned to Ubud for just 2 nights. i couldn't leave without saying goodbye to my little home for the last month and all the great friends i made. every breakfast, lunch and dinner i had in those last 48 hours was with different friends, saying our goodbyes. it was really so nice, if a little sad, as well. but thats the nature of goodbyes..
my very last day, i got to enjoy a spa day like i've NEVER experienced before. thanks to my mom, who treated me as an early birthday present, i went to the spa from 9-5! seriously - im not kidding when i say i relaxed like it was my JOB! i had a 2 1/2 hr chakra massage (very esoteric with the dripping hot oil, but soo luxurious!). that was followed by a lunch at a gorgeous restaurant down the street. then they brought me back for a full body scrub and bath in flower petals, an avocado cream hair conditioning treatment and last, but certainly not least, a wonderful facial! i dont have to say how great it was..
Such Good Friends!
one of the very best things about my time in bali were all the great people i met. i mentioned many of them in my last email, all the friendly locals that were so great to me and erik, from belgium, as well as ed and sarah, from D.C.! in the last 2 weeks, i met another friend, susi, a german high school teacher who is traveling for a year! she and i immediately clicked and had the best time together, going to yoga, eating good meals and just talking, talking, talking! the best part - shes coming to san francisco this summer, at the end of her world tour. truly - the friends i've met on this trip have really been the best ever! really good people with such interesting backgrounds and stories and beautiful hearts! i know they're people i'll really keep in touch with..
Just Funny Little Tidbits..
when walking anywhere in bali, you can count on being asked, "transport?" about every 20 feet or so. it can get a bit old, but if you just smile and say no thank you, or - tidak, terima kasih - they give up on selling you transport, and start up a friendly conversation. it goes like this.. (every time, without fail!)
-transport?
-tidak, terima kasih.
-where are you from?
-america.
-america? but you look A-SI-EN!
-yes, im chinese..
and then a whole little thing explaining that there are a lot of different kinds of people in america, and that my grandparents came over, etc. etc. they're always so interested and surprised, haha. and thats how it goes, every day. many times a day. and as i would find, this would continue everywhere else i would go in se asia.. always... 'where are you from?... amercia?... but you look asian!' (or japanese, thats another popular misconception).. i dont mind, but erik did make a good suggestion that i should wear a t-shirt saying: 'im from america, but yes, my family is chinese!' =)
Thats It For Now - On to Other Places!
so, those are just a few of my best memories of the island! there's been so much else, of course, but i think thats more than enough, i know its quite long! i absolutely LOVED my time in bali - it's is one of the most incredible places on earth, and i enjoyed it soo much! i miss it all the time, but dont regret not extending my visa, as i absolutely LOVE laos now! but more about that later..
miss all of you, as always. email has been a bit faulty, but seems like its getting better. you can also leave me comments on here apparently, so thats another option. hope to hear from all of you!
much love,
<3 court
'travel is as much a passion as ambition or love.' - l.e. landon
