Dave and Jen boarded the plane at Maumere, strangely looking forward to their arrival in Depasar, Bali, if for no other reason than because we were certain to find more places to eat than the local supermarket. Again to try and evade previous problems regarding accommodation and mean 'desk guys,' Jen booked a week in advance and this time on the East Coast, away from the Kuta, Legian, Seminyak tourist centre -about an hours drive from the airport... It's probably important to point out that it is ultimate high season in Bali at the moment, so surely all the good places were booked out, thereby heightening our chances of disappointment and being ripped off! Regardless, we managed to get a pretty good deal at Angung and Sue's Watering Hole in Sanur, only a two minut walk from the beach with a great restaurant.
Exhausted from a rough week travelling through Flores, Dave and Jen spent a couple of days relaxing and enjoying the perks of a tourist filled town. Jen had a massage, went for a run and Dave happily read his book in the airconditioned room. After inspecting the beach and finding it hardly inviting. Complete with black sand, motor boats, stray dogs (most likely with rabies), and rubbish, we decided against swimming and opted instead for cold beer and a pyrited DVD, monopolising the restaurants TV...
Three stays in Bali, all in different places and albeit not for a very long time, and in ultimate high season, did not prove very appeling for Dave or Jen. While it is nice sometimes to have the convenience of a flushing toilet and a few choices for dinner -the fact that you get hasselled to buy something everytime you walk down the street, and the rubbish everywhere really leaves little attraction. Maybe I've been spoilt by camping trips to private beaches, but give me an unspoilt national park or small untouristy town (with the aid of a phrase book) anyday!
Two weeks travelling through Indonesia was exciting and interesting to get a different perspective on their way of life. The most striking for me would have to be the unequal nature of male/female work. Most places we went (and again I apologise for my subjective and generalised opinion and I know this isn't 100% true all the time), it seemed as though only the women were the ones who worked, while the men spent more time smoking cigarettes. (By the way, perhaps one of the biggest struggles in Indonesia was how many people smoke and everywhere too! I feel like I must have smoked at least 5 packs myself in my two weeks there...) In conversation with one lady, she told me that she was 24 with two children, a 2 year old and a 6 month old, and worked for 10 and a half hours six days a week, barely making $300 AUD a month -while her husband does not work... Maybe I'm a bit of a feminist (god I hope not), but this just doesn't seem fair... It was encouraging, however, to see in Flores men working on the road (while the women in the fields) but this could also be linked to the fact that Flores is predominately Christian, as opposed to the Muslim majority that comprises the rest of Indonesia.
Jen's indonesian language skills had improved quite well, but in a larger sense were still relatively poor, however she'd picked up enough to get us by in places that didn't have much english translation. And Dave also slowly caught on too -even if he did enjoy calling out random nonsensical phrases, much to Jen's embarassement...
After two weeks exploring, Dave and Jen left Indonesia on a plane bound for Bangkok, both excited at the prospect of some traditional Green Chicken Curry and other local delicacies...
