Our final days on Bali drew
to a close passing peaceful hours on Batukaru, celebrating Bea’s birthday and
saying our good-byes. I wish Ashley luck
as she flies back to the states - packing up for a move to the Bay Area. I am fortunate to have shared the beginning
of my journey in the company of a genuine friend. Note to the reader: old college roommates make
excellent travel companions.
I am also grateful that Bea decided to blaze her trail to Asia last year. She
has been an inspiration for my own travel pursuits. Thanks for the
encouragement Bea! She will continue working for the Australian family until
April and I have a feeling we might cross paths sooner…
Randy and I spent our last two days in the lavish town of Seminyak on the Southern Coast near Kuta Beach
- in a less than lavish hotel called Ned’s Hideaway for $8/night. Around the corner from our hideaway we
discovered Zula, a restaurant serving amazing vegan cuisine. We ate there multiple times because in our next destination of Kuala Lumpur, the vegetarian dining was limited at best.
We checked out of Indonesian for a fee of $150,000 Rupiah each and managed to spend the last of our Rupiah paying for overstuffed
luggage. (Good luck explaining to the Indonesian airport staff why you are carrying a camping tent.) Where was Kevin when we needed
a hand?
Arriving back into Malaysia around midnight, we were
stamped into the country hassle-free with 90 day visas. The hassle began shortly after arranging a cab
to Chinatown.
We were over charged for the short cab ride because you
can’t barter much after midnight. The Red Dragon Hostel could not find our online
reservation and a room wasn’t available until 3:30 in the morning. So we roamed
the dirty streets eating tofu kabobs and Seven-Eleven snacks to keep our senses
satisfied.
Already missing Bali, we
checked into our windowless room around four am. Fortunately, we weren’t
charged for our first night at the Red Dragon in the room we shared with a rat.
