Kuta Bali

KVD again...

So we're planning to stay for three days here at Kuta Beach, a Wasaga or Grand Bend-like town with a great beach, crazy traffic, pestering vendors, and (as I sadly found out this morning), unscrupulous money changers! Jon told me to always be the last one to count my money, but I SWEAR I saw it all on the counter...then when I got back to the room and counted it, a bunch was missing, and all I had bought was a bottle of water! Oh well, lesson learned, that's why they say to only do it at the bank.

Today I'm looking forward to checking out the beach, eating some good food, swimming in the natural pool that's part of the cottages where we're staying, and getting used to this crazy little beach town! I'm going to leave my surf lesson for tomorrow since I'm already overstimulated enough in Kuta just chilling out! I've got the lay of the land figured out I think, so I don't think I'll get lost on the way to the beach like we did last night...

Our first sight of the beach at Kuta was in the moonlight last night. J and I sat on the sand in the moonlight for a bit and listened to the sound of the surf, and watched the waves get bigger. It wasn't all quiet and peaceful though - a lot of the big clubs and bars are beachfront, just 50 metres or so from the water, across a really busy road you have to dash across.

So Kuta is kind of a developing-country-style-Grand Bend, if you can imagine that. And no worries, the only sign of the terror attacks from a few years ago is the stone memorial on the main street. It was very moving to see it and read all the names on it and where the people who died were from. I want to post a photo of it later if I can. The people who are most interested in the memorial, I've noticed, are the tourists from other parts of Asia. That's who I see looking at it most, and leaving things, and taking photos of their families around it. I guess it would be like Americans going to Ground Zero in New York.



But no more heavy talk! I'm off to find food and my brother!