in ubud...

Seriously.... this place just gives you a sense that you're home. Yes... It has become a serious tourist trap (sadly there is a Starbucks here) but it is just so comfortable. The people are warm and friendly and the landscape is beautiful.  And you never feel in a rush to do anything.  Just really peaceful.  There is a bit of traffic on the main roads where I stayed the first two nights but since I moved I feel like it's been a lot more tranquil. I am staying at a family compound which is beautiful. On a hill with a garden by the ubud palace.  The family is nice and the breakfast is plentiful and delicious. A big fruit salad too.  There is a group of children playing music nearby and it's fun.

Today seems a little bit cooler than the past couple days. I guess it is usually a bit cooler than it is now. At least that is what I hear from the locals. I heard it in padang bai and gili trawangan too. Seems I go where the humidity is. Awesome. At night it cools down so an open window and fan are good.

So far southeast Asia has a different feel than south America. Of course I am saying this only based on visiting Bali. It is definitely more relaxing here. And while there are a lot of tourists a lot of time is spent solo. Originally I hated it since so much of my love for south America was the people I met. But now I'm embracing it. It's nice to be in a beautiful place with just you and your thoughts. I have met some people... couchsurfers who have welcomed me into their circle of friends. And that has been nice. It's interesting learning about the difference in cultures. And also to learn how much similarity there is. It's not so much "a whole different world".  One of the girls I met at a coffee shop and she said... "I hear that people in the western world just take their coffee to go.  Here it is meant to be enjoyed... to sit with your friends and talk."  I appreciate that. And I know that some of you reading will say cause we don't have time and that's why we are more developed, etc but there should be emphasis on building relationships, human interaction, etc.  People are happy because they have what they need.  But anyway, I'm not going to get into any sort of discussion about it. I'm just going to take it and build on that for my own personal growth.

So a first for me so far on this trip... riding on a motorbike. Never been on one before and honestly they scare me. I know three people who've died in motorcycle accidents and they just make me nervous. Luckily no problems. It is a but nerve racking since traffic here is a whatever goes type way. But we made it. I didn't get that rush that some people do after riding one. No desire to go home and get one.

Some mishaps... in Munich I was at a bar where they had that sledgehammer game where you hit the scale and a little marker goes up and rings a bell. I didn't play but someone did and when they put the sledgehammer down it fell into my ankle. Crazy pain. even while drunk. So... It turned into a bruise but I'm all better now.  Another mishap... part of my filling came out yesterday during lunch. my vegetable panini all of a sudden got crunchy.  TIM I'm sure but it's not so bad. So far it's not too sensitive. I have travel health insurance so I may get it taken care of if it gets worse.  Can't think of anything else.

Okay... I'm going to post this.... hopefully it goes through. a completely different blog than the one I had written the other day. But enjoy!

happenings....

I always feel like I want to blog when I'm not in WiFi zone and then when I am the desire fades. So far WiFi has been fairly widespread and much easier to connect on my kindle than my phone. Not sure why but it takes forever just to pull up the dialog box to enter the password.  Have been trying for 20mins and it's still not pulling up on my phone. So kindle it is.  No whatsapp.  :( which I have become addicted to. Just easy to keep in touch that way.  But anyway....

So yeah.  Southeast Asia.  So far a whole different experience than south america. Not in a bad way. It's more about guesthouses and homestays here in Bali than hostels.  Relatively cheap - $12-18/ night for a double bed, ensuite bathroom and terrace.  But somehow part of me misses the sharing a room with other travelers. I know.... call me crazy but I do miss parts of it.

Currently in ubud on the island of Bali in Indonesia.  If that sounds like a familiar place without knowing much about Indonesia or Bali it may be from eat, pray, love. It was her last stop. I feel like it has changed immensely since then. Still full of culture with the temples and art but there is also a crocs, polo, and Pandora store. Not to mention a Starbucks.   I kinda feel like I got here five years too late to really get into the culture of ubud.  But I also just got here so I can't judge.

Attended my first (hopefully of several) full moon parties.  I celebrated on the beach on the island of gili trawangan.  It was fun to go to but the difference wasn't super amazing and the people I was with also weren't feeling it so I ended up leaving around 4.  There were poi spinners (fire) which was cool to see. I'm always amazed by that because it is pretty tricky and people make it look so easy.

I'm home

But not in the sense that you are probably thinking.  I'm in Singapore but I feel as though I'm at home. I started feeling this way when I was leaving Zurich and was not nervous at all.  I was comfortable.  Completely. I managed to secure a couch to surf (which is where I am now) in Singapore from a nice girl who grew up in Brazil. She's lived here for two months so is excited to explore the city as well.

Europe was super. So amazing to see seven of my friends again. It really was special. Two weeks, three countries, four cities, and seven friends. How lucky am I?  Don't ask me to count the beers... Oktoberfest put a bit of a dent in that.  And Vanessa (my host) invited me to Oktoberfest in Singapore. I hope my liver is ready for it!

I got here yesterday so not much to report.  Immigration was long... But I got another stamp! Yippee!  And managed the metro station okay.  The trains are really nice and clean.  They run smooth and often. There was a really bad rainstorm last night. Vanessa had dinner plans. I just stayed here because I was tired.  I LOVE the travel world.  This girl I JUST met was okay with me staying in her house for a couple hours alone.  With all the scary stuff we see on the news... we do have to remind ourselves that there are still compassionate people in the world and to not be scared of everything.  It's amazing what people will show you and open up to.

I should try to fall back to sleep... It's currently 140 in the morning on the 11th.  I think I'm exactly 12 hours ahead of Boston.