BALI BALI BALI

I had a fabulous week in Bali, Indonesia with three of my friends. Bali is 8 degrees south of the equator so at this time of the year, it was a lot hotter in Bali than Australia. It is currently winter in Australia but today it was 73 degrees and sunny. A pretty good winter day hey? Bali is an island that is 95 miles wide and 69 miles long and it has a population of 3.5 million people. The streets were so crowded and busy. It was a little overwhelming at first. I wasn't used to this fast paced lifestyle after being in laid back Australia for four months. Also, %93 of Bali's population adheres to Hinduism. There are about 20,000 shrines and temples in Bali and it is known as "The Island of Gods."

Bali was interesting to say the least. It was a lot different than I expected but I still loved it. I have been to third world countries before but I had stayed on resorts so I never really got the chance to encounter the culture or the local people. Well in Bali, I definitely got to experience the culture. I couldn't walk on the streets with out someone trying to sell me something. I couldn't lay on the beach with out old ladies coming up to me asking if I wanted a massage in exchange for money. But the good thing is that the American dollar is really really strong in Bali. One dollar is equal to about 10,000 rupiah. I could go out and get a huge dinner for about 30,000 rupiah. So basically, you can live the life of majesty in Bali.

And we did just that. We shopped, ate, relaxed, tanned on the beach, surfed, and went on a tour of the island. Shopping was different. In Bali, you bargain prices when you want to buy something. I was really really bad at bargaining in the beginning but I got the hang of it near the end. This is a picture of my friends practically getting forced to buy clothes.



Surfing was tons of fun. I actually stood up and surfed. There were Balinese people lined up and down the whole beach who had surf boards for rent. I rented a surf board for a whole day for 2 dollars. It might be hard to see me in the picture but I'm out there on my surf board.



We stayed on the west side of Bali so were were able to watch the sunset every night over the ocean. This sight never gets old and amazes me every time.



My friends and I get so excited about the sunset and it makes us do things like this.



My favorite day in Bali was when we went on full day tour of Bali. We got to go inland and escape from the busy touristy areas. The day consisted of:

...seeing a cultural dance called Barong



...seeing an awesome green valley



....riding and feeding elephants





...seeing an active volcano which is the highest point in Bali at 9,400 feet



....going to a Hindu temple



....going to a sacred monkey forest sanctuary



....and at last seeing a beautiful waterfall.



Overall, Bali was an amazing experience and another great 'study' break. But after a week in Bali, we were ready to go back home. (weird...I always catch myself calling Australia home now)

Now an update on school. Did you forget that I go to school? I actually have been studying hard while I've been in Australia. It's not all fun and games, but most of the time it is. I had my chemistry final today and I thought it went well! So now I only have one final left on the 2nd and I will be officially done with junior year!!!! I can't believe I am going to be a senior. I also can't believe I'll be 21 soon too!!

Believe it or not, I am traveling one more time before I officially leave Australia. On June 2nd I am off to New Zealand for a week!! I am visiting my Aunt Fayne and Uncle John who are currently living in Timaru on the South island. I am so excited to see them and New Zealand!!! I was in Asia last week, Australia this week, I'll be in New Zealand next week, and America the week after that. Not bad, hey?