Travel Talk

Case of the Monday’s on Bali

Surfing and Hanging out on Kuta Beach Bali

Greetings,

Case of the Monday’s mean different things to different people in different situations. I’ve finally found what I was looking for. Before I left on this trip, my father said “So Rob, where is it in the world you want to see?” I quickly replied “Nowhere but everywhere. He said “is there not anything you have to see?” I quipped “no”.

When I left on this trip I had no fantasies, no visualizations of “what it would be like” nothing. I didn’t even plan for it, oh I bought a 59L backpack 2 days before I left. I just got rid of my stuff and took a deep breath before telling my boss I was leaving, effectively ending my career at the organization. I wandered for 3 months meeting strangers who became friends and a plethora of different people. Today it struck me, I am the closest I’ve ever been to where I always dreamed of but with no images and no intentions. I’ve found the place I “wanted to be all along”. It’s a tiny island in Indonesia called “Bali”. Wow, what a place.

Life here is easy and incredibly cheap. So many people in Australia, Europe and North America work like slaves only to quickly discard of their coin to look rich, or to “fit in” or just because they have the money management acumen of a mule, manatee or mosquito. Ever wonder why they teach you all this crap in school but NEVER HOW TO MANAGE MONEY? I think it’s a conspiracy to keep a dumbed down work forced filled with useless information like who Henry the VIII was, who cares?

In Bali, if you have even the most modest and humble of an online business or passive income setup, you’re “banking coin”. It’s odd spending the day however the heck you please and at the end of it being further ahead then before. It does not matter how much money you make in life, it’s how much money you spend. Many people earn 5-100X what others do but are no better off. Sure they live a different life but what happens, what if suddenly they couldn’t “show up on Monday at 9am?” It would all be stripped away from them like it was never theirs, because it wasn’t if it was leveraged which is the “Way of life” for the majority of people in the “developed world”. Leveraging your life for daily expenses and “toys” is ludicrous, you hear that? Ludicrous!!!

Graffiti in the lanes in Kuta Bali

Last night, this lady from Hong Kong who looks like Super Dave Osbourne’s Sidekick’s sister but of a heavier set with a pair of aviators was talking so loud until 2am I wanted to scream. Then I realized, I’m in a low end budget hotel in a small island town with graffiti everywhere and cock roaches roaming the streets at night. You don’t live in the ghetto back home because you want respectful neighbors, if you are paying squat, it comes with the territory, yes? About 6 hours later wooke up and thought @#%# it, I’m going surfing.

At 8am it’s just the guys who work there and the hard cores out surfing. The waves were big but I still “got their late”. I left and came back home in need of exchanging money. I walked for what felt like an hour or so continually getting further away from the tourist mecca and watching the exchange rates rise, this put a smile on my face. The lowest I saw was 6500Ru for 1 Singapore dollar. Walked and saw 6700, 6850, 6999 then said “Cummon we can get to 7000” and I saw it, 7095. Kept going and prices started getting worse again as I was getting closer to Legian another place where many tourists hang out.

Authentic Balinese Cat Sculptures from Wood

Before going back I ran into this Balinese shop where they sell hand made sculptures of many different animals from light mahogany. Look above. If anyone wants some I can ship both size cats for $50US all inclusive. The shipping here is RIDICULOUS and taking up the bulk of the price but if you love cats and authentic artifacts, what’s $50US? I am going to start a shop where in each stop, I sell authentic artifacts you can’t get elsewhere. They also had ridiculous snake skin everything in every color but not sure the legality.

Bali Snake Skin purse belt and key chains

Bali Snake Skin Purse Wallet and Shoes

I go back, change some coin and pick up a fruit platter for 10,000ru or $1. The plan was then to have a shower, never made it. I awoke to some song I can’t remember now if I could I’d put it at the bottom. These Danish people like to rock out and like the whole compound to rock with them. It’s good but bad because whenever they are rocking I’m sleeping or wished to be. That said, they play good music and are cool so it’s all good.

Balinese fruit platter for $1US

I awake and a younger friend in his early 20’s from Britain is kinda freaking. He took a bike and bailed hard on it in the first 5 minutes and went into oncoming traffic hitting another guy, a local guy. He got all cut up and rolled his ankle. He also had to pay the Balinese guy 300,000Ru and now out of nowhere the guys who own the bike or supposedly came up and asked him for 1,000,000Ru to fix it… He didn’t have that much and wasn’t even sure if the guys were legit. They were coming back and he asked me if I could be with him so I could “help feel out the vibe” of the people and see what to do. I did not get involved, don’t like getting involved but I’m an empathetic person and if I was him… I’d want someone there so I chilled.

Whenever I’m walking down the street and see people looking for rooms or something, I fill them in even if they don’t want to hear it. Most people love it and are appreciative. The dorks I see with guide books think I’m like trying to con them and tell me no then dive their beaks back into their dorky books. I don’t get those people. Listen, the book is a book, it was written a while ago. What’s happening now is what matters and everything changes, always, get with the program. Life isn’t “by the book” it’s “by the seat of your pants”. Reading these books are great to find out about a place, but don’t walk around reading it as you go. If you must, take some notes and roll with it, yes?

I digress.

They had the original receipt and it “seemed legit”. Seriously, unless you know how to drive one of those things… Don’t get one or take it easy, really easy, I mean ridiculously easy. He bailed the same way I did on Koh Tao, you don’t want to slow traffic so you give it toooooo much gas and it just gets away from you or in my case skids on loose sand. I was lucky as I had an old bike and there was no traffic. When I returned it I started talking about something else like a magician or illusionist who plays with the persons attention and puts it where they please. That said, it was also a different guy and I “probably just got lucky”.

Traffic in Kuta Bali

His ordeal finishes and we go to the beach. I go to the same surf shop and grab the same board and hit it up for 2 hours. The waves are getting BIGGER. So big that if you make the wave and get up and are “dropping in” but bail, you actually fall several feet before hitting water again. It’s awesome. Do that for a bit then make on my way to leave. Only paid 30,000Ru for the whole day. He wanted 30,000 for the first hour this morning but I said “listen, I can get it for a full day back near my hotel and you have ~40 competitors here, if you want me to grab this daily for ~3-4 hours give me a reasonable rate where I hit it in the morning and late afternoon.” He agreed to the deal. The waves are shat in the mid day and it’s too hot. The only people out are women who adore and worship the sun, guys who don’t know better or people here for a week or so and trying to “soak it all up”. I’m living here now so mid day is perfect time for a nap or an internet session if you ask this gentleman.

As I’m leaving I return the board and see these Balinese guys passing around a rugby ball. We play that for about 40 minutes until it got ridiculous, kicking it as hard and as high as you can and hoping it goes near where your friends are. I figured it was a good time to end on a good note. Then I notice all the Balinese guys eating these noodles with egg on top. I ask a younger kid how much he says 5,000Ru and an older guy says he meant 10,000 hahahah no he meant 5,000. Find out how much things cost always then go and say hi, can I have X for Y. It’s good and wow, cheap.

Beach Lifestyle in Bali

Now I’m just lounging. No desire to do much but just hang out and do it all over again tomorrow. At night I’ll sometimes go for 1 drink if I meet some ladies at dinner or on the street (that sounded bad but you know what I mean), last night it was these steps where they blare techno / house music and people hang their before the bar. When they go to the bar I say “have a good night” and that’s that. Very much more my style. Best of all worlds, which I’m all about.

I will note, if you want to buy something never “have to buy it” just wait, it will come. They sell Billabong and Bintan shirts for ~30,000Ru. I just keep walking he says ok ok, 20,000, I keep walking Ok friend 10,000! I keep walking saying “no man, I don’t want a shirt” he says ok, 2 for 10,000 I say no he says OK, 3 for 10,000!?!?! Still didn’t buy one but goes to show, yes? Also another friend bought 4 pairs of sunglasses for $10 when they wanted $15 each to start, really nice ones. Today this guy who sees me walk everyday offered me a pair (starting price which I wouldn’t feel the need to bargain lower) of 10,000Ru for some Oakleys, that’s $1.

It’s Monday, get your self in gear or get ready for a lifetime of them.

Tips hat.

P.S: If you have not watched Office Space, what are you waiting for!?

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