Adventures in South East Asia

29 ~ Late night arrival

Ubud to Seminyak, Bali, Indonesia

Just before one in the morning, I crept out of my room and through the guesthouse grounds. I had spoken with the manager earlier that day and gotten an extra key for the cabin my friends would be staying in.

As I neared the gate, my stomach clenched and my steps lightened. The dogs would be there, snarling and barking as I went by. After the first night, I assumed they'd grow accustomed to me, but no success in the past few nights. Without fail their loud mouths followed, snapping away until I sped walked out of the area. I didn't want to run and antagonize them.

I stood at street corner in the 'downtown' area near the tourism office. The whole town of Ubud seemed to shut down at night. Few establishments remained open. No one was out on the sidewalks as if a curfew had been imposed. Only a security guard poked his head out of his booth and looked in my direction.

My phone, which could only serve as a watch at this point, confirmed that I was still early. I walked down to the Circle K convenience store -- luckily still open with only one other set of patrons -- and bought an ice cream bar.

The security guard kept watching me: the strange foreign girl sitting on a curb and eating cheap ice cream in this desolate town. He walked up to me to offer a greeting and a curious glance.

"Why are you here? You should be in your hotel to be safe."

"My friends flew to Denpassar and come by taxi. They don't know where our guesthouse is. They should be here soon." Although, my choice to acquire a snack in the meantime probably didn't inspire that confidence.

"Okay, be careful."

He stayed with me and continued to supervise the area. It was almost like a gated community in the sense that people were not encouraged to be on the streets, and I assumed it applied to locals as well, as they probably went back to the actual neighbourhoods.

"What is the Kuningan festival?" I asked eager to gain more insight into it since it started technically that an hour ago.

"It's the end of Galungan festival. It helps send away bad spirits and start the year fresh."

Straight forward enough. Curiosity satisfied.

Twenty minutes later, three young women jumped out of a cab and looked around. I hollered out and they came over to meet me with big yet exhausted smiles. We made the walk back to the angry dogs as I shared a few words of caution. They told me all about their travels through Australia and New Zealand with enthusiasm and joy. It was a trip I had initially planned on joining them for until I had caught Myanmar fever and had needed to include it in my itinerary.

Taylor raved about the ocean road tour they all took and all the natural beauty. She had a growing interest in photography and was quickly outgrowing her point and shoot.

Chloe was pretty impressed with the graffiti van they had rented to tour New Zealand, which also doubled as a bed, as well as the animals there. She looked quite tired. Sabrina explained that just before their flight out of New Zealand, Chloe had passed out at security and paramedics helped her get back on her feet. I wasn't the only one who went all day without eating, however, Chloe's anemia had put a stop to that practice, or so I hoped. The rest of their stories were more upbeat.

I was happy for them. It was the trip of a lifetime, but I couldn't be jealous without paling the wonderful experiences I had had in the past months. I simply took mental notes for my next trip.

In the morning, while the girls were sleeping, I failed to catch or see much of the Kuningan festival around our neighbourhood. I seemed to search in all the wrong places. I did; however, get to watch Yuni's family perform their prayers and hang a bamboo creations that resembled dream catchers, based on their round nature and tail. I was too curious and had to ask.

The older woman replied that it was an 'Ariyakuni', although, I think I may have misheard. Many flowers were placed after prayers as well, rendering the whole guesthouse a beautiful and fragrant environment.

Despite most businesses being closed that morning, we still managed to book a van to Seminyak. The Kuningan festival prayers needed to be completed before noon so the rest of the day ran a little less like a holiday.

We killed some time by wandering to an open field, which reflected the green of the rice plants so vibrantly. I couldn't believe such a place was only ten minutes from me this whole time, but it was more fun to explore with friends. A dusty winding trail, shaded by trees at moments.

I also showed them some of the nearby temples before another Balina Lagoon meal. Urap-urap graced my plate: salad with shredded coconut and tempeh. Taylor was as impressed as I was with all the vegetarian options. She used to be the only one in our group, but now we leaf-eaters made up fifty percent. The food was again delicious.

During the drive to our next city, we managed to get stuck in a Kuningan parade where people wore white or very vibrant colours, much like at Besakiah temple. They were also playing instruments as they walked. It was a pretty neat place to be held up.

Arriving in Seminyak an hour or so later, I realized that most of Bali was heavily developed. I knew Kuta would be bad, but didn't realize that it would extend that far. Big box hotels, restaurants, money exchanges and massage parlours, all gave an appearance similar to the very touristy sections of Thailand.

As long as I could find a place to surf, I'd be content.