"A journey of a thousand miles starts with a single pedal"
Lao-tzu (China's most famous cyclist?)
I arrived in Bali almost exactly this time a week ago. I was met at the airport by a driver called Tam Tam who had been kindly arranged by my hosts Tom and Karen (Tom was in my year at Bath uni). The hour drive from the airport gave me my first taste of Indonesian roads. On first appearances, it's a bit like Fight Club - the first rule? There are no rules! But after borrowing Tom and Karen's car for the day I got the hang of it - people joining a road at a junction have right of way (!) and if you think someone's not seen you horn them and if they have horn them anyway! In fact the horn can be used to express all manner of things like I'm about to do a 3-point turn or my favourite colour is blue. If in doubt, horn!
I spent most of the week with a beautiful Argentinian girl that I met at the airport. We hired a car and driver and explored together. We visited surf spots, temples, walked in the woods, hitched (when we got lost), swam in the sea, ate Sushi, lazed on the beach, listened to live music and generally had a bloody good time! It was great to meet someone with such a passion for life and beautiful things.
As in Kuala Lumpur, I was consistently taken aback by people's friendliness. Religion, or ceremony, is a massive part of life here.
Small offerings are placed on the pavement and prayers are said several times a day. This devotion seems to have given the people a real sense of duty towards each other. Of course it's something that is common amongst friends in the West but it seems to include complete strangers here. I have been told that when I travel further from the beaten track that I will find this even-more-so.
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