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Kuta (Denpasar), Aug 8-11
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Kuta is the closest city to the airport, so went
striaght there after our plane touched down around 1a.m.. Kuta has long
stretches of beach and big waves (great for
the surfers). It is also the mecca of shopping in Bali. There were gorgeous
sandals, handmade kites, woven handbags, beautiful dresses, and hundreds of
tailors all over town ...so you can have your clothes made for you at very
little cost. Unfortunately, Kuta is also extremely commercial ...there are so
many hawkers on the street (and the beach) trying to sell you things that you
can't walk more than 2 feet without being verbally vomited upon. They start
off with ... "Hello! Transport? Watch? Sarong? Massage? Pineapple? Mango?
Necklace? Painting? Shells? Braid
hair? Manicure? Cheap price..." . You
start off trying to be polite by saying "no thank-you" ...but they are so
persistent and annoying that after about 2 hours of this, you find it best to
not say anything...just avoid eye contact and look straight ahead (sunglasses
help).
Accomodations in Bali are very inexpensive. Actually, just about
everything is cheap here. We started off staying at an "expensive" resort
because it was convenient. However, we moved quickly to another place in the
mid-range for backpackers. We were amazed that you can actually get a great
room with beautiful gardens (including breakfast) for $5 - $10 U.S..
All of over Kuta ( and the rest of Bali), you see
people placing "offerings" in front of
doors, shops, homes, and temples. This was really neat to see. The offerings
are usually a small amount of food (rice or cracker), flowers, and incense. A
prayer is said and the offering is anionted with holy water. Most of the
people in Bali are Hindi, but you can find some Buddhists and Muslims. These offerings later
become food for the rats and mice.
Walking around Kuta, you can see hundreds of guardian statues, small temples, and
interesting statues. You also see a lot of
roosters in cages ...these are fighting game
cocks. I find it a very gross and inhumane form of entertainment, but
it's huge here.
