oh dem bali days

after three nights in an indulgently large, decently furnished, but filthy room, sugiharto made a few calls and got me the indonesian discount at new diggs. the sprawling grounds included a cat-sized lizard swallowing a large fish it caught from the pond... in the states we call this kind of place a zoo.

it was nice getting off the kuta-seminyak stretch of beach for the past coupla days, thanks (as usual) to the generosity of new friends. sugiharto and i toured balis eastern reaches, stopping first in charming ubuds warung ibu oka (mrs. okas foodstall) for delicious babi guling (reportedly the best in bali). this spicy dish of pork strips over white rice with herbs, spices, crunchy white rice and crispy pig skin (and colon) was yummy.

uncomfortably stuffed we drove beside terraced rice paddies and under a canopy of bamboo poles to the highland town of kintamani. driving the periphery of the dramatic 1717 m-high batur volcano i was dumbfounded by the jekyl and hyde t-shirt witch and charred remains of pompeii-ed abodes. eventually we wound down backroads until finding ourselves in the seaside town of candidasa just in time for sundown.
day 2 was temple day, with stops at the island pura at tanah lot, a tour with an 'english'-speaking guide at the impressive pura besakih and a dramatic conclusion of our temple touring with sunset balinese fire dancing at gorgeous uluwatu.

with my bali days nearly over, i switched gears and relaxed with my kl buddies omar, jaime, adam and shan in the posh confines of the khan compound in sanur. 'shalimar' as its known belongs to omars aunt, whose daughter shan showed great hospitality despite my lingering teeth marks on her upper thighs imprinted during our brief encounter in kuala lumpur (i have no recollection of the alleged offense).

sitting in the absurd lap of private villa luxury among cooks, drivers, gardeners, etc., it was initially very uncomfortable. but in short order my prep school roots drank from the pool and seemingly bottomless champagne. i had tasted the lifestyle of the asian leisure class and i liked it. we spent our afternoons half-awake with occasional banter about 'coca-cola,' youthful naughtiness requiring law enforcement bribes and debating the merits of bangkok and hong kong for new years. despite bomb threats in the evening we made our way to ku-de-ta and double-six for a lil dancing. as much as righteous pants wanted to label these fancy folks as brats they were all lovely.

oh the irony. i am eager to tie the 'spoilt' tag around others necks yet im the ass. not only did i enjoy ridiculous villa hospitality in bali, but at virtually every pitstop during my 2+ month holiday ive relied on generous local hosts to cart me around and refuse to let me pay my way. theres a special place in karma hell for ungrateful leeches like me.
more bali photos here.