Trying Freedom

Time to pick up the pace of posting before my memory plays more tricks on me and I miss out big chunks of the trip…

After landing at around 1am and getting through immigration, which always somehow makes me feel as nervous as though I’m smuggling something into the country, I was greeted by a driver my hotel had organised for me to get there, costing a mere 300,000 IDR which was my first introduction to the currency, and being a millionaire for the first time… it was a huge relief to get to the hotel.

I managed to get some sleep and got woken up around 10am by housekeeping, feeling like I’d been dragged through a hedge backwards. I decided that I wasn’t going to sulk around all day feeling rough and instead get out into the resort that I was staying in, so headed out to the restaurant to get some food and relaxed by the pool for a while in the 30 degree sun, it was delightful and the day went by in a flash.

I had two nights booked initially, all the YouTube guides tell you to either stay you first nights in Kuta, near the airport, Seminyak, which is ideal for resorts and expensive hotels or finally Canggu which is ideal for night life and the digital nomad scene. I decided that Seminyak would be ideal to get away from the airport and avoid the night life to get some sleep.

In reality, what I quickly realised after waking up for day 2 was that I was in the Benidorm of Bali but feeling so rough from the jet lag still and also majorly sun burnt from my little relax at the pool with no sun cream, genius, that I added a night to my stay and starting plotting my escape.

I went online and found somewhere to rent a scooter, after a quick negotiation on WhatsApp (which everyone uses here) I had one being delivered the next day and booked a hotel to the next suggested place on your favourite YouTube guides, Ubud.