Bali – an attempt at processing

Arriving in Bali turned out to be more difficult than it first seemed. As we neared boarding, the world suddenly ended. Thunderstorms and monsoon rain were spreading, which is why the plane was already late in approach and we finally took off at midnight instead of the planned 10.30 p.m. Various checks, stamps, scanners, etc. later, I was finally in the arrivals hall at 3:45 a.m. - and became fair game for the taxi mafia. From the front, behind, to the side and from above there was shouting and whistling, ID cards (real? fake?) were held under my nose, prices were whispered in my ear, they wanted to carry my luggage and explain that there was no digging at this time of night. Driver (Uber in Southeast Asia) works more. And no, I'm not exaggerating. It wasn't pretty and it cost me all the self-assurance and trust I could muster after a day of traveling at that time. Finally I reached the meeting point and my driver, who I had already booked via the app in the security area before the taxi hell, arrived less than 2 minutes later. Question: does that have to be the case? Does this give the tourist a good feeling of being welcomed on the island immediately after landing?

At least my boutique resort in the middle of Seminyak is very cute. A great big room, a huge bathroom, everything tastefully decorated. There is also a beautiful pool surrounded by trees and lots of English people in it. 😉

After sleeping in, I started the “holy morning” with a smoothie and bowl in the hip Sisterfield café (thanks, Katha, for the tip!). And I immediately got my first impression of Bali, 20 years after my first visit. Unfortunately, it didn't really improve until the evening. That's why, and for more reality on this travel blog: it's not nice (anymore). Of course, I didn't expect that nothing had changed. But that's too much for me. The whole thing here is tied to 3 points - I'm only talking about my range of motion in Seminyak, of course it might be completely different elsewhere.

1. Traffic and intrusiveness: as a pedestrian you have no place on the streets here. On the one hand, because there are often no facilities in the sense of sidewalks or shoulders. And on the other hand, because it seems to me that it is not even planned. Anyone who is self-respecting doesn't run, but drives - motorized, by scooter or by car. Maybe it has something to do with the status that only those who can't afford it otherwise run. I don't know it. Nevertheless, I should be allowed to decide for myself whether I want to walk or be driven. But I've lost count of how many times scooters slowly drove past me or honked at me to offer their transportation services. Aside from that, if I knew that I wouldn't be seen as a walking dollar bill and would be offered a fair price, perhaps the world would look different. But if a fair price for the trip from the hotel to the port according to Grab is around €22, and the driver from the airport offers you €35 as a “cheap price”, that’s too stressful for me. Acting doesn't suit me and as a white woman (white in the truest sense of the word 😉) I would have to try twice as hard. But aren't I on vacation?
2. Business acumen: something that keeps bothering me throughout my travels through Southeast Asia, but also Peru and Bolivia. If I drive my scooter aimlessly through the streets all day in the hope of “coercing” a passenger to give me a ride, is my business model the right one? If I see that there are already 5 _____________ on a street (use either massage studios, souvenir shop, “official” money exchange, “official” tourist information, bar, restaurant, etc. ), do I open the sixth same shop? Or, my prime example: when the tourist arrives at the top of the mountain after a 2-hour climb somewhere in the north of Vietnam with 95% humidity, do I offer him self-crocheted wallets to buy, or would I rather offer him water, fruit shakes and fruit? You know what I mean. These thoughts often don't let me go and are constantly spinning in my head, as they are constantly kept in front of my eyes.
3. Garbage : the really big problem. The contrast with Singapore could not have been present on my last stops. I know I shouldn't always assume myself. But don't you generally think it's nicer to live in an environment that's reasonably tidy? Which is somewhat repaired? This concerns me over and over again, wherever my eyes look. Last year on Ko Chang. Couldn't the Corona phase have been used for this? But yes, the demands are different and the priorities are contrary to ours/mine. Nevertheless, it is these circumstances, among others, that make me want to come back home again and again.

And that is the biggest challenge for me when traveling alone. Not getting from A to B, finding my way around, etc. But rather processing these impressions that bombard me every day, hourly and minute and in this sense not being able to share them at the moment. They float around in my head and take up a lot of energy. And in the evening they let me go to bed completely exhausted, or sometimes even fall into a small hole. Thanks to everyone who has rebuilt me with calls and WhatsApp in moments like this. 😊 This post also had to be open in its openness. Just like realizing that I wasn't cut out for 8 weeks of traveling alone without a fixed plan. Maybe I'll fill the 4 weeks, or maybe I'll come back after just 3 weeks. More on that in the days ahead.

But so that everything doesn't seem so negative: photos of the really beautiful sunset on yesterday's Christmas Eve and my breakfast today in a gem of a café, not far from my hotel.