Door 1-Bali

Patience has never been my strength... Growing increasingly restless, I stand at the baggage claim at the airport in Denpasar. Matze's plane has already landed, I read on the information board. He could show up any minute... but he doesn't. Every curly head that moves towards me makes me startle involuntarily from the book I'm trying to distract myself with. Maybe he doesn't have curls anymore, maybe he cut them off since our last Skype call. Maybe he has already sneaked past me and I'm sitting here completely useless... Seeking help, I glance at my internet-less phone, sigh, and put it back down. Just then, another curly head appears, and I can't help but smile, he smiles back. I drop everything and throw myself into his arms. He hugs me so tight that a rib cracks, then he kisses me. Matze is thinner and more tanned than I remember him, but his eyes still shine as blue as ever. We check into our Airbnb and throw ourselves onto the monstrous canopy bed, right under the ceiling fan (a room accessory that is definitely worth considering in Germany during the increasingly hot summers!). The next morning, we hop on the bicycles provided for us and zoom through the city. We are definitely a unique sight for other road users, but we don't feel too unsafe. When we arrive in Kuta, the tourist district of Denpasar, the crowds quickly become too much for us, so we head down to the beach. It's not exactly in the category of "beautiful," but I still go into the water- if you're already there ^^. As I lie on my back, enjoying the gentle rocking of the waves (you can't really cool off with the water temperature), Matze finds a coconut. After cracking it open with his bare hands and the help of a tree trunk edge, he proudly presents its contents to me for drinking and announces, "This is the fruit of the day." A phrase I will hear quite often during our time in Indonesia... Our next accommodation is in Ubud, the most touristy corner of Bali, but it is very idyllic. In the midst of a Hindu temple complex, we only encounter other guests once in the 3 days we're there, but we do hear temple musicians practicing in the evenings (an acquired taste in entertainment) and pay 15 euros per night, including breakfast. We can also conveniently rent a scooter at the reception, without any paperwork or deposit required. I'm glad to be sitting behind Matze at first because the chaos of the traffic reminds me of Vietnam. My first attempt at driving on an abandoned country road goes quite well until I try to make a turn and my hand can't let go of the throttle. Well, the slight scratch on the underside of the scooter goes unnoticed by our landlords. The waterfalls in the inland of Bali have piqued our curiosity, so we explore and hike to 5 of them in 3 days. We also visit some Hindu temples, with the "Tirta Empul", the water temple, leaving a lasting impression on me. There is a ritual cleansing taking place there, people wash themselves at various water spouts to "wash away" certain things. The only guided tour we take is to Mount Batur, where we admire the sunrise. From there, you can see Bali's highest volcano, Mount Agung, which is currently emitting ash clouds and therefore not accessible. Our group is not too big, and the other tourists are very nice, although some struggle with the ascent. On the other hand, Matze casually jumps down some sections full of rubble during the descent, which initially worries and then impresses our guide. Our definitely biggest "fruit of the day" so far is a papaya that Matze stole from a tree while walking. It can be used for self-defense in case of emergency. After just over a week in Bali, we then travel to the east of the island, from where we take a ferry to Gili Trawangan.