Alright here goes the explanation. Oof. Over the weekend, Zoe and I had planned to both take our days off Wednesday and hit up a few spots she wanted to take me. First we were gonna go to this jewlery friend of hers who charges local prices a bit to the south of here, and then head back up to Ubud to visit "Hubud". Hubud is Bali's first co-working space and v v v hip, trendy and cool. Her husband works there as a freelance graphic designer and Zoe really wants to me to work there and stay in Ubud/ at TPEN (the place i'm volunteering) so we can keep gossiping about everyone else. Well Bali decided today was monsoon day and it was raining intensely from the moment I awoke allllllllll morning. (It is rainy season here so there is usually a heavy downpour in the afternoon for an hour or so most days, which is awesome cause its mostly been 90 degrees with 100% humidity, until it finally rains. But today was another level.)
Oh I forgot to mention the most important part. In order to go on this adventure with Zoe, I needed to be able to ride a motorbike (scooter/ vespa type vehicle) alongside her, cause she has Arsa with her. So since Monday I have been practicing driving around the local village with the guidance of Nyoman, and have gotten it down pretty much and was approved to take a bike out on my own for today.
Ok so this morning I figured our day of exploration was off due to weather, but Zoe was determined to go- she found me a poncho and after lunch and the rain subsiding to a medium pour, we were off. The rental bike they gave me was a bit rusty looking, but I tried not to overthink it and just focus on staying alert whilst driving a scooter through the streets of Bali- where traffic laws (blinkers, lanes, speed limits, etc) do not exist. It is quite literally even man for themselves, and cars obviously hold all the power because if they hit you, you're toast. Just so you are aware the motorbike to car ratio is about 10-15:1, and there are A LOT of motorbikes.
As we began driving the rain decided to rapidly increase and returned to its most severe state about 5 minutes into our ride and suddenly we were cruising through a literal monsoon, rain pounding into my eyeballs, lost the right contact lens almost immediately, and became soaked head to toe despite the giant poncho. We debated turning around, but we were already drenched and for some reason continued on- I figured if I could survive this, I could drive a bike anywhere and became committed. Stupid, I know mom (+ everyone). 20 minutes of torturous driving through completed flooded streets, stopping at points in puddles up to my ankles, we arrived at the this side street, silver shop. The women were so nice, gave us towels and Arsa a change of clothes and a couch to rest on. Shopped around, relaxed and dried off, hoping the rain would stop for the next hour in this shop, and finally got the guts to continue to our next destination. Well GOOD LUCK WITH THAT, BECAUSE MY BIKE WOULDN'T START UP. About 10 Balinese women having a go at starting it up later, and we were dumbfounded by this entire situation. Soaking wet and 10 miles from the office, we flip flopped between laughter and complete frustration for the next hour sitting on the porch of this shop, was the rain come down in sheets. We called a guy from the office who drove down and somehow got the engine going through a series of lifting the bike and pumping some lever near the back tire.
Back on the road, we headed north to Ubud. It was now 5 and rush hour had begun and the word overflowing doesn't even begin to paint the correct image of how many cars and bikes filled the flooded streets. It was then I learned that my bike did not have a working blinker, lights or a horn- ALL ESSENTIAL TOOLS of a motor vehicle. Mostly the horn, because it's how you tell people you're passing or coming around a blind curve, which they're are a lot of. Soaked and afraid, I rode on.
Got to Hubud- SO COOL. Very hip with so many fun seating options- desks, bean bags, high tables, cubbies and a cool cafe outside serving up yummy looking food and delicious cappuccinos. Check out their site. A quick dinner at a nearby warung (Indonesian "street" stall, but more like a tacqueria style eatery where you order at a counter and can sit for fast, cheap, delicious, local food); I got soup, essentially chicken noodle with lots of crunchy veggies and stuff on top and a crazy amount of lime wedges, very perfect and delicious. Drove back to the homestead as fast, but safely, as possible and parked that bike never to be ridden again by me. I am thrilled to be alive right now, but also furious that they would rent me such a faulty bike and will be giving the girls an earful tomorrow morning about how not cool that was. Zoe and I are on the same page, that there are a few loose screws with some of the people here and while I understand some things are lost in translation/ culture difference, safety is universal. As their "guinea pig" guest, for when they start renting this spot on Airbnb in the upcoming weeks, this is a big lesson.
Good night, good luck today beautiful readers. Sweet dreams from Bali.
UPDATE: just found this very accurate photo on Facebook of the rain today.
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| for anyone who ever thought I exaggerated. |
p.s. It's Julia Racquel Beaser's 24th birthday so please wish her a happy one if you see her, from me.
Conquered the 11th plague.
ReplyDeleteKilling it.