and now....this is the most current blog. i am in a bali internet cafe (it is so nice and air conditioned in here). my throat is scratchy and i think that i am defintiely getting sick. that sucks. i will we going to a temple this afternoon (it's on top of a cliff and should be really cool). we are going with the same driver as yesterday and we negotiated a very good rate so i am happy about that. gonna watch the sunset at the temple and then get some really good seafood. it will be nice.

as for other news. the raptors won tonight...so they are down 2 games to 1 now. the leafs are only one win away so that is grand as well.

all else is good...

back to the sun.

and here we are with the second update...
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I’ve spent the last couple of days in and around Bali, visiting different
sites and checking out the local scenery. This is quite a beautiful part of
Indonesia and the people are generally very nice but there are some things
that have been very eye opening and disconcerting.

Today, we did a day trip to the Baisaikh temple (the largest Hindu temple on
the island of Bali). It was quite a beautiful site but the downside was that
everywhere you turned, there was a guy or two trying to make an extra buck.
They told us that since this was a religious outing, we had to have a guide
with us when we entered the temple grounds otherwise the police would arrest
us. Also, they were very pushy…one guy tried to veer me off the sidewalk and
bodychecked me slightly. In my head…I was thinking that I better not turn
into Tie Domi or something. Instead, I just ignored him and kept walking.
Eventually, he left. Another guy was very persistent with his pushiness and
when I wasn’t listening…he told me to F-off. That really annoyed me. Here I
am at this beautiful temple and here are local people trying to make an
extra buck in a sacred religious place. I am starting to realize that there
is nothing totally sacred anymore. As long as it is being traveled to and
polluted with Western influence, there will be people like the ones who made
our experience today very unpleasant. At the end of it all, you’ve gotta
stand back and see that it is US tourists who come to their country and
flash around OUR money, digital cameras, etc. What else are these people
gonna do? It’s an interesting problem. I’m not sure how to solve it but I am
sure that it will persist. One great thing about this experience is that our
guide (the driver of our car) warned us before going that we do not need a
guide and just to ignore everyone who tried to solicit us. Thank god that he
told us that.

After the temple, we saw some rice paddie fields and Mt. Batur/Lake Batur.
Mt. Batur is an active volcano…it was spectacular.

Last night, we went out to a club and had an awesome time. Met these three
guys who’ve been traveling for 6 months now. Two guys from Brighten (south
of London) and one from the Netherlends. They have already been in Thailand
and Malaysia for quite some time. Now, they are here in Bali and tomorrow,
they are leaving for the next 6 months in Australia and South Africa after
that. These were genuinely very nice people. Had some really great tips
about traveling and what to see/skip. I can’t wait to meet more people like
that…We have become good friends with a local guy named Rio. He is a really
good guy and very funny. One crappy thing about this country as well (and I
imagine other South Asian cultures too) is that when we go to clubs, it is
free for tourists but locals must pay to get in. The problem here though is
that the locals are ones with no money. Last night, we told the bouncers
that we wouldn’t go into the bar unless they let Rio in for free. They
complied in the first place but weren’t so accommodating in the second
place. That was flat out racism and it really stuck.

Yesterday, we tried our hands at surfing. What an experience that was. When
not actually trying to catch some waves, the lying in the middle of the
ocean on our surfboards was very enjoyable. It is quite relaxing to just lie
out there on the board under the sun. The problem though is now, my back and
shoulders are sun burnt so that isn’t too good. The surfing was hard. I
caught 0 waves. My ribs were also in pain from constantly putting myself
back on the board. But, I’ll try it again in Thailand I think.

Today I bought my plane ticket to Singapore. I’m leaving Bali on April 30
and will make my way to Singapore. We made sure with the airlines that the
same “bribery” scam won’t happen in Singapore. Apparently, since I have an
exit ticket out of Bangkok (to Japan) on June 8, I will be okay because I
will just tell the Singapore officials that I am traveling by train from
Singapore to Bangkok. Let’s hope that everything works out okay…otherwise,
it could be another interesting experience.

That’s all for now. Time for bed and I’ve gotta rest cause my throat is
starting to feel scratchy. I DON’T WANNA GET SICK!

p.s. The food here is AWESOME. Chicken Satays and Nasi Goreng….YUM!!!! and
the fresh fruit juices….WOW – watermelon, melon, pineapple…all fantastic.

hello all. i am in bali right now and thought i would update my website. here was my first update of the trip:
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Greetings,

I am in Bali, Indonesia right now at an Internet cafe staring at the Indian
ocean. Karen, Eric and I arrived safely last night and the first not was
pretty hot and sticky in our rooms.

Japan Airlines was fantastic. Great service; every seat has it's own tv,
with remote control.

Bali itself is beautiful. Last night, the three of us walked along Kuta
beach and midnight. Only the moonlight was lighting everything. We might try
surfing later on today. Also, gonna laze around for the time being.

Oh yeah, we had quite an experience at immigration here in Indonesia last
night. Since none of us have an exit plane ticket to leave Bali, the
immigration officer said that he couldn't let us into the country.
Basically, we had to pay him $40 US each for him to stamp our passports. We
got scammed for sure but oh well...wasn't much we could do about that.

I will definitely have more to write soon but for now, I will sign off.

woah...that was an expensive day. i spent a total of approximately $400 on gear today and what do I have to show for it?

a new pack - check out the marmot
a dry-fit shirt
dry-fit shorts
flash light
shammy
compas
first aid kit
2 stuff sacks
small shoulder day pack (thanks Roppa)

it was a good day. a long day but a good day.

hung out with karen for most of the day. that was fun trying on back packs, avoiding phone calls and answering peoples questions like we actually worked in the store. also, went to the wheat sheef and peel pub at different times today to watch the first period (not so good) and third period (very good) of the leafs first-round, first-game win over the islanders. also hung out with john and his girlfriend sandra today. for those that don't know, john is a good buddy of mine from the science centre school. he is an awesome italian boy from brampton and him and i are really tight even though we don't get to hang out much. he was really helpful with the backpack purchase today and also with other trip-related suggestions. also - he bought me a daypack as a gift so that was pretty sweet. roppa - congrats on getting into teacher's college as well AND congrats on quitting smoking...no keep it up!

off to bed,
gotta wake up in 6.5 hours to do more shopping :o(
then, i am going to waterloo to party tomorrow night!!!

so, just like that...i am a graduate. i am UW alumni now. wow, that is a weird thing to say. one other thing that tchao pointed out is that i am now a scientist. that was the funniest thing i heard all day.

being done hadn't really sunk in yet today until this evening. i was sitting in the basement watching the raptors game (by the way they won...so bring on the Pistons in the first round) and the hockey games. my parents had this family over for dinner from california. they have a 6 year old son who came down to sit with me and watch the game. during a commercial...he turns to me and says "so, did you go to school today?"

i immediately looked at him with the biggest smile on my face and thought to myself...what an opportune time for that question. i looked at him and said..."yes, i did go to school today but, that was my last day of school EVER." he didn't seem to share the same jubilation that i was experiencing. i think that it's cause he is only in kindergarten and only just beginning. he didn't know that school went past grade 6. wow, he is in for some ride. i was thinking about it and today, i officially finished grade 18.

just took my first malaria pill. let's see if those dreams are all freaky like they say they will be! off to bed...
and a whole lot of shopping tomorrow.

I am so frustrated right now. I am trying to get on the ticketmaster.ca website to try and order Toronto Maple Leafs tickets and actually find out when they are going on sale. But, I can't get through to the site!!! The games are Thursday night and Saturday at the ACC!!!

I WANT TO GO (I haven't been to a Leaf game all year and really wanna go before I leave for my trip)

:o(