So we have gotten a little streetwiser since our last blog. A little wiser at identifying scams and at engaging in the art of barginning. We hit Kuta art market with a new fury bargining, haggling and walking away with our 2 dollar T-shirts.
We have learnt a new phrase which seems to stop people from hasseling us, not because our Bahasa is great but because they kill themselves laughing – Tidak, Terima Kasih, which literally means “No, thank you”. We seem to be the laughing stock of the market, which we don’t mind, we’d rather be clowns than prey! We were doing so well until we went to post a present home for our nephew and it hit home that we should have bought him something a little smaller (I will not disclose what we bought because it is in the mail), the postage cost four times what the present cost!!! Another lesson learnt, when buying presents to send home keep them small!!
Yesterday we packed our bags and boarded a bus to Lovina (via many craft shops, temples and apparently a volcano which we couldn’t see because it was fogged in). It was a really interesting day learning about the impact the Hinduism has on the Balinese everyday lives, from the way they build their houses to the way they conduct business.
Lovina is a sleepy little town – and apparently we are pretty sleepy too! After getting caught in a tropical down-pour this morning we decided the day was against us and went back to bed for three hours! We have a very fancy garden view room in a very fancy resort for USD$17, because it is the low season at the moment. Our resort is right on the beach, however the beach is a bit off putting because it has black volcanic sand and doesn’t appear as inviting as our Australian beaches. It is beautiful here though, it is much more tropical than the southern part of the island, with surrounding hills, banana trees, coconut trees and rice fields everywhere. Loving it!! The pace is a lot different here than Kuta and Matt and I are soaking it up!
Love you all (sorry if we haven’t replied to your emails, we are having trouble opening g-mail at some of the internet cafes). Will post soon – promise the next one will be from Matt! And photos coming soon also, probably when we hit Singapore in a couple of days with faster internet connections 🙂