Maxwell's Lost Again

For about two days I knew how to say “Happy New Year” in Chinese. I’m not even sure if it was Mandarin or Cantonese. Owen is constantly teaching me little phrases in Thai, and I get lost trying to get the tones right. There is no room for other language.

We managed to meet up with the Canadian boys in Singapore, after a maybe-too-authentic meal in little India. After buying the strong beer that everyone in the plaza was drinking, the guys at the next table kept cheersing me and demonstrating how I’m supposed to eat with three fingers. I put my fork and spoon down and sweated my way through the mountain of rice and spice. Owen braved some type of animal stomach. It was absolutely delicious, but we spent the next few days very wary of our stomachs. We met a Mexican guy from Guadalajara and talked about how essential food was to picking your destination. He was mostly unimpressed by his time in India, but the food alone will ensure his return. It took him about two weeks in India to be able to eat without stomach trouble, and he had the time of his life from there on out. I floated in the pool with a beer and stared out at the Balinese rice fields as he told us this. Life does not get better than Bali, though I doubt I’ve ever sweat more.

We did two days in Ubud to see the rice terraces and some temples, and then moved down to our Airbnb in Seminyak to settle down for a few days and do some work. Apparently I did not pick the best location for us, but the place has a driver who will drop us off wherever. Hour long drives are common here. Ever since Koh Tao I’ve had trouble realizing that not all islands are 30 minutes from end to end. Canggu and Uluwatu have better beaches, food, and parties. We plan to explore our neighborhood tonight, maybe go to the famous restaurant/club “La Favela”. A friend we met keeps inviting us to a sunset fish roast down in Uluwatu, but I think we will wait and do our last few days in Bali there before we head up to Vietnam.

Last night, after checking flights, I made the decision to go directly from Ha Noi to Japan, rather than return to Thailand for a few days. As much as I love MBK and want to buy keepsakes and fake designer goods for everyone, I’d rather not waste another night in Bangkok when I could get two extra days in Japan. I’m hoping I can add Osaka to my itinerary now.

After as much time as we spent in transit over the last four or five days, and almost missing our connecting flight in Jakarta, I could not be happier to stay in one place for five (four more) nights. This is the longest single stop of my whole trip. I even unpacked my bag. I’m hoping this will allow me to declutter the mind a bit.

More on Bali soon. It’s already one of my absolute favorite places I’ve ever been.