The Bali Tally

Happiness is...
-a tall cold Bintang (local beer) on a warm night
-a chocolate banana milkshake on a hot day
-finding cheddar potato chips amongst the many fish flavored ones
-seeing thousands of Balinese gather together in their finest sarongs and head wraps to celebrate Kuningan Day
-cuddling the little guesthouse kitty, because I miss my Disco.
-holding an orangutan at the Bali animal park
-multiple days, multiple beaches
-getting a massage IN MY ROOM for less than $9
-Facebook...enough said
-an air conditioned Internet cafe
-watching the sunset on the beautiful rooftops of Ubud from my balcony
-swimming in a waterfall
-watching the women weave tiny baskets for their daily offerings to the gods every morning, then seeing them EVERYWHERE
-living within walking distance to a giant supermarket
-finding Dove conditioner at said supermarket because I have no idea if "hair fall" is the same thing
-being able to smoke a cig...ANYWHERE (sorry, Grandma)
-riding on the back of a scooter past rice fields, palm trees, mountains, and beaches
-finding the best tacos I've ever had...in Bali!
-fulfilling my "new dress addiction" for $8 a dress at the outdoor market
-moving into a new guesthouse and instantly making AWESOME new friends
-a plate of watermelon and orange slices for breakfast, because the guesthouse owner knows they are my favorite
-having my camera handy and going slow enough on the scooter to catch the family of geese casually crossing through traffic
-watching the Balinese children find so much fun without any fancy American toys
Happiness isn't...
-riding on a scooter down a mountain for nearly 5 hours in the freezing cold rain
-waking up before 7am each day, thanks to paper-thin walls and the screaming baby staying next door
-nearly getting run over by a family of 5 all on one motorbike
-the German boy constantly commenting on my refusal to eat the cheap Balinese food...sorry, but rice, fish, and veggies are the same to me in any country...gross
-potholes! The scooter riding is killing my ass!
-trying to buy plane tickets to my next stop online and having my card declined for no apparent reason
-finally getting my ticket and then having the guy at the Internet cafe say "machine must be broke" when my ticket doesn't print and not being able to explain to him that maybe it just needs paper or ink
-ants and tiny spiders...everywhere! I try not to think about how many I must have eaten
-being embarrassed to admit I'm from the same country as the Guido from New York at the end of the bar
-trying to download a movie in the dark outside my first guesthouse and getting barked at by one of the scarier Bali dogs. Stray dogs are everywhere here and I passed on the rabies shot
-@#%^ roosters!
-saying goodbye to new friends
-the keyboard on a German laptop
-running through the rain to retrieve the electric converter I left at my old guesthouse
-French guys...they fulfilled every stereotype
-a new mosquito bite every day
-losing my breath after a few flights of stairs. Heat, altitude, and smoker's lung...not a good combination
-squat toilets
-leaving Bali, but...
Happiness is...
-moving on.

Always Read the Signs

Ahh...Bali. So I've been here almost a week now, and I have loved almost every minute. I ended up only staying at the first guesthouse for two nights. It was beautiful, but had no wi-fi, and how could I leave my adoring fans in the lurch?
The new guesthouse, for the same price has wi-fi AND hot water...not to mention some new friends. I've been spending most of my time with a 20 year old German guy named Flo in a pink t-shirt (had to throw that in there) and a thirty-something Englishman, Dave, plus a few other friends we've met along the way.
My first day out in Ubud, I found my way to Monkey Forest. It's quite literal in its title, a forest full of monkeys. They sell bananas at the entrance which I passed on, but because of the many tourists, you really don't need a banana to get a monkey's attention because they just assume you have one. One little guy just hopped in my lap and hung out for a bit, before chewing on my yellow bag which probably appeared to be one big banana. It has always been a dream of mine to hold a baby monkey, but let me tell you, when the first one tried to scale my leg, I screeched like a little girl and practically flung it across the forest!
A few days later, my new neighbors and I rented scooters and rode around the island stopping at two different beaches. I rode on the back with Pink Shirt, I mean Flo. When I told my mom of my plans, she asked why I didn't drive my own. If you saw how people drive here, you wouldn't do it either! Most roads have two lanes, but it doesn't seem to matter, and I'm not sure there are speed limits because I haven't seen a sign for one yet.
Over the course of the day, we probably got lost 7 or 8 times, but the people here are so nice ( and maybe a little bit nosey), they pull up right beside you, ask you where you are going, and then point you in the right direction before you can even ask.
We kept the scooters a second day, and headed in search of more beaches, with a stop at the Floating Temple. A bit disappointing, it was not actually floating, simply surrounded by a moat. The sign outside said it was strictly prohibited for menstruating women to enter, but figuring, how will they know? I entered anyway. Apparently, the gods of Bali were not amused, as karma took it's toll on the way home. What should have been a 3 hour drive down the mountain turned into 5 hours in the freezing cold rain on scooters! But the waterfalls we saw that day made it almost worth it.
Though I truly love my traveling buddies, I would like to get to know more of the locals. But Ubud is definitely a tourist town (almost a Balinese San Francisco, very artsy), and it's hard to make friends with people who need your money much more than they need an American companion. Also for some reason, they speak very quietly in conversations so not only do you have to listen closely to get past their accent, you have to listen extra closely just to hear them. But like I said, they are very nice so listening closely is quite worth the effort.
I have not starved yet, thankfully. Western food is abundant. Spaghetti seems to be everywhere, though always spelled differently, as well as tacos, burgers, and even French fries. I know, I know, "Try the Balinese food" the pink shirted German boy keeps saying. But I'm not a foodie, and perfectly happy sticking with what I know whenever I can find it. I want to see temples, and beaches, and monkeys, but I never said I wanted to eat fish soup or sea grass.
Love to all from Bali, I promise to write more soon!

Lizards and Frogs and Snakes, oh my!

So here it is, my first post from on the road...and what an adventure it has been so far! I haven't done anything interesting so far, and yet everything I've done has been interesting.
First off, the Valium that was supposed to calm me down for my 21 hours of flying left me throwing up in an airplane bathroom for nearly ten hours. The flight attendant actually announced, "Excuse me, but we have a passenger in need of immediate medical attention. If anyone is qualified, please identify yourself."I couldn't be more embarrassed but Nga, a very sweet nurse on her way to see family in Vietnam, and a young American EMT whose name I didn't catch, came up to check my vitals and calm me down. Plus I got moved to first class which I must say was pretty freaking awesome. I mean, they don't just get better food and more leg room, they get better headphones, better slippers (yes, everyone on the plane gets slippers!), and their seats lay ALL the way down...if only I wasn't too delirious to enjoy it.
Since they told me I wouldn't be able to get on my second flight in my condition and used the words ambulance and hospital, Nga helped me explain that I couldn't afford all that, nor could I let my checked bag go on to Bali without me. So instead, they had three medics waiting for
me, who checked my vitals, gave me a shot and some meds, and cleared me for my next flight.
On the second plane, I sat next to a nice American woman who travels to Bali all the time on business. She told me Ubud (you may recognize the town from Eat, Pray, Love) would be less hot than the beach,and gave me the name of a street with lots of good, cheap places to stay. She also helped me through customs and getting my visa.
I found a sweet private bungalow for about 15 dollars a night...I'll try to post the pics on here, but if it does not work, I will put them on Facebook.
Oh, sidebar: anyone who is reading this, but does not actually know me, feel free to add me on Facebook as well. It's under Sandi Field, just try to include a note that you know me from my blog.
Nature at the bungalow is very in your face. Besides an abundance of mosquitos, a GIANT moth (at least that is the closest species it resembled) flew around my room then landed high on my wall last night. I grabbed the board that's used to lock my door (straight Flintstones style) and tried to shoo it, but could not reach, when suddenly from the space between the bamboo woven wall and roof comes a freaking 10 inch lizard who freaking eats the giant freaking moth! So now I have Larry the lizard instead of a moth! Larry eventually went back where he came from, but let's just say, I slept with the light on after that!
I also found a tiny frog sitting on the ledge of my outdoor tub, and watched a little garden snake slither on by as I drank my morning tea on the porch. Thankfully, the creatures seem to keep to themselves,though I could have done without the ant filled toilet I woke up to.
Well, time to explore. Thanks for following me, I'll get back to you soon. Love from Bali.

Pants on Fire

  Ok, so I lied. There will be no pictures just yet. I'm lazy...er...I mean, busy...and I haven't gotten around to it.  But I am here, as promised, blogging to my now 19 dedicated fans.
  It's hard for me to slow my thinking long enough to focus on what to say. I mean, I am TOTALLY freaking out right now. I'm done with work tomorrow, and I leave in 11 freaking days. Just staring at that sentence makes my heart pound and my breath hard to come by.  E...LEV...EN... FREAK...ING... DAYS! And something like 21 hours in the air, of course. Oh my god, there goes my breath again. I try so hard not to think about the flight, but I get a mild panic attack just thinking about getting on a plane to say, Wisconsin or Florida...or Vegas even, which is why I rarely if ever fly. And now I'm gonna be stuck in a plane flying over the freaking ocean with flight attendants who according to the reviews online may not even speak English, for almost an entire 2 days (when you add in the layovers)!!! TWO FREAKING DAYS...ON OR NEAR A PLANE. Thank God for Vallium.
  The goodbye thing is kind of wierding me out, too.  I didn't think it would be hard to leave work, that's for sure. I have friends there, of course, but I'm not really super close with anyone anywhere (other than my grandma) so I didn't think it would be hard to say goodbye, especially for just six months. But people seemed to think I'd be coming back, and now that they are asking, they seem to be shocked that my answer is no. For anyone reading this who is unaware, I have been working at a strip club as the doorgirl (hostess, not bouncer) for the past seven years. And I've pretty much hated it for the past three.  It's just really hard to deal with drunk people five days a week for eight hours a night for seven years. Regardless, the club has been my family out here for a long time. We've had our ups and downs, but like any good dysfunctional family, you fight, you cry, you drink, you love.  And though I'll be back in 6 months, I don't plan to stay in California long and I definitely don't plan to take my job back, so yeah...this is kinda goodbye and that is kinda sad.
  And then there's Norm. He told me the other day he hadn't read my blog yet, and that, "I'll read it when I'm ready." It sounded so sad when he said it, it really stuck with me. I've loved him for a really long time, and I've never doubted that he loves me.  I feel really grateful that he chooses to spend the last of my time here together, even if he is a cranky butthead about it. I don't blame him, I'm just grateful.  Much like leaving the club, Norm knows now that when I do come home, I probably won't be in California long, and that this is kinda our goodbye, too. I try to keep an open mind. Maybe when I find myself, I'll find that he really is my forever. But Norm is afraid I will find my forever out there in the world, and even as much as he loves me and as much as I love him, I am really hoping that the world will be my forever.
  But don't fret, my dear followers! Even all the sappy goodbyes and paralyzing panic attacks can't keep me down! I am on my way to adventures unknown, and I intend to drag you all along every step of the way! Woohooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Only eleven freaking days!
 

A letter to my doubters...

  It's no surprise to me that a lot of people didn't believe I was actually going to take this trip.  Hell, I was one of them. What surprised me were the supporters who seemed to think it was a great idea. What surprised me even more was that most of those "supporters" were full of Oscar Mayer B-O-L-O-G-N-A!   As soon as I bought the backpack, everything became real, because as one of the bouncers at work said, "Sandi may not always do what she says she's going to do or finish what she's started, but if there's one thing Sandi doesn't do, it's waste money." The trip is on, and now that everyone else is realizing it, their fears are starting to surface. Great timing, folks.
  Look, I love everyone who loves me enough to be concerned, but it's too late to be concerned now.  The best thing for you all to do is think of it like I do--pretend you're a crazy hippie if only for this next thought:
  Everything in my life is pointing me in this direction. I have NEVER felt so sure that I was doing the right thing at the right time as I do at this very moment. So if this is the case, then whatever happens bad or good is what was meant to happen.
  It's this thought that gets me through my terrible fear of flying, and I am hoping it will give you all a little bit of comfort as well. If you need some reassurance that's a little less...well...hokey, than here's all that I have:
1.People have been doing this for years. Women have been doing this for years. In fact, most of where I am going is along what is known as the "hippie trail." It's been called this since the actual hippies of the 60's began traveling these routes, these SAME routes, that people, women, hippies have been traveling for years...Did I mention I'm not the first one to do this?
2.I am not an idiot. Yes, I have my stoner moments, occasionally misplacing things or losing track of time, but I have been living alone for years now in less than the best neighborhoods, and I'm still standing.  Common sense goes a long way and I was raised with plenty of it. I promise to not go walking down dark alleys, not go out late at night alone, not get too drunk to know what I'm doing when there's no one looking out for me...In other words, I promise to continue to use the exact same common sense thinking that's kept me safe from harm all these years in America.
3.I will be reachable, and so will you.  Gone are the days when you would have had to spend your time waiting on a month old postcard to see that I am safe. Internet cafes are EVERYWHERE. I have this blog, my email, and facebook. I also have an ipod touch, and oddly, wifi is apparently much more available in 3rd world countries than first world. I can video chat, and also I will have a phone number on it to send and receive text messages.   A lot of travelers stay too connected to technology and never really get to experience the now unless they are reporting on it so with the exception of this blog, I am hoping not to spend too much time contacting you all, no offense, but at least we all know that the option is there.
  I hope, I have put a few worries to rest. There are plenty more arguements I could go into--the abundance of crime and danger in America, the welcoming people of Thailand, even my hair-brained arguement that everyone you hear of that gets kidnapped was traveling with a group so see, I am actually safer traveling alone--but like I said, it all boils down to common sense. I am a smart girl, I'll be fine.

An interview with myself

  So obviously, until I actually go on the trip, there's not a whole lot to say. I mean, I have never been at a loss for words so I'm sure there's plenty I could say, but this blog is for my trip so for once, I'll try to stay focused.
  I thought I might take a few minutes just to quickly answer the random questions that anyone who doesn't stalk my facebook wall might ask. So here goes...

Q. Where do you plan to go?

A. Originally I planned to start in Bali and work my way up. Now that I'm leaning more towards starting in Thailand, Bali (being very far to the south) is still up in the air. But besides Thailand, I plan to go to Laos, Vietnam, and Cambodia. If I make it to Bali (Indonesia) than I will most likely also go to Malaysia. At some point, I will go by plane to India, but I haven't yet routed my itinerary for there yet. I am trying to be as flexible with dates and destinations as possible. I am planning on at least 6 months so I will totally be free to go at whatever pace I want.

Q. Where will you stay?

A. From what I have been reading, hostels are mostly in Europe, guesthouses are more common in South East Asia. Pretty much the same thing-- very cheap living and you get what you pay for (less than desirable shared bathrooms, bedbug possibilitie, etc.) but I think the rooms are a little more private than the dorm style hostels. And whenever I'm near a beach there are little bungalows you can rent for like $4 a night. I'd like the chance to stay with a family and really experience the culture, but I worry about the food thing. It's considered very rude to waste food, especially rice, and I am a very picky eater and not a big fan of rice. If my friend goes with me for the first few weeks, she has an American friend who lives in Thailand, and we should be able to stay with him for at least a few days.

Q. How much money will this cost?

A. Gosh, you're nosey. Seriously though, it's sooo cheap. Staying in guesthouses for under $10 a day, finding meals for under $4, there are some places in India where you can get by on $12 a day. I am budgeting for roughly $1000 a month, and it should cost much, much less. Airfare from here and back should put me back about $1500 and I am not sure yet about the price of the flight to India, because I think it will be cheaper to buy over there.

Q. What kinds of things do you want to do?

A. Like I said, I want to be flexible. I know once I get on the road, the possibilities will be endless and I'm sure to find things to do that I had never dreamed of. But there are a few things on my list of very-much-hope-to-do's...
  *Thai Elephant Home- while many places in Thailand are known to exploit their elephants, beating them into learning how do play soccer and do other lame tricks, the Thai Elephant Home is known for it's "happy elephants." Each elephant has it's own mahout, a keeper who cares for him, cleans him, feeds him, trains him, loves him, even sleeps beside him! These men truly love their animals and the love is returned. And for your stay there, which can be as little as a few hours to as long as a month, everyone gets their very own elephant that you learn to train, and bathe, and feed! It is definitely on my list.
  *Suan Mokkh 10day Silent Meditation Retreat in Thailand- a program designed to educate beginners, they guide you (in English) through ten days of silence and meditation. You sleep on concrete beds with mats, though I suppose you could use your own wadded clothes as a padding; you get only two very scarce vegetarian meals a day (no sneaking food in); no phones, laptops, etc...Just complete concentration on yourself, your peaceful surroundings, and whatever it is you are trying to find. I love that you can't even make reservations by phone or email. The retreat starts on the first of every month, and you have to just show up in person on that day so they can see with their own eyes that you're not some crazy crackhead looking for cheap rehab...because to me, the craziest part of it all is that the whole ten days costs a total of only $67.
 *Vang Vieng, Laos- apparently you can rent innertubes and float down the river, stopping along the way at makeshift bars that specialize in what is known as a "Happy Shake." Exactly what it sounds like, a milk shake with marijuana and/or mushrooms, and sorry Grandma, but I just might have to try one out. They also have a very high zip line course I am considering. I would never bunjee jump, but I've always thought zip line could be cool. Don't worry, I won't try the zip line on the same day I try the Happy Shake.
Of course, there are lots of other ideas, but I don't want to spoil too many surprises.

  Ok, I suppose that's enough for today, now I'm off to work to make some more money for those Happy Shakes.

Thai Elephant home http://www.thaielephanthome.com/index.php

Suan Mokkh 10day Silent Meditation Retreat in Thailand http://www.suanmokkh-idh.org/

Vang Vieng, Laos http://wikitravel.org/en/Vang_Vieng

Crunch Time

Today, I took my friend Angel aside and said in a very serious tone, "I need your help."
"Okay..."she answered in a slow concerned tone.
"I need you to help me cut the cord...I need you to help me get rid of...my cable."

  Yes, it's official--due to the sale of my building and thanks to Obama for signing a bill in 2009 that gives me the legal right to 90 days in my apartment (take that, smarty pants realator jerk), I am now planning to begin my journey around the end of january/beginning of february. And holy shit, that scares the bejesus out of me.
  There is so much to do. I still have to find a temporary home for my cat Disco, sell all my stuff including my car, organize the party/sale to do it, buy my plane tickets, buy travel insurance, make some extra copies of my passport pictures, buy a backpack and all the random stuff that will fill it--ooh, I need one of those compass keychain thingies, and ooh, I need to learn how to use a compass, and oh my god, am I even spelling compass right?
  So I try to calm myself by thinking of all the things I've already accomplished. I got my passport, got my shots, researched the hell out of this trip, ordered my ipod touch (I can video phone home wherever there's wifi!), started this blog, bought a pair of those cargo pants that zip into shorts...yeah, I'm totally ready.
  And then, there's the cable. Yup, it's gotta go. Anyone who knows me knows how truly hard this is for me. Much harder than getting rid of a boyfriend, cable has been with me my whole life! I was the first kid I knew to have HBO and the first kid to get the Disney Channel (you used to have to pay for it). In the days before DVR, I used to record one thing on my VCR at my apartment, and have my grandma using both her VCR's to tape two other shows. I have issues, I know. I've always said if there was a support program for people like me...well, I'd probably watch it on tv.
  But that's it. It's gotta go. To save money, it should have gone along time ago. I mean, most of my shows are accessible on the internet, but my problem is that I like to multi-task. I like to be on my laptop doing things like this blog while I half-ass watch whatever I saved on my DVR. I realized last night, however, as I looked around the room at the overwhelming amount of stuff I own that must be organized into a sale, that there are no magic fairies to swoop down and do it for me. I need to be half-ass watching my tv shows on my laptop while I keep myself busy, sorting through the multitude of accumulated crap...I mean the multitude of really awesome stuff that all of you, my wonderful friends, plan to buy from me so that I may see the world.
  So Angel is coming over on Monday to rip the remote from my trembling fingers and drive me to the cable store to return the best lover I ever had--my cable box, while I cope by testing out one of the valiums my travel doc gave me for the flight.