Bali Day 2: Indus, a Silver Box and Watermelon Mojitos
Bali, day 2: Wednesday, the 22nd of February 2017. More walking around.
The Long Walk to Indus
The day started with a long trek to a nearby village to eat at Indus, a restaurant my friend Gerrie recommended. The food was good, but the view was outstanding. The restaurant sits on the side of a ravine above the river below.
They loosely tied the restaurant's name to the river that ran through the middle of the cradle of civilization. Then they tied it back to the location, because two rivers in the area come together, symbolizing cultures coming together. It's the kind of thing that reminds you that advertising is bullshit, but this was bullshit with a great view and some good chicken satay.
Treacherous Sidewalks
The walk there wasn't so bad, even though it was mostly uphill from Ubud. The sidewalks become even more treacherous the farther you get from Ubud, though. If you're going downhill in shoes made for looks rather than stability, you're 50/50 on breaking an ankle. Luckily, there are excellent medical facilities every kilometer or so that appear to cover injuries ranging from mosquito bites to sunburn.
A Silver Box in a Stranger's Living Room
I bought a small jewelry box that appears to be real silver, though the jury is still out. There was some argument about it: I wanted the box, but I had to explain that I didn't have 1 million rupiah in my pocket. She couldn't come down on the price any further, so we settled on me paying a 3% markup to use a card. To make that happen, I had to go into her house and stand in the middle of her living room while she hooked up her 1999 credit card machine.
Watermelon Mojitos
Jezzuz, there are those pigs again. Their inability to sleep is contagious.
I settled on lunch at a little bar overlooking the street so I could spy on all the people passing by. They had watermelon mojitos, so I partook. Again and again.
The Skull I Must Have
Then I found an even better shop with more carvings. They had two large skulls similar to the smaller ones I'd bought for less. But the thing that was beyond amazing was a carving of skulls playing on top of another, larger skull. It's $1,000, and I must have it.
A Quiet Night
I capped the night off at the same bar where I'd had lunch, drinking more mojitos and talking briefly with strangers. Mostly, I just watched the beggars and passersby. I'm always waiting for someone to say hi to me first. It rarely happens, but it did tonight: a nice young lady got about five words out before the Italian guy behind her started yammering in her ear, and that was that.
I'm too wrapped up in myself right now to be bothered competing for anyone's attention.
