Bye Bye Bali

Thursday August 23 was Nick and JoJo's departure day. Johanna woke me up at 9am to do the stretching and warm-up regiment but I wasn't feeling all that well and opted for an extra half hour of sleep. Nick and I went to hop on the internet for a spell and then we all went to really start our day. The goal: Sarong Shopping!

But first we had to get lunch. We had seen Bakso on the motorbikes passing through Lipah. I had even tried some at a restaurant in Ubud. But this day we went all out and got a delicious bowl of Bakso, the chicken dumplings that had tempted us for so long. We got it with some fried goodies at one of the beach cafes. Mhhhh....

We shopped ourselves into grumpiness. First we did a pass of the Sarong street to take in what options we had and then it was buy buy buy. I didn't get a ton of stuff, just a few things I really liked. They grabbed a ton of things for all their friends. Whee. I had me sone lunch and we reconvened to pack and have dinner. They pretty much maximized all their bags' capacities,... lots of new purchases. We ate at the Indonesian restaurant that we ate at the night that they arrived... it was so-so, we should have have the Mediterranean plata again. Then I saw them off to the airport.

Woah, alone.

I went and hoppen on the internet for a while and then cruised up and down the main drag looking for a place where I could have a beer and write a little bit... at the end of the drag I finally find a bar with some live blues music and stuck around for two hours or so nursing my large Bintang. When I walked home there was an annoying loud crowd in all the bars that I had never seen anyone inside of. Prostitutes walking the streets. I guess I had never been out late enough when I was in Seminyak the other nights.

Friday August 24 was departure day for me... redeye flight to Sydney. I slept in late because I had noone to answer to, packed and read until 1pm which was checkout time. I got to leave my bag in the entry parlor at Raja Gardens until I left that night. Internet. Fish and Chips. A 2 hour walk up the beach listening to music. Time to shoot some photos. A yummy Mediterranean plate, the day went fast and mellow. Before I knew it I was on my ride to the airport and then on a Garuda flight to Sydney.

Saturday August 25 I got to Sydney at around 6:30 am. The domestic terminal was really far from the international terminal and I eneded up having to pay $5 for a a shuttle bus over there. Weird stuff, I've never had to pay anything for transportation between terminals at an airport. Meh. Suck it up. In the Virgin Blue terminal I encountered my first water fountain in a month and drank heartily and gave my Nalgene a nice filling. I had about five hour before my next flight so I checked in and was able to score and exit row. Sweet. Ahh, the benefits of being extremely early. I tried to sleep for a few hours, brought my Therma-Rest and everything but couldn't quite get comfortable. My mind was racing with all the things that were different. It was weird. The first time I had travelled to a place where people speak English but I feel so conspicuous when I open my mouth. I avoided conversation and sleepily huddled into my little corner and tried to get some rest.

My flight was an hour delayed. I finally got on and tried to sleep a little as well. Still no go on that. Grrr.. I eventually crossed Australia and got to Perth where Brad was picking me up from the airport. He had been watching the flight online so he knew of my delay. Good, I'm glad he didn't wait around. When I left the security area I caught a quick glimpse of Brad as he ducked behind a pillar. I quickly made my way to said pillar and started walking around it in trying to hide from him. It only lasted so long before he found me. It was a nice welcoming ritual.

One the way to his house we made a stop at the booze store. Gotta have booze. We got ack to Brad's house in Como, just south of Perth and I settled into the guestroom. I was sleepy, delirious, semi-non-responsive but feeling good to have the run of a house. A real lived in house. With a refigerator and coffee and a shower and a couch and a computer and friends and all that stuff. Brad's girl Priya made a kick ass Indian Chicken dish that night and I stayed up way later then I though I would. Midnight or so.