Kimchi Casey: February 2010

I spent my first full day in Bali at the beach. It was a nice change of scenery from the snow and dead trees in Korea, to say the least. This is just north of Kuta beach, free from the hagglers trying to sell me everything from drinks to kites.

However, I did end up renting a nice little chair on the beach from a guy who said he owned all the nearby beach chairs. I doubt he really owned them, but it was worth it.

Gas for motorbikes.

This little monkey was riding around on his motorcycle waving to passersby.

The memorial for the bombings in 2002 and 2005 in South Bali. No one is certain who was behind the bombings, but they were probably the work of an terrorist organization in Indonesia linked with Al Qaeda, called Jemaah Islamiyah. While Indonesia is predominately Muslim, 95% of Balinese are Hindu. They believe the terrorists were from another part of Indonesia, who wanted to disrupt the tourism industry in Bali. Based on the party scene at night, people in Kuta aren't expecting another act of terrorism anytime soon. There were shirts everywhere for sale with "F*#& terrorists" on the front.

Some locals playing sunset soccer on the beach.

After one night in Kuta in which I was hassled by one man and one woman on motorbikes offering "massages," I decided I to explore the real Bali and check out the cultural center, Ubud. I think I have found my future home.

I found Ubud to be a strange mix between ancient and modern. Ralph Lauren stores were placed next to ancient Hindu temples. Tiny motorbikes weaved in and out of traffic while huge busses carrying European and Asian tourists barreled down the street. One good thing about an international tourist area is the great food. They make a mean pizza in Ubud compared to Korea. And guess what? No corn!

I found a little school where a French guy was teaching the local kids how to play basketball... Sort of. I was very confused trying to figure out what he was teaching them and why. Who teaches a 1-4 zone defense?

These kids were playing a game where they flipped a popsicle stick by hitting the ground with their hands.

A simple layup line was very foreign to the players. They couldn't go more than a minute without running into each other or losing the ball. It made for great entertainment though.

The coach was so intense. He warned the kids if they didn't quit messing around, they would have to eat his sandal and do 1000 pushups. He was also sweating twice as much as them. Bob Knight has nothing on this guy.

Then I took a little walk through the countryside. I walked through little towns with kids running out of their houses just to say "hello" and run back. It was refreshing, much better than being approached every 10 seconds by people offering taxis, motorbikes, or massages like in Kuta.

I took a little morning dip the following day after I was woken up by about 10 roosters crowing right outside my room before sunrise. The hotel manager forgot to mention these guys.

For any of you who watch Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations, a renowned chef and author, you've probably heard him say the Balinese Pig is the best he's ever had. This is the place he was talking about. After reading so many reviews about how to get there before the huge crowd, I went right as it opened. I was surprised at how empty the place was throughout the rest of the day.

They go through about 4 pigs a day, which they slaughter out back and cook them on a pit while rubbing coconut milk for hours. I believe these are the remains of pig #1.

Mr. Bourdain you were correct, this is also the best pork I've ever had. Just the right amount of spices and flavors along with the moistness of the meat made this meal so incredible. The skin was the best part.

After lunch I headed down to the Monkey Forest Sanctuary, a temple complex at the south end of Ubud.

Hey, monkeys!

A cemetary where the names on the graves were surprisingly recent. I wonder what they do with the older bodies?

This is an offering to the Hindu gods. Ones placed on the ground are for the bad spirits, while ones above the ground are for good spirits. They are found everywhere and are quite pleasant because they usually contain incense or other good smelling stuff inside them.

This guy's job is to trade bananas for belongings the monkeys snatch from idiot tourists. Judging from the amount of hats and cameras I saw taken, I'd say these monkeys are well fed.

Outside of my second hotel in Ubud, overlooking a rice terrace.

These kids were beating the crap out of each other until they saw me approaching, when they posed and gave an innocent "hello."

One of the locals hanging out.

That rooster scared the crap out of me while I was taking the previous picture. I think he was warning me not to mess with his friend.

This nice lady offered me some coconut milk. I didn't find it hard to resist as she was wielding a machete.

My rice terrace bungalow.

This is Kecak, or as tourists know it, "The Monkey Chant." It tells the story of the Ramayana, a Hindu tale. The dance was actually created in the 1930's by a German painter and a Balinese man intended for Western audiences. The video is down at the bottom of the blog.

The women performers did some really cool things with their eyes and fingers.

After getting my fill of international food, I tried sampling the local cuisine. Nasi Goreng is fried rice with shrimp, spices, and an egg. Delicious.

These geckos were right above the restaurant just hanging out.

This is my friend Gregory the Gecko. He partied with me in my room one night.

View from my bungalow.

Room service. I think those are considered banana pancakes but they tasted a little different, yet awesome.

This is at Goa Gajah, the Elephant Cave, on the outskirts of Ubud, where Hindu priests used to live.

A headless Buddha statue.

I met this lady who offered to take me down to the river and show me some cool sites. The steep walk down to the water was pretty treacherous, but she made it look so easy.

Then we hopped on her motorbike and went to Gunung Kawi, one of the most important temples in Bali.

On the way back we stopped at the moon temple. People were decorating it for the next full moon festival. The moon statue is right under the roof .

Padang food from Sumatra. When you walk in the restaurant, you pick out items from the window display and eat them with rice. Also, the whole meal is eaten with the hands. I need a lot of practice.

On the last leg of my journey I headed back down south and visited Ulu Watu, the famous cliffside temple. This area is also known for its great surfing and big time resorts.

Han, my guide, took me around and showed me some really interesting parts of the area. He's hands down the fastest driver in Kuta.

This monkey grabbed a camera from an unsuspecting Japanese tourist. No more than 5 seconds later, Han went right over and snatched the camera back from the snarling monkey while the lady's guide just watched and did nothing. Han didn't even trade the camera for a banana. What a badass.

There's the temple on the edge of the cliff.

Another Kecak dance. This is probably the most famous Kecak in Bali, and was packed with tourists. There's another video of the Monkey God kicking around some fire and almost torching some visitors.