On an island in the sun...you "none meatly lover"

"Men and Women's Cutting Room"...You might think this is a place for self mutilation or perhaps a place where men and women can do arts and crafts, cutting out snowflakes and the like. You would be wrong. Its a hair salon near my apartment, at least that is my hope every time I walk by this place and giggle. It never seems to get old. Fortunately for me, Bali, much like Korea, has difficulty with the English language, so I was able to get my laugh on every day. I especially liked the notes at temples stating that menstruating women were not allowed to enter. How you gonna enforce that one!? Hahaha!

Bali was incredibly beautiful, warm, and welcoming. I woke up the first day staring into the roof of my mosquito net. When I remembered where I was, I squealed with excitement and scurried down the steps of my elevated hut out into the jungle of palm trees and fun that was awaiting. I ate so much fresh fruit I could have turned into a mango. It's amazing how much more alive I felt while I was there. Maybe it was the sun, the ocean, the vitamin C, or maybe it was the escape from any real responsibilities. Whatever it was, I felt really alive. My sunburn also reminded me that I am very much alive. Crap. Equator rookie.

A swim in the ocean is also another way for one to feel alive. I was enjoying an ocean swim with Lily, the daughter of the owner of our home stay, (Lily is 5 and a peach. She brushed my hair my first morning in Bali) when some waves knocked me over (and over and over) on some very unforgiving rocks. I'm still alive. Another crap! Ocean rookie.

Once I had the sun and rocks figured out, the last thing to learn was how to bargain in the market. My friend Emily has this down to an art, or maybe even a science. She offers the most obscenely low price, they laugh and counter, she yells the same price, they continue to laugh, she yells even louder and will not stop until they either kick her out of their area or give her the item for that price. One particular bargain was with 2 women over a straw bag. Emily got it for something like 2 dollars. They turned to me and sweetly laughed "1,000 for drink?" which meant, "Can you give me 10 cents for a drink because this lady is CRAZY!" I don't think they knew what had hit them.

Rosa was less than amused that I had been gone so long. Apparently she hid under the sink every time my high school neighbor Abby came to feed her. She reappeared after 10 minutes of my return home and has not left my side since. She thinks its funny to lay on my head or chest when I'm trying to sleep and recover from vacation. I think I caught some Balinese flu or something. Or maybe its the lack of ocean, sun, and green that is making me sick. We'll see if it gets better or if I have to go to somewhere tropical again to feel alive. For now, I'll enjoy my new Indonesian music, decorations, and suntan. "No problem!" (this is the Balinese phrase for absolutely everything).