INDONESIA (Bali)

DAY 11

We met up with two travelers from Germany, Christian and Christa, and rented a car together for the day. We first visited Klunkung (the old court justice from the 15th century) with its painted ceilings of all the horrible things that could happen to you in 'hell' (what happens after you die but before reincarnation) such as getting certain parts burned for adultery, having your colon ripped out for flatulation, having your tongue cut out for gossiping, and being beaten and forced to pull a cart for bad driving. There were also pictures of 'heaven' and the rewards.

We drove on to Goa Lawah, a cave filled with hundreds of Kalong bats. There were even small temples inside the cave filled with offerings, usually a small banana leaf box with rice and flowers and a burning stick of incense. They are everywhere: in the temples, on the street, in stores, even outside on our hotel porch. Apparently these are also what support the packs of wild dogs that roam the streets.

Then came a brief swim in the harbor of Padang Bai.

We stopped by the Royal Palace swimming pools before heading back. This was a place filled with many old fountains, small waterfalls and pools.

We enjoyed many scenic views.

Everywhere we went, people were extremely friendly.

After dinner (consisting of jackfruit, which when cooked looks identical to a large piece of cheap quality stewed beef), we drove to a local ceremony where we were the only tourists. It was very similar to the typical tourist performances, which was good to know. Driving back at night was rather dangerous due to the number of dogs sleeping in the road.

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