People Around Me While Bali-ing

It is the last day of my stay today with Bali. We went to all the stalls surround Warung Simpang along a God forsaken road call Jl Raya Kuta. We were like famished people from war.

First, to satiate our piss and hunger (I'll elaborate further later), we each had a plate of nasi Babi Guling which appease our sweaty self and mega piss-ness, then adjourned to have ayam goreng pencel on my own, then to Bakso Sapi and finally 10 very thinly skewed sate ayam. If anyone is to think any glutton of me, please I beg, do. I feel for the amount when I re-read the list.

But having all said, the amount I have consumed beats nothing of that I have on an unassuming dinner at my in-laws. Trust me. I am fed far more richly and unsparingly there. So those quantified amount weren't much of a my-tummy- gonna - burst feeling. Though however I am not promoting the depthness of my little stomach, of course.

Well, about the piss. See Bali is of hot and humid climate at this time of the year. And every event of walking anywhere around, day or night takes a toll on our clothes because literally everything gets soak.

And while today is Friday, Kuta was jam pack with tourists and locals all alike, celebrating weekend like no tomorrow. The taxi driver who was supposed to drive us to Warong Simpang gave up on the bloody jam and instead got us to walk over saying it was a mere 100 metres away.

You bet it was a mere 100 metres. For a moment it was either his guess-ti-ma-tion is super bad or that he just could not be bothered to be in the jam that he just wanted it out, letting us go stranded in a forsaken corner of Kuta. And to add insult, the cost of the cab was utter 20% more than normal because of the jam and that he did not have enough change to return us!

We easily walked about 1km before we figured our bearings and another 1km to reach Warong Simpang, all hot, sweaty and super piss plus, yes, very hungry.

This trip itself, had us encountering quite a load of shit people. Kinda makes me wonder if really, Bali has changed or is it that my patience is running thin?

Just yesterday,the taxi driver refuse to stop where we wanted and insisted to bring us to a nice Bakso store, deeper in. What we got after the escapade was dissatisfied tummies because something was lacking from that store and a free bowl for him. Honestly, I don't know if I should give him a benefit of doubt or was it really, he was sure we would be paying for his bowl. I don't know but such things have not happened to us since our last 5 visits.

Then there were also the driver last night who insisted to charge us double because it was late already. See what I mean that they are becoming more like KL greedy people.

The rickety cab was at the verge of breaking down while the old driver was driving insanely not right on the 1st lane where people were honking him. Then he felt insulted, he started driving faster like a madman about to go amok, honking the world for no Apparent reason. He was even tooting when there were no one on the road (except the cab we were in). Minding that, all these motion were ongoing while he gallantly burped his lungs out, having us to inhale his digesting dinner till we reach the hotel.

That was how it was. Sigh. That was how it was.

Anyway the cab was in such depleted state that when it reached a check point of inspection for every vehicle that passes through, the cab could not open it's boot. Then with all might that the driver wanted to, it ended with opening the petrol cap and what nots.

Such a state we were in that I can't help not laughing. Sigh.

And now as I am about to leave, at the waiting room, awaiting to board the plane home, here I am seated with a bunch of uncles and aunties from Hong Kong. Not a sentence of pause. Not a sentence of comma, let alone full stop. Reading Dr Watson and Sherlock was a feat. Perpetually these people were talking right through my ears, left to right, right to left. I stopped. Switched my reading to iPhone's Sally Spa.

But it came to a point. A point where my sanity could not hold much longer. The buzzing loud voices of Cantonese over and over again amidst the crowd of middle aged buggers were killing me. I breath in and out. Inhaled and exhaled.

"Take this as a challenge of mind over matter," I said to myself. "Ignore and focus." And so I went playing with Sally for a little while until I realized this guy, monk looking in worn out white collared Puma tee shirt, pulling out infinite number of junks from his square knapsack. Everyone around us started munching what seemed like chocolate bars, wafers, nuts and I am running out of thought what they were. They were criss crossing handling out the bars amongst them.

"Oh, we Asians can start a picnic just anywhere!" I exclaimed to myself.

Another minute of the racket, we had to move away. We walked out, rather stand in, near the entrance to the plane. Finally, away from a din of Asian fiesta. Finally, some quiet and peace where I thought was what it was.

All said and done, I'm on the plane now, heading home. Back to my scummy pillows, cushiony bed, workaholic to some extend life, filled with carbon monoxide half the time air and air conditioning rooms to put out a thing call tropical perspiration.

Here I come.