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The Freedom of the Road
Wednesday, 19 May 2010
Yesterday was fantastic. We rented motor bikes and cruised along the coastline. The surrounding hills here are rolling, lush and very green. The sea is turquoise and calm. On our motor bikes we could breeze by all of the relentless touts, plus you have some instant AC. It’s a perfect escape and by far the best way to get around. I would have rented a motor bike earlier but most of the roads are hectic and you have to drive on the left side. Near Kuta, however, there are few cars and the roads are in pretty good condition.
We ate at Ashtari, a fantastic natural food place. I had a delicious green salad. Almost everything is fried here, so raw veggies were a treat! We continued to explore the coastline and something shifted in both Reuben and I, we were loving Lombok. For the past two weeks I have watched sweat pour down Reuben’s face and observed his usual calm demeanor turn into blatant aggravation. I was frustrated too. I felt like a turtle that had been flipped onto my back and could not get back over onto my feet. I struggled and wiggled, but it was no use. Then, just when I least expected it, out of nowhere a kind hand came by and flipped me over. We were ready to stay for a while and enjoy it to the max.
As the sun was setting we swam in a gorgeous bay. Then our peaceful moments came to an end. Our solitude was interrupted by a kid asking for money and I got stung by a jelly fish on my arm. We got on our bikes and headed back to town as my arm swelled up and started stinging more. At night most locals burn their trash so there was ash in the air and embers were flying around. One of them go into my eye and I had to fish it out. There were a lot of bugs out and it was difficult to see the road and dodge the potholes. I got back to the room and tended to my wound. Still, we were both happy and were still in good spirits from our good day.
I checked my email and we managed to squeeze on a flight on May 22nd. Just two days left! After all of the heat and frustration, our wishes came true. I was no longer a turtle on it’s back. The thing was… we had finally found contentment being on our backs! It was just getting relaxing! Ah well, we shall enjoy the next two days and see you soon in Cali.
Posted: 05.19.2010
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