Welcome to Bali: You're going to get malaria

Written September 30th

The rest of my journey to Bali actually went off without a hitch.  It was long, but along the way, I purchased a Bali and Lombok Lonely Planet and began researching places to stay and things to do.  I used my laptop to email various guesthouses and finally found one that was both available and had vacancy.

When I arrived in Denpasar at 11:30pm, I gathered my checked luggage as quickly as possible and found a taxi to bring me to Kuta, the area in Bali that seemed the most lively according to my book.  I hoped if I went there, I would meet people quickly.  My taxi driver informed me once we started moving that the road I needed to get to was closed at night, so I would have to walk down the street to get to it.  I asked if it would be safe to do that at midnight with all of my stuff on me, and he assured me it would be fine.

20 minutes later, he stopped the taxi and helped me put all of my stuff on again.  At this point, my back and shoulders were killing me and I promised my aching body that this was the last time I’d carry anything heavy for a while.  I started down the road and passed grimy bar after grimy bar filled with surfers.  After walking for about 10 minutes, I figured I’d missed the guesthouse so I stopped in a convenience store hoping for help.  The guy at the counter pointed me further down the road, so I continued on, but 5 minutes later, I was still convinced I had gone too far.  I stopped again, this time at a bar, and asked the hostess where my guesthouse was.  She told me that it was in the other direction, so I turned back around.

A statue in Kuta.  

At this point it was almost 12:30am and I was exhausted.  All I wanted was a bathroom for a shower and a bed to pass out on.  I got misdirected a grand total of 4 times until two people exited a bar after seeing me pass the bar several times.  They finally put me straight and I found the guesthouse with in a few minutes.

When I arrived, there were men sitting in the front of the building and to the right of it where there was another guesthouse.  They asked me if I needed a place to stay and I responded that I had a reservation for this one already.  One of the men said that there were no rooms available.  Tired and not in the mood to take any crap, I looked at him and said, “Liar.”  I continued to walk up to the check-in desk and found the desk person to show me to my room.

He walked up to the second floor and opened the door to my room for me.  

Now, before I continue, I am going to quote directly from the Lonely Planet guide so you know why I had picked this place.

“The grounds at this 44-room hotel are large and open, with palms providing some shade.  Three- story blocks overlook the pool area, and the plethora of patios encourages a lively social scene (except at mid-day when many guests are passed out on loungers.)  Better rooms have tubs and air con.”

Pool.  Patio.  Large. Social.  It had sounded perfect.  When we arrived at my door though, I saw that there had previously been a hole punched in the door that been badly covered up with a surfing sticker.  Once inside, the room smelled badly of mold which wasn’t surprising because the while walls were stained with black from all of the mold, as were the white curtains around the door and windows.  The room WAS large, that wasn’t a lie, but it had no furniture in it aside from the bed and one night table, and it felt like a jail cell.  I threw my stuff on the bed and went to check out the bathroom.  

When I entered, I was greeted by no less than 20+ blood-thirsty mosquitoes.  Instead of hitting the shower like I so desperately needed to do, I did an abrupt 180 and slammed the door shut.  

I momentarily considered leaving to find a new place, but it was almost 1am and I had been traveling for over a day.  I couldn’t will myself to pick up the backpack again.  So, reluctantly, I got my sleep sack out, slathered my face in mosquito repellent, and crawled in.  I slept with my whole body cocooned in the sleep sack with only my eyes, nose, and mouth exposed to the disgusting smelly room.  As I tried to fall asleep, I thought “Please God, don’t let me get malaria or dengue fever my first night in Bali.”

I woke the next morning and entered the first internet cafe I saw.  I emailed the dive shop that had been recommended to me and asked if I could come into the shop to talk about diving.  I just needed something to do to get me out of the filth that I had been surrounded by the night before.  I quickly got a response that yes, I could come into the shop, and marched back to my room.  I packed up my sleep sack and mosquito spray and hoped I could find a shower ASAP.