Nyoman, Knight in Shining Armor - Thursday's drive across Bali (written 2/3)

Nyoman is an interesting man. Probably close to 50. Balinese. Speaks pretty good English, thankfully. And is an amazing driver. Married. Adult children and a two year old grandchild. His main source of fun is cockfights - they are legal here. He was quite pleasant to talk with. He also helped me with my Indonesian vocabulary. We saw a lot of anjing (dogs) and a few kucing (cats) during our drive. 

The traffic, oh, the traffic! I've never, ever, seen anything like it, even in the largest American cities. Because in Bali it's a mix of thousands of scooters, along with cars, trucks, and busses sharing narrow roads. And while it's an overwhelming amount of traffic, people are polite. They aren't agressive and angry like so many American drivers are. There are frequent very brief beeps to indicate their presence as vehicles juggle positions somehow without crashing. I was surprisingly comfortable with his driving. 

Here the driver sits on the right side of the car and drives on the left side of the road. I never saw a speed limit sign and it felt like "whatever works is okay," but I looked it up online and there are speed limits. I guess you're just supposed to know what the limit is on each type of road. Folks also play pretty loosely with yellow and red lights. But again, no road rage around here. I'm liking this place more and more. 

Once we finally got out of the heavy traffic, we stopped at what looked like a convenience store so I could buy water and go to the bathroom. Another bum gun bathroom! More on that in a separate post. The small market smelled SO good with all that fresh, tropical fruit. I've never before walked into a convenience store and thought, "Wow, it smells fantastic in here!" 

Nyoman was having a cigarette, so I sat and talked with him a bit. It was nice to just slow down for a few minutes. (Having since arrived at Mimpi Resort and finding an ashtray and matches on the coffee table outside, I'm starting to suspect that smoking is more common here than in America. I will keep the ashtray available so `I can be a good hostess should a smoker visit here in the next month.)

The trip was more than four hours. After the first hour, I was surprised that the road started twisting and turning. We were climbing and descending mountains with more hairpin turns on narrow roads than I've seen in West Virginia. He beeped every time he made a turn in the road so nobody crashed. There was absolutely no place to pull over and stop, and I was getting quite car-sick for the first time in decades. I was so afraid I was going to throw up in this poor man's car. He was trying to find someplace to pull over, but it wasn't possible. I managed to keep my food down (what little there was in me) and he finally saw another convenience store ahead. We pulled in and took a break. Another bum gun toilet. I think it's the default type of toilet here. 

I wasn't "all better" but really wanted a bed and Nyoman had to drive back home for four hours after dropping me off, so we headed out. It wasn't too much longer before I was afraid again that I was going to puke. Those mountain roads were unbelievable. But with mind over matter, I held my food down and we ventured on. We were getting into more and more isolated areas. Jungle on either side of the narrow roads. Even though feeling yucky, it was cool. 

When I saw his GPS was leading him to Mimpi Resort, I told him that Indra (my guy on the ground here, the teacher's assistant) had told me a few weeks ago that he made arrangments for me to stay at Banana Leaf hostel for the first few nights because Mimpi was full. So Nyoman and I tried to figure out where the hostel was. We drove around but couldn't find it, so went to Mimpi to ask them where it was. It turns out the name changed and it's not Banana Leaf anymore.

The hostel was almost directly across the street! When we arrived at their gate, Nyoman spoke to the guard who called the manager. The guard ushered us onto the property and spoke with Nyoman. It turned out that Indra cancelled my room there. I had no idea why. But the manager was kind enough to accomodate me. Thankfully, they had space. It was nearly midnight by then and all I wanted was water and a bed. 

The `cost for the drive all the way across the island, crossing all those mountains, was $80 USD. I had obtained rupiah (IDR) before leaving WV, so was able to pay him in his currency. The fee in IDR was 1.250.000 (they use periods in numbers where we use commas, and commas where we use periods). I gave him a generous tip. He certainly earned it. He gave me his number, encouraging me to call him to drive me back to the other end of the island when it was time. We got along well, and I'm incredibly grateful for Nyoman's help.

I unpacked only a few things. I was so tired that I had a hard time sleeping, and was up early the next morning. My legs and feet were incredibly swollen and uncomfortable. They're doing better today, but not quite normal yet. 

Yesterday morning, Friday, when I stepped out of my room into the center of the hostel, I was amazed at how beautiful and different their world is from mine. A young woman approached with a gentle smile and asked who I was since I was not registered. Again, they are such kind and gentle people, it's just amazing. We spoke, she called the manager, and everything was fine. 

A short time later, Indra arrived at the hostel and explained that yes, he had cancelled my reservations there because my room at Mimpi had opened up earlier than expected. He forgot to let me know. So before I even had time for breakfast at the hostel, I was walking across the street with my two smaller pieces of luggage. Indra took care of getting the two bigger suitcases to Mimpi. 

The Banana Leaf manager arrived before I left, so we had a chance to talk and I settled my bill with him. Another remarkably kind, respectful, gentle person. I was kind of sad leaving there without really having time to get familiar, but I was more eager to reach my final destination, unpack, and relax. 

When I walked into Mimpi, I was greeted by even more wonderful people. But that's another chapter, one that will bring you to the present moment. The trip is finally complete. I have arrived. I am home. I am where I belong. And a big sigh escapes. Finally here.