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Meeting Tony in Kuta Bali

Tuesday morning I recieved a phone call from Tony, a new arrival to Bali. He is from California and is taking 6 months to travel through parts of SE Asia and India.

I had agreed to meet Angie for lunch and invited Tony to rendezvous with us at Internet Outpost at noon.

I rode downtown leaving Andrea who was meeting a new German friend she’d met. Traffic wasn’t too bad until I hit the loop that rejoins Jl.Legian near the BNI bank.

Tony told me he was wearing a white t-shirt with a small Balinese insignia. He was right. I recognized him instantly.

I suggested we all go over to Warung Nikmat on Jl. Bakung Sari for some Javanese food so after catching a cab at Jl.Legian we slowly made our way there. At Bemo Corner a posse of Megawati supporters on motorbikes, wearing red and black zoomed out in front of us making a racket. There must of been 100 people on motorbikes altogether. These guys actually get paid to do this. Driving around the east coast on the weekend Andrea and streets that were lined with red and black flags, same story here, they get paid for it. Politics and corruption go hand in hand whatever country you’re talking about and whether it means ’special interest’ groups or locals getting 10,000rp each to wave flag.

Nikmat is a madhouse at lunchtime with scanty organization but great food. We each got a plate of nasi puti ( steamed white rice ) and chose items by pointing. I chose tuna in sauce, a kind of spinach, sweet egg plant in a mild red sauce and bbq chicken. My bill was 11,500rp ($1.36). We sat on a table next to the street and started eating nd chatting. Tony, a career Navy man has been all over the world and is now doing his personal tour at a slower pace. He struck me as a pretty sharp guy who likes to be organized. He told me that Bali was his introduction into long term traveling in Asia. Sitting next to the street with all the motorbikes and noise right there were a bit hard to get used to he said. I know what it can be like, a few months ago I caught a wiff of the drains at Nikmat and the locals didn’t seem to notice. I’m about 20% the way there with my conversion to Balinese and have moments too.

Angie told us how her wedding planning business was developing and it seems like she had made some valuable contacts since being here. To clarify, Angie doesn’t find partners, she just marries you in Bali when you have found your partner.

Tony has spent 20 years in the Navy and is done, meaning he’s doing okay and doesn’t need to return to a job anytime. I told him that surpirsingly he fits a wide demographic of long distance travellers in that he’s taking his trip during a ‘career change’ phase. Most people think its 18 years olds or college leavers ho buy RTW tickets, the main group is people who have already worked, been successful and want a change.

The food was great and I finished off mine in record time. Tony said he likes real spicy food and I told him padand food would be good for him. After a few mouthfuls he told me the Javanese food was plenty hot enough for him. I guess the Navy’s version of spicy is pretty tame.

Tony plans to get organized by purchasing a mobile phone and a voltage regulator for his camera, then head out to explore the island. I suggested renting car or motorbike to afford him the freedom to explore the areas he gets to. He said he prefers to take buses and bemo’s and maybe rent a bike at each location. We’ll see how that works out. I know that moving to hectic Asia takes some getting used to and I shouldn’t push people to see all things my way.

It is interesting to see western logic colliding with traditonal Asia and I tried to explain my thoughts on the visa situation, politics, the Hindu culture here and general daily activities.

We strolled back I took him to Matahari department store on Kuta Square to shop for the Stavol. Matahari is a good starting place to look for items that a foreinger might need, clothes, electronics etc.

I told Tony that I’d email him if we have any more gatherings. I think a house party at Bill’s is long overdue.