I’m going back to Cali
Cali
Cali
I’m going back to Cali
No I don’t think so
I actually wouldn’t mind going back to Cali. It’d be great to see friends, get some fries at In ‘n Out and feel that warmth of security within myself knowing that Arnold was watching over my land. But instead I’m going back to Bali where I visited way back in December 1998.
Back then I had been working for Lucent Technologies on a project in Japan for a couple of months and in between leaving Tokyo and flying back to my crib in Columbus, Ohio (I used to live there??) my manager had asked me to stop in Indonesia for a couple weeks of work. I was installing a couple of sweet telecommunication servers in Bandung and then on the weekend my coworker Edwin and I booked a super cheap flight to Bali. All the planes were refurbished ex-military planes. On the flight down I remember talking to Edwin before the flight took off and a screw literally fell from the ceiling and landed in his lap. I didn’t put our chances of survival much higher than 50-50. But no more screws fell, we landed and all was good.
I really don’t remember too much of Bali except that my beachside cottage was amazing and it was walking distance from the Hard Rock Café. That was back in the day when I used to collect HRC tshirts from everywhere I went. Now I don’t even know where they are. I think I donated them all. Another thing I recall from back then was our driver, Made, taking us to this illegal cock fighting ring. It’s something I wouldn’t have the stomach for now but back then I was all about new experiences. I lost every bet I made and everyone wanted to bet with the lone white man there. I lost about $50 on 4 or 5 bets. But it was all good because just outside the cock fighting ring you could get a really cheap chicken sandwich, and you know it was fresh.
I’m not sure how I still have it but I have Made’s phone number in my iPhone and I’m going to give it a try when I’m there. I don’t expect it to work as who has the same number as ten years ago but you never know. He was a year or two younger than me and I think his girlfriend was working at Domino’s or something like that.
I’m going to try my hand at surfing which I’ve never done before and I’m not expecting it to be real easy, especially since I’ve never been great at skateboarding or snowboarding or anything that requires a good sense of balance. Supposedly Bali is a great place to surf and to learn how to surf. Kuta beach is an 8 km stretch of beach that’s pretty touristy so I’m thinking a week or so there to learn the basics and then going off to a quieter island just to the east of Bali, Nusa Lombongan, where the waves are supposed to be quite good too. And I’ve heard Ubud is a tranquil, artistic, spiritual area of the island and where the Love took place in Eat, Pray, Love. I hope to get some down time to relax and I’m stocking up on used books here in Brisbane before I leave.
And at the last second, I learned my friend Daniel from the Vipassana course will be joining me too which is awesome.
Daniel on the left
a meal with basil 
Hi!
was surfinh net for in fo on the Himalaya…came across this site of yours-mighty inspired! Grt notes and excellent snaps.Thank you very much and whervere u maybe ..God Bless!