Adventure in India Singapore and Bali

8 December, 2010

Adventure in India Singapore and Bali

After my two weeks in India, I was ready for my next destination on the map. I have never been so excited about leaving a country. The people from India are very welcoming and rich in culture and traditions. I have to admit that during my time there one of the most beautiful things I learned was the wonderful hospitality and humility of Indians. Although my connection with the Indians and my conversations were not deep enough to contrast the poverty, the very few discussions I had with them were enough to make my trip worth it. The two weeks gave me more than a cultural experience. The dilapidated building where I stayed was a constant reminder of the poverty, and the fact that I was sleeping on the floor for more than two weeks made me realize that it was time to flight out of there.

A four-hour flight on Kingfisher Airlines took my professor John and I to Singapore. The fourth most important port in the world is also in the the top ten most-developed cities in the world. As soon as we walk out of the plane, a feeling of relief invaded my entire body. As we walked to Customs, we found gardens and decorations of flowers inside the airport. It felt like home. Everything was in complete order, and the air had different smells in every room. I picked up one of the information booklets from the stands and realized that farting and chewing gum were forbidden. A tax over a hundred dollars or even a night in jail were the two options citizens and tourists had if caught doing one of these two actions. We took a taxi and headed straight to the Hilton Hotel. The difference between India and Singapore is monstrous. In India the poverty is palpable, but in Singapore the wealth is everywhere, not just in one city.

I took the side trip to Singapore because I needed to get my Indonesian visa. In Costa Rica and America the embassies are not allowed to give me a visa for more than three months. They suggested I take a flight to Singapore and get the visa form there. The Hilton Hotel seemed like heaven after India, even though the laws seemed a little bit exaggerated. After all, John and I broke the rules a few times specially the one about not farting. When I got the visa, John and I decided to celebrate. We walked around the streets to find a nice place to drink a beer. When we stopped exploring the streets we just decided to go to an Irish pub that was across the street to watch Chelsea play against Sunderland. When the game finished and we were ready to leave the place, we started discussing the results with a Scottish man who was also watching the game. We went on from talking about the game, and the conversation suddenly changed to the history of Spain, America and England. The conversation grew for more than an hour. John was sharing about our experience traveling the world and also trying to link Scotland to our Cold War studies. By the end of the night after celebrating, we went back to the hotel to pack for our flight to Indonesia the next day.

We arrived in Bali one hour before our fellow travel buddies. As we waited for them, we met Nikki, the woman that organized our stay in Bali. Finally, we arrived to the Bali Budi Shady Gully Guest House, where Mr. Budi, the owner of the place, greeted us with a cup of tea. The next day the group headed to a remote beach about an hour and a half away from the guest house. Here we met John's family who came from Kuwait and California to visit and spend time with John, his wife Erica and their kids in Bali. I went to the sand and laid down on the beach watching the Balinese people enjoy the cliff jumping. At lunch time me and two other guys played guitar and shared new songs. Dave, John's brother-in-law, came over and asked one of the guys if he was sick. The guy, who, by that that moment I realized was our driver, pointed at his own head. Dave asked me to pray in Spanish for this guy and ask the Holy Spirit for healing. I did pray for the man, and I was a little bit shocked by Dave's faith. When I finish my thirty-five second prayer, Dave asked the man how was he feeling. The guy looked at him and said, “I feel tickles in my head.” Dave prayed for him one more time and from that instant the man was completely healed. Five minutes later this same man came back with two of his friends, and asked Dave to pray for them also. He did, and both got healed. It was a long day with adventures and crazy supernatural events. Bali at this time was giving me the opening to the best week of my eighteen-week travel adventure.

Later on in the week, I got bored of walking back and forth from the guest house to our destinations, so Ben, Ethan and I decided to rent a moped. Ben and Ethan are my closest friends on this trip. We found a small store around the corner and asked for the prices. We got a good deal renting the three mopeds for only 5 dollars each for two days. I rode motorcycles back when I lived in Costa Rica, so I was confident in using one and driving on the left side of the road. I gave a quick introduction to Ben and Ethan and told them to just follow me while they got used to the motorcycle. We drove for a few blocks and decided to hit the main street. A block before the intersection and the main street where we were staying, Ethan decided to pass me and go ahead of us. He arrived to the intersection first, so when we got there he was ready to take off. I told him to wait, but in his anxiety he pulled the accelerator and went right against the sidewalk at the other side of the street. He flew off the motorcycle and for a few meters the motorcycle kept moving. In just seconds there were about sixty people staring at us. After this awkward moment, Ethan finally decided to follow me. That same night we also took some of the girls on to a ride around downtown.

The day before Thanksgiving was Professor Lee's birthday party. Surrounded by different cultures Nikki's house was ready to host the party. On my way to the party I stopped at the Delta market to get some beer. The two hundred thousand rupiah's in alcohol looked very strange for the workers of the place. One of the cashiers asked, “Are you gonna drink all that alcohol?” I was a little bit embarrassed by her question, especially when I realize that all the cashiers where staring at me. I told them that I was going to a birthday party and I was getting the beer for a few people. They gave me an extra one and all said good bye with a big smile. When I arrived at the party everyone was already in the pool relaxing. The party started, and all the musicians were ready to play. We ate and enjoyed the show of some Balinese ladies dancing for the crowd. Professor Lee was dragged by one of the ladies and forced to dance with her. Soon, I was the one that was dragged up to dance with the ladies. The night ended with a beautiful time with my best friend looking at the stars laying down on the grass of the guesthouse.

The contrast between India, Singapore and Indonesia made me understand the cultural, social and economic variety of the world. From one of the poorest countries in the world, through one of the richest. From one of the richest to one of the tourist hot spot destinations in the world. At the end, no matter the story, traveling will always give a new experience and knowledge to the travelers. As for me, after my visit to Bali, I'm ready to go home and share my stories with my family.