Bali has been exactly what I’ve needed it to be. The beautiful Indonesian island was a two hour flight from Darwin and a world away. Eli and I have been here a little over two weeks now and I am sad to leave. If I had the money, I would stay in Southeast Asia forever. For me, I’ve always kind of considered it a backpacker’s Mecca. A balance of chaos and tranquility. A place where your dollar gets you a hell of a lot more than it does anywhere else in the world. I’ve seen unbelievable temples, beaches and immersed myself in a completely different world under the water. I haven’t been keeping up to date with this blog because I’ve been busy living and meeting beautiful people. I’ll write more in detail later but for now, I’ll share the best story to tell and definitely the most embarrassing.
Before I begin, this one is dedicated to Ellison Fellers, who drove me around on her motorbike for two weeks. It also doesn’t hurt to add, I am completely in one piece.
We rented a motorbike in Kuta for a day drip to Uluwatu. Eli drove, an experience she said took years off her life. The plan was that I would navigate. Thankfully, we met someone with a working GPS so all I did was white knuckle it on the back. Kuta is busy and chaotic. As far as I can tell, there’s no rules of the road in Bali, just go, and don’t hesitate. Once we got out of the belly of beast it was calmer. Rolling rice paddies, kites flying everywhere, cows grazing. We stopped along the way to see Balinese Dancers and giant sculptures of warriors and mythical bird creatures.
I was terrified to drive a motorbike. But after spending time on the back of a few, I started talking myself into it. Everyone was doing it. All the tourists you met, the 13 year old local girls, the local man driving and eating a mango with a machete. My thought was that, if they could do it, surely I could. So when we got to Canggu, a much quieter alternative to Kuta, I thought I was ready. Eli and I woke up early to rent bikes from our hostel. To the tune of about 4 USD, we rented two bikes and two helmets.
I backed my bike out it’s parking spot and hopped on. Eli gave me a quick tutorial. It’s easy, they say. Turn the bike on, accelerate, tour around with the wind in your hair. No. Not for me. Basically, Eli’s tutorial lasted longer than I did on the bike. My first experience driving a motorbike last only long enough for me to accelerate directly off a ledge into the rice padi next to our hostel. Maybe, three seconds total. Yes you read that right. I drove a motorbike off a cliff, landing myself and the bike, knee deep into mud and rice crops. I think now might be the time to remind you of what I wrote earlier in the post… I made it out without a scratch. I was completely fine , just my ego absolutely shattered.
As I’m lying there, all sorts of local workers started to gather. Some to help me out, help the bike out, most to see the tourist who managed to get themselves into this predicament. One got on the radio to tell the others what happened more came out. I stood there,covered in mud, absolutely incredulous, watching these men lift the bike out of the mud. They hosed the bike off, insured that it still worked, and then hosed me off. It was… an experience. After the security guard told me I couldn’t drive anymore, they took the keys back. (Thank you I was really planning on just hopping back on after this ordeal.) I went to take a quick shower and cried. I can honestly say this was the most embarrassed I’ve ever been in my life. I’m actually not sure “embarrassed” accurately portrays what I was feeling. One more time, I was completely unharmed. It could have been a lot worse.
After my shower, I hopped on the back of Eli’s bike and the group of friends we’d made went to go get breakfast. We laughed about the whole thing, I slowly got over my embarrassment with good coffee and banana french toast. As much as my ego was bruised, I was glad I had people to share the experience with. Even if Eli still shows the pictures to every new friend we meet.
I think at this point, driving my own motorbike will be my traveling white whale. Someday, I will literally get back on the bike with no mishaps. Maybe not today. At least at this point I’m comfortable riding on the back of one.
When it comes down to it, renting motorbikes in Southeast Asia is exactly like making the decision to travel long term. It’s just something you have to try, I at least had to try. It can be terrifying, dangerous and all together intoxicating. But if you really want to immerse yourself in another culture, you have to take the chance. If you have an opening, and don’t take the chance to go, you’ll likely regret it. You’ll find places you never knew existed, you’ll wonder why you hadn’t tried it sooner. Traveling or renting motorbikes might be out of your comfort zone, you might make mistakes and get a little banged up along the road. But trust me, you’ll love the freedom.