Today was my last day in Singapore and first day in Canggu, Bali. Erwyn’s mom made me food for breakfast, and then Erwyn dropped me off at the airport. My flight was delayed from 12:00 pm to 2:30 pm. Air Asia has been late two times out of the three that I’ve used them. I didn’t mind waiting at the airport. I went to a Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf at the airport and did some work there.
The airport is modern and quite impressive. Singapore is a very clean and contemporary country. It reminds me of Tokyo in many ways. Their subway system, buildings, food quality, modernity, and beauty is strikingly similar, but I’d still say that Japan is one of my favorite countries to visit.
We boarded around 2:00 pm and landed around 5 pm. I was extremely fortunate to be the only one that had the entire row to myself which was a nice perk. The immigration line at Bali was long, but we went through it fairly quickly. I made a friend while at Singapore airport, and we happen to connect again while in Bali. I helped her get to her hotel with Grab. The taxis in Bali’s airport are annoyingly aggressive, and they charge 10X the amount a grab ride would be.
We dropped her off at her hotel and then my Grab drive Jo drove me to my location in Canggu, Bali. When I got there, Eileen, my Airbnb host, met me and showed me the place. It’s a quaint villa that houses four hut-like rooms with a pool in the center. The kitchen is shared with everyone. After getting settled in, Eileen got me a scooter for the two weeks that I’ll be here.
I’ve never ridden a scooter before only a motorcycle, but I figured it would be easy enough. I also got practice driving in Ko Lanta on the left side of the road, so I felt more prepared to tackle the roads in Canggu. I took a ride on the bike to get familiar with it and also the area. I was hungry too so I found a restaurant to eat at. I stopped at a restaurant, but it was filled with bugs. I was grossed out, so I just got a drink and left.
I filled up on gas and found a supermarket nearby. I didn’t buy anything because I didn’t have a bag to carry everything and I wanted to get some dinner first. I found a restaurant that seemed like a hangout place for young locals. The food was okay. I think the chicken or something was off, so I didn’t eat it. I had some calamari and some of the curry and left the rest.
As I was heading back, it started pouring. It’s now rainy season in Canggu which is a bit of a bummer. Riding in the rain was not fun especially when you’re new to scooters, and you don’t have a rain jacket. The rain pelted my eyes as I drove forward and made it increasingly hard to see. Thankfully I made it back safely. The rain seems to come and go randomly. I’ll be more prepared tomorrow.
I stopped by the grocery store while heading back to grab some fruits and nuts. I saw that they had durian and my mom was talking about how Malaysia has a unique kind of durian that is the best. I saw that they had some imported ones, so I had to grab it. I also picked up some dragon fruit and mangosteen. Prices here are incredibly cheap. The conversion rate right now is 14,600 rupia for 1 USD. The meal that I had was about 3 dollars. In the states, it would have been easily 10 dollars.
I got back to the villa and met one of the villa mates. Nice guy from Holland. I had just finished the durian before he came and it’s not the easiest of smells to hide. I tried speaking from afar and not talking in his direction lol. This stuff is potent. It wasn’t as good as my mom claimed but I think it just wanted a good durian. The mangosteen was delicious.
I showered up and getting settled for the night. I did some browsing to get familiar with the area. I found a gym only four walking minutes from my place and it’ s only 10 dollars a month. What a steal. I plan to get a membership and find some coffee shops in the morning. The food choices here look healthy which I’m excited for. I ate terribly in Singapore. I need to eat healthily and work out again. I can’t wait.
That’s it for today. Lots of exploring and getting to work tomorrow.