Bali, Day 3

Hello from beautiful Bali, Indonesia! Ashley here.

We made it safe and sound and we are heading into our second night here in Ubud. To say that we (especially me) are experiencing a bit of culture shock would be a complete understatement. But now that we've been away from the creature comforts of Canada for 3 full days, I think that I am slowly but surely beginning to adjust.

We traveled for 20 hours from Calgary to Hong Kong, where we spent our night in a high-rise hotel in the centre of downtown. It was incredibly overwhelming, but also very cool, to walk around Causeway Bay and experience the craziness of Hong Kong.

We only spent 17 hours in China before we were up and on our way to Bali. Upon arriving, we were taken to our accommodation, which we have since switched in order to be closer to the main volunteer house.  Instead of the private accommodation that Sean and I had originally opted to pay extra for, we have decided to be housed in gender-separate dormitory-style rooms, bunk beds and all. It will definitely an experience.

Speaking of experience, Sean managed to kill 3 spiders, 1 beetle and a cockroach the size of an iPhone in our room last night. (and those are only the bugs that we saw...) I have been politely told to 'grow a pair' as this is just how life in Bali goes, as well as the rest of Asia. But no matter how prepared you think you are for a trip, culture shock seems to always get the best of you. I don't know how long it will take for me to get used to sleeping with open windows and sections of the roof knowing that critters can come and go as they please, or the roosters crowing nonstop, or the hundreds of mopeds whizzing around with a family of 5 on them, hardly missing each other on the road by less than an inch.

All in all though, Bali really is lovely. The people are friendly and helpful, and the other volunteers are all very nice.  I cannot put the shades of green into words that exist here, and even pictures don't do it justice.

We are spending the next few days doing an 'orientation' of Bali with our program coordinators (exploring the surrounding area, being introduced to customs & language, etc) and then we will begin teaching in a few days.

Tonight we are off to a Balinese dance show, and tomorrow we have language lessons and a bit more of an orientation to the surrounding area. We are both still adjusting to the 15 hour time difference and the strange food and water, but I'm sure that in a few day's time we will be feeling much more chipper :) talk soon!

xo Ashley