If anyone calls me "darling" one more time, I am going to SMACK them.

Kuta got the best of me. I know it is the main touristy area of Bali, but it's only somewhat redeeming quality is the beach (and maybe the nightlife, which I did not get to participate in). Today, with Colleen still in the hospital, Bob dropped me off to experience the glory of Kuta and Legian beach. He warned me that it was not like other areas of Bali, and that I might get hassled, especially as a single female. I thought "I can handle it - I know how to protect myself". What I did not consider is the drain that saying "no" to shopkeepers and a Kuta cowboy for four hours has on a person.

When I arrived in Kuta, I got out of the car, thinking to make my way down to the beach to see the famous surf. However, in my assiduous preparations for Kuta, I had forgotten to bring an umbrella. In the rainy season, in a tropical country, that is not an acceptable oversight, as the skies were quick to remind me. As the rain threatened to drown me, I ran for the nearest building with a door (the open shops were not appealing, as I would be unwillingly trapped and cajoled into buying something). I was searching frantically for somewhere dry when what appears before me but....a Starbucks. Seriously, it was the only dry place in a block where the people behind the counter will not be convincing you that you could use just one more sarong. Starbucks is a bit more subtle and insidious in its marketing practices.
I enter the cool, serene Starbucks and for a moment wonder if I am back in Vancouver. The only trace of Bali in the place is the prices - a tall frap costs 30,000 rupia, a price which is absolute robbery. Starbucks coffee is the only thing in Bali MORE expensive than back home. I had to take a picture, just to prove that Starbucks can suck the culture out of anything.

I wait out the storm - one thing you can count on with a tropical rainstorm is that because it dumps so much water at one time, the cloud is quickly exhausted and has to take a break. As the rain tapers to a drizzle, I venture back out into the streams that used to be streets, trying to avoid the puddled potholes. I spend the next half hour wandering the beach and checking out the many surfers attempting the waves. Along the way, I am offered beer, a beach umbrella, a manicure, a massage, sarongs, and countless surfing lessons, all for the right price of course. Although irritating, most of the people on the beach are not overly pushy, while some are downright friendly. I think to myself that this is not half bad - famous last thoughts. I take to the streets, where I can't go five feet without calls of "darling, you look" and people trying to use every possible ploy to get me to spend money, from the endless calls of darling to the sweet voices of children. Some of the very bold follow me down the street or try to physically pull me into their stores. As you can imagine, I don't particularly appreciate this, especially after I begin to get more and more dehydrated and hungry. Bob says that many people in Bali think of tourists as their ATM, and for good reason. It is the biggest industry on Bali. I don't mind people trying to sell me stuff - they have to make a living to - but I am not a fan of aggressive tactics. By the time Bob picks me up at 3:30, I was literally ready to bite the head of the next person who called me darling.

Luckily, a shower and a delicious dinner (involving a dolphin-stemmed glass and a dessert soufflé) cheer me up immensely, as I recall that most Balinese shopkeepers are not nearly as annoying as the ones in Kuta. Food in Ubud is great - a lot of variety and selection, both Indonesian and Western, but the best part is...it doesn't cost much!