Easy Rider

I found my way to Ubud after 3 nights on Java.  It was more expensive than it should have been to get here, largely due to a rookie mistake (failing to inquire diligently enough on the availability of cheaper train tickets) that I should have been veteran enough to avoid.  Determined not to overspend again, I hunted relentlessly for the cheapest hotel in town, then with equal determination for a month-long scooter rental.  I found both, the scooter for a bargain 50 USD for 31 days.

Since acquiring the bike I have seen more of this island than I would have thought possible.  Petrol is cheap, the roads are decent and the scenery is mind-blowing.  One can supposedly circle the entire island in one long day of driving, but so far I've been content with four to six hours per day, up and down volcanoes and around most of the eastern coast, each day returning to my pleasant home in Ubud.  After the first 3 days I picked up a companion, a young Belgian man who had never ridden a two-wheel, gas-powered vehicle before.  He took to it with all the certainty of immortality that comes with youth and by our 3rd day riding together I was having difficulty keeping up with him.  With my compass hanging from my key-chain and a torn map page from Lonely Planet to guide us, we covered 722 kilometers, stopped for 31 photo opportunities, got lost 5 times, asked directions from non-English speakers 26 times, survived 2 torrential rainstorms, 1 suicidal dog, 1 homicidal pig, and a flat tire.  After 7 days of high-speed wandering, my forearms are sunburned, my ass is sore, and I think the helmet is contributing to my thinning hair, but I'm not planning on stopping anytime soon.