A Few Days Off

I’ve been feeling ill the past few days. It all started the day after I met my Javanese friend Takrip. After my second night of listening to the farm animals and dogs crow at each other, I decided to look for a different place to stay.

It was tough breaking the news to my friend Ketuk, who had trouble understanding why the noises were bothersome. This was hampered by the fact that he didn’t understand English well, so I’m not sure if he fully understood why I left. I enjoyed my many conversations with him, but I needed to get a good night sleep. We said our farewells and I was off.

Made (Ma Day) took me on his motorbike to the Suci Inn, a guesthouse that was recommended in my Lonely Planet guide. After a few failed attempts at finding its location, we asked a shop owner if he knew of this guesthouse. To our surprise, he said it had closed months ago.

Made then took me to a few other locations he knew of. I was looking for a place that was affordable, close to the main road, and most importantly, quiet. I found this place 30 minutes later after an old man told me about his son’s bungalows up the road. I checked them out and I liked what I saw. The price was right, they assured me it was quiet, and it was fairly close to the main road. We settled on a price, 90,000 rupiah ($9.50), and I said my goodbye to Made.

I’m staying at the Arjana Bungalows and it looks like a resort in Cancun. My room is huge, filled with marble tiling and a bathroom the size of my last place. It has a brand new infinity pool and the outside of my bungalow has a patio with a wicker couch and two wicker chairs. It’s pretty nice. It’s the perfect place to recover at.

The past few days have mainly consisted of me walking around until I feel weak, then I come home and lay down for a bit, and I top off my day by finding something to eat. I’ve also been able to answer a few emails and get some writing and editing done. I also watched a movie last night, which I purchased for $1.60. It’s been nice and peaceful.

My main ailments have been weakness, a terrible head cold, lightheadedness, and getting the sweats real bad. I’m able to keep food down and I’ve been sleeping all right. I’ve been feeling better each day and may even venture off to the Monkey Forest Sanctuary today.

The plan is to stay here until I’m feeling a bit better and then I’m heading to the coastal city of Lovina to do some snorkeling. I may go whitewater rafting on a day trip from Ubud tomorrow if I’m feeling up to it. It looks really fun and the prices are 50 percent off because of the low season.

I think of everyone a lot, especially at night when I have time to reflect on where this journey has taken me so far. I also just heard about the earthquake in Sumatra. No one was talking about it here, but a concerned email from my parents notified me of the situation. You are kind of cut-off from the outside world here. I don’t hear much news of anything.

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Before heading out on your next trip, don't forget to look up some travel advice online. You can find a useful travel map and directions before you leave to make your trip easier. Travel health insurance is also something useful that could end up being a lifesaver.