Cutting it extremely close with only 5 minutes to spare and 13,000 Rupiah (about US$1.40) in my pocket I thought I was home free, and then I ran out of gas. Locals watched me push my motorbike furiously down the street as I carried all my bags in a last ditch effort to make my bus to the airport, then a local boy ran along side of me pointing to a glass jug filled with petrol. A tear of happiness fell as he quickly poured the gas through his cloth filter and took 10,000 Rupiah, leaving me with about 28 cents. I made it to the bus station as the door was closing and quickly convinced the ticket booth guy to watch my motorbike and call its owner. I would later make it to my flight, arrive in Singapore at 1am on the Chinese New Year, and sit at the information desk until 2:30am calling over 20 hotels that were booked solid; Did I mention it was the Chinese New Year? Finally success!... sort of. Another person had called for the same room but not showed up yet so I had to beat her to the hotel reception or the deal was off. To make things more interesting, neither mass transit nor shuttles operate from Singapore's airport at 2:30am so I enjoyed the comfort of an E-Class Mercedes to the tune of what I paid for 5 nights renting a private 2-story house with garden, balcony, and kitchen in Bali. I made it to the hotel first - it was worth it.
Saturday, February 9, 2008
Getting There - Bali to Singapore
The journey from Bali to Singapore was not for the faint-hearted. My final day in Bali was ambitiously planned to say the least, and then it rained. My palms dampened as I nervously sat at the shipping center and read Bill Bryson's A Short History of Nearly Everything; I knew precious hours were dripping in front of me and I'd be screwed if I didn't coordinate my items to be shipped, go back to town for the ATM, pay the shipper, pay for the incredibly cheap house I was renting, return my motorbike to its owner and make it to the bus station in time for the last ride to the airport. Many of these events required driving 10-20 minute segments plus traffic. I was mostly concerned that I'd just made my biggest purchase, the cost of shipping a cubic meter container to the US, and the box would be sent nearly empty if sent at all. The rain ebbed to drizzle and the race was on.
Cutting it extremely close with only 5 minutes to spare and 13,000 Rupiah (about US$1.40) in my pocket I thought I was home free, and then I ran out of gas. Locals watched me push my motorbike furiously down the street as I carried all my bags in a last ditch effort to make my bus to the airport, then a local boy ran along side of me pointing to a glass jug filled with petrol. A tear of happiness fell as he quickly poured the gas through his cloth filter and took 10,000 Rupiah, leaving me with about 28 cents. I made it to the bus station as the door was closing and quickly convinced the ticket booth guy to watch my motorbike and call its owner. I would later make it to my flight, arrive in Singapore at 1am on the Chinese New Year, and sit at the information desk until 2:30am calling over 20 hotels that were booked solid; Did I mention it was the Chinese New Year? Finally success!... sort of. Another person had called for the same room but not showed up yet so I had to beat her to the hotel reception or the deal was off. To make things more interesting, neither mass transit nor shuttles operate from Singapore's airport at 2:30am so I enjoyed the comfort of an E-Class Mercedes to the tune of what I paid for 5 nights renting a private 2-story house with garden, balcony, and kitchen in Bali. I made it to the hotel first - it was worth it.
Cutting it extremely close with only 5 minutes to spare and 13,000 Rupiah (about US$1.40) in my pocket I thought I was home free, and then I ran out of gas. Locals watched me push my motorbike furiously down the street as I carried all my bags in a last ditch effort to make my bus to the airport, then a local boy ran along side of me pointing to a glass jug filled with petrol. A tear of happiness fell as he quickly poured the gas through his cloth filter and took 10,000 Rupiah, leaving me with about 28 cents. I made it to the bus station as the door was closing and quickly convinced the ticket booth guy to watch my motorbike and call its owner. I would later make it to my flight, arrive in Singapore at 1am on the Chinese New Year, and sit at the information desk until 2:30am calling over 20 hotels that were booked solid; Did I mention it was the Chinese New Year? Finally success!... sort of. Another person had called for the same room but not showed up yet so I had to beat her to the hotel reception or the deal was off. To make things more interesting, neither mass transit nor shuttles operate from Singapore's airport at 2:30am so I enjoyed the comfort of an E-Class Mercedes to the tune of what I paid for 5 nights renting a private 2-story house with garden, balcony, and kitchen in Bali. I made it to the hotel first - it was worth it.
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Prepare a short holiday break during the weekend or long weekend holiday to Bali. What ever budget you may spend for vacation, the island has them for visitors, from budget Bali hotels to luxury resort.
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