Osama Don't Surf

I've made it to Kuta. Last night of the tour (Saturday) we went to dinner at a (relatively) expensive place catering to expats, and then drank beers at the hotel bar until late. I chose to stay in Ubud for an extra night so as to split a taxi south with another group member. I'm in no hurry, and I don't want to be in Malang (East Java) until next Sunday, when I can catch the trance straw-bull riding and glass-eating. So people left one by one yesterday. One of our hotel workers owned a family-run place 100 metres down the street where he got me a special deal (60,0000rp - or nine dollars) - it was all very hush-hush - and I was the only paying customer. Very little difference to the place I had been staying (which charges 350,000/night from its regular clientelle), except for the absence of a pool and traditionally-dressed staff, and that it was at the end of a dirty alley. The breakfast was better. It turned out that I ended up staying behind at the expensive place anyway to look after a Japanese woman with a sore back (separate beds of course). This morning I posted a parcel home to Sydney for 350,000rp (fifty bucks) full of all sorts of things, including a really grotesque agro-like wooden puppet which I bought straight from the workshop. Then I met with Yuko (aforementioned Japanese woman) to leave Ubud for the last time. We had lunch at the airport, including local McDonald's (which is very similar to regular McDonald's, except that they sell deep-fried chicken), she caught her flight, and I caught a taxi onwards to Kuta. My driver said that I wouldn't find anything for less than 100,000/night, but I wandered down Poppies Lane 1 and the first place I asked was only 40,000 and seemingly empty. Again, there are plenty of tourists here, the water at the beach is full of people despite the rain, and there's a steady stream of white bodies meandering down Poppies. But, there is that air of desperation. Strolling into a shop to check the price of a Jiggy-Jig hat, the seller grabbed my arm and I had to pull myself away, as his price quickly dropped from 80,000 down to 10,000. This place is cheap and nasty. The t-shirts are all vulgar, and the tourists look stupid. Alas, I am here for two nights. Tomorrow I catch a bemo into Denpasar and track down the Bog-Bog cartoon arcade. Right now I am going to check out Kuta Square and that famous department store... Turrah.