And suddenly you find yourself in Bali...

Just a quick nod to let you know I'm okay. I left Auckland at 0630 this morning, swapped planes in Sydney, and landed in Denpasar, Indonesia this afternoon. I'm currently staying at the infamous Kuta Beach, which is like the Phuket of Indonesia. Yes, it's tacky and touristy. But there are perfect sunsets every night, or so I've been told. My taxi cab ride came out to 80 cents when I split it with two Brits. My dinner of nasi goreng (fried rice with a fried egg on top) was 80 cents. A liter of water costs 30 cents. My hotel room, with private shower and Western toilet costs me 60,000 Rupiah...which is about $6.75. And it comes with breakfast. This has been a culture shock from New Zealand, but it's been fun so far. The Indonesians I've met are super-friendly. Yeah, they're all touts, trying to get me a cab or a hotel room, but they're also interested in just talking and practicing their English. And I'm learning some Balinese along the way. It's hot and humid here, which is perfect. My room has a ceiling fan, so I can watch the blades cut through the thick air and watch the sun's progress from the shadows of the shutters on the wall. Give me a full-length mirror, and I'm ready to channel Martin Sheen from Apocalypse Now.