Travelling Solo in Ubud, Bali – Day 4: I will be back!

As always, all good things come to an end. I have come to the last day of my trip and it has been really fulfilling so far. The owner at Jangrik had arranged transport for me to Ngurah Rai Airport at Denpasar at 7am. And it’s a nice gesture to have breakfast served at approximately 6.30am before I had to rush off to the airport. Kadek, the lady owner of the guesthouse, had to wake up slightly earlier to prepare the breakfast which consists of Balinese pancakes witn plan sugar and grated coconut. It was one of most memorable and delicious breakfast I had in my life. You had no idea how satisfied I was!

* You need to pay airport tax before you leave Bali. They charge Rp 150,000 per person.

That was the last time I get to enjoy this beautiful view from the balcony.

One of the ways to interact with the locals and to get a doze of the local way of life is to strike a conversation with taxi drivers. On the journey to the airport, I had a conversation with this amicable taxi driver who shared alot about his views and opinions of life and his country in general. He was a hardworking taxi driver who earning enough to support himself and his old aged parents who live by the ricefields. According to him, life is tough in Indonesia as there is alot of corruption happening in Indonesia. Even though Bali has evolved to be one of the popular tourist hot spots all year round and is earning largely from tourists, some of the Balinese are still poor. The people from the West and East side of Bali are still living in poverty. It saddens me to be hearing the current plight of the Balinese people. The locals here worked so hard but yet they earn little. No matter how hard they’ve tried, they just couldn’t seem to break out of the poverty cycle. It just pains me to be hearing that people are suffering out there and I do felt that strong desire to lend them a hand. 

I felt especially attached to Indonesia, other than Singapore. Maybe because my Dad along with my relatives have roots in Indonesia. I mean, maybe I’ve Indonesian blood running in my veins after all. I was hoping I could come back to Bali and teaching in the village schools or running an organisation to help the poor people living in Bali. That may take place in a few years time. If you happen to read this blog post and shared similar vision with me or had useful contacts in Bali, do leave me a comment below so that I could keep in touch with you.

Bali is one of the most beautiful places I’ve visited. The locals in Ubud are genuinely pleasant and polite. I need to be back here again…real soon.