Bali - Kuta - Leagin

I am going to try blogging again while in Bali. Mostly just to keep a record of what I have done here. Feel free to have a read and look at pictures if you are interested. Bali so far has been a real treat despite the frequent downpours of rain. Even Kuta which I was advised not to go to was surprisingly relaxed and fun. I think it helps that it is fairly slow in Bali at the moment and that I stayed away from the clubs. My hotel was lovely with swimming pool, air-con and tropical garden for $20 US a night. The Balinese are lovely too. On my first day I went looking for a SIM card and found a group of young Balinese shop keepers who were more than willing to go hunt one down for me, put it in my phone, and help me call home - all for less than it would cost me to do it myself. It then started pouring rain and I sat with them for a couple of hours chatting, eating banana chips, and watching Japanese Animation on their cell phones. In the evening I went down to the beach for sunset and listened to the locals play guitar, drank beer, and took in the sunset. It all had a lovely feel to it. The only real disappointment was that their are strong currents and big waves all along the beach which didn't make it great for swimming. The hoards of surfers were happy though. I also found there to be a fair amount of rubbish on the beach despite the hundreds of signs asking people to keep the beach clean. All in all I had a good time, whether it was walking down the beach, getting a pedicure,massage, or just hanging with the locals.