Adventures in South East Asia

31 ~ Nightlife

Bali, Indonesia

At five, we met Gede and the others at the surf shop. They handed us helmets and we each jumped on the back of a bike. I rode with Gede and we chatted a bit along the way. He was a student in Bali and just a year older than I was. His English was also quite fluent.

We arrived at a shop that his sister owned to get our barbequed food prepared for us. It wasn't how we did it back home, but each country had its differences. The wait drew on, longer and longer. The sun set before we could get to the beach. Chloe and Taylor weren't too impressed and made a few sarcastic remarks, as they always would. We laughed at their quips while pacifying our hunger with suckers.

On the beach, the food went around. Taylor and I, both vegetarians, stuck to the vegetable and tempeh dishes, which were fewer in quantity than the fish and meat. We passed around the beers and our new Indonesian friends made sure we always had one in our hand, since we had been the ones paying for supper.

When the others began to thank us, we realized we had probably bought everyone supper and drinks too. They had told us the price in advance that we would pay for the meal, higher than usual, but still fair enough. The way I saw it, they were showing us the island. We'd get to experience more of the authentic culture and have a good time. I would have likely bought them a few drinks for such a gesture regardless of whether they had asked.

The sand fire pit began to take off and really emit some heat. Gede looked down and saw I didn't have much on my plate. He offered me the tempeh pieces off his, so I wouldn't go hungry. Tempeh really took off out here and I was so grateful as a vegetarian to have a soy substitute for protein.

Soon, a man brought out a guitar and the covers began: Rihanna's 'Diamond', David Guetta's 'Titanium', the Cranberries' 'Zombie' and even a few Bob Marley medleys. It felt like Thailand with their choices with a hint of Hawaii since during my week there I had heard 'Three Little Birds' countless times. We sat on logs and in the sand, swaying to the music. Gede put his arm around me until I attempted to find 'the bathroom that never was' with Taylor. In my buzzed state, I thought it was real clever and sneaky to dub our quest 'the hunt for water buffalo'. Not so much, Sabrina had told us as she laughed away.

After an hour at the beach, Kadek offered to have us all over for a few more drinks at his place, and by his place he meant the porch at his parent's house. On the ride there, I scouted a bit closer to Gede on the motorcycle. It was cold, I was feeling the beers, and he was just so warm and easy to snuggle into. He took notice and began to run his hand over my thigh.

All I could think was 'oh shoot; I bet they feel hairy. I should definitely start shaving my whole leg and not just being a weirdo and just doing the knee down'. It also reconfirmed my notion that would make the worst romance novel character.

Hairy legs aside, Gede didn't seem to notice or mind. We kept driving, sharing our warmth and some conversation. He shared that he was helping pay for his studies by working as an instructor at the shop. I hadn't quite understood what he was studying, but I thought it involved business and tourism. He didn't get to surf as much as he used to or liked, but he really enjoyed working there.

As we grew closer to our destination, he leaned back and kissed me on the cheek. I just about melted. Flying through Bali's streets, hair back in the wind, snuggled into this adorable man's back, I felt like I had checked something off a list I hadn't even realized I had. Kisses on the back of a motorcycle didn't happen to me every day, but I got a few more that night.

Kadek's parents' place, despite still being outside and a touch chilly, was still nice as there was bathroom for all of us who had broken the seal and kept downing more beer. Kadek spoke more about the photography he used to do for larger surf companies and took a liking to our birthday girl as well.