Day 4 1/11/10

Woke up at about 5am, packed my things and went outside. The temperature is really comfortable in the morning. I got some cold coffee and a piece of bread with a banana in the middle of it. Checked out of the hotel and caught a taxi headed to the airport for about $15. I was able to see the some of Jakarta from the cab and found it is massive also covered in a thick blanket of smog. I wasn't able to check into my flight for a couple hours so I sat on the floor watching the different tourist and locals coming and leaving every few minutes. Once i was able to check in and see the terminal it could see how beautiful the decor was. Round metal beams supporting a ceiling which had hand crafted carvings. The flight was absolutely terrifying. It seemed as if the plane was bought second hand and had never been taken care of since. The seats were torn, dining trays missing, and stains on every surface possible. The take-off was so turbulent I actually thought we might not make it. We luckily made it to cruising altitude and i ended up talking to an Australian ex-pat the entire time. He was extremely helpful and friendly. I got all the information I could out of him and then we parted ways after we landed after a few bounces across the tarmac. I took a taxi from the airport in Dempansar to Legion which is supposed to be low key compared to Kuta beach. I was dropped off at a hotel that was recommended by the ex-pat. unfortunately it was a bit to far away from the action and overpriced. So i went on the search for a hotel packing my 70lbs stuff. I ended up walking about a mile, sweating and frustrated i finally found the hotel I was looking for. There was no one around to ask about a room but there was a restaurant in front of the hotel. Walking up to the restaurant I ran into the ex-pat that happen to be eating dinner and watching the sunset. So I just hung out with him and his wife and had a few beers and pizza. I was able to get a room for about $20 a night. Super basic accommodations, but it had a fan so i should be able to sleep without much tossing and turning. I once again parted ways with the ex-pat and went to sleep at 8:30.