Soul Searching

I rented a run down scooter from someone at 3 USD a day. it’s been great. the only thing is that it seems like traffic rules are optional here, and that makes it slightly dangerous to cruise around nonchalantly when you feel like at any moment anything could happen. that said, I am taking driving the scooter VERY seriously.
It is absolutely amazing how resourceful people can be when they have little. these little scooters, not much bigger than a kids bicycle putter around with 4 or 5 people on them. mom on the back with a baby and dad driving with two kids in front of him. on top of that sometimes you see him smoking! that means he’s driving with one hand! crazy.
All that is just to give you the “scooter” mindset. just up the road from where I am staying is a park called the monkey forest.

It’s called that because, you guessed it, it chock full o’ monkeys. Big monkeys, little monkeys, baby monkeys, mommy and daddy monkeys. Not only are there monkeys EVERYWHERE but they have no fear of humans (or motor scooters). If they think you have food they’ll run right up to you and go through your pockets. I was told that there’s no rabies on the island but the infection from a monkey bite is still very serious. Anyway, the island of Bali, I have been told, is mostly Hindu, so there are shrines where ever you look. they are beautiful. the Balinese make daily offerings of rice and fruit, which of course the monkeys love. it’s a win-win situation.

Anyway this is all going to tie together right about now (scooters, traffic, monkeys - you might think it can’t be done but just watch…). As if driving on two way streets that are not wide enough for two very small cars to pass each other side by side is not enough, and driving on the other side of the road doesn’t help, not too mention the lack of any road signs, or the fact that most one way streets can be two way (but apparently not all - go figure), there is a tiny road through the monkey forest. Maybe as wide a city side walk (less than 3 feet wide) that is a “scooter” road.

Mind you this road goes up and down, makes ninety degree turns right next to sheer drop offs with only a guard rail that would keep a small monkey from falling over, it has pot holes the depth of a basket ball in it, there are monkeys meandering through it with no regard for their own safety or anyone else’s (I DO realize that they ARE monkeys but you think there’d be some instinct for self preservation), and this is the most incredible part, IT’S TWO WAY! simply unreal.


All that said (and it was a mouthful) the helmet that came with the bike has about the outer strength of a dried eggshell (I’m pretty sure if I accidentally dropped it it would shatter like a Christmas ornament). I think the only thing it could protect me from is a bird crapping on my head, but still given the craziness of the road conditions it did offer some psychological support. well, the chin strap came off, kind of like toilet paper being pulled off the roll, and any illusion I had of safety went with it. Wish me luck…