Around the World and Back Again - Chapter 3: Puppy Therapy

Yes, these were Native American headdresses - in Indonesia. Culture for sale - packaged and sold for the consumer.

I couldn’t believe my eyes.

Deep in the market alleys of Ubud, craftsmen made "cultural" trinkets to entice the willing buyer - dream catchers, wooden flutes, cliche paintings of mountain landscapes with a wolf howling to the a moon, a tree's roots blended with an image of a woman's womb with a "grandfather" in the sky.

The crafts in the markets shed light on their clientele. This was a place where western consumers came to dabble in culture; the spiritual - Hindu, Native American, Buddhist, whatever floats their liking for the day. Don’t get me wrong, my reflection wasn’t meant to bash on anyone at all, more on the cultural appropriation and consumption aspect.) ...It did feel wrong.

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I was traveling alone now. I had split up with my original group and we all went separate ways. My days were quieter now - less drinking, more reflective. The town of Ubud proved to be overrun with tourists and bustled with hundreds of more financed, air-conditioned shiny cars. But the town still had a charm. It was obvious why - the art. In no other city in South East Asia did I encounter as much stimulating imagery and decorative artistry. Throughout the town, haunting sculptures decorated the streets and temple carvings held faces that looked like they would come alive when you weren’t looking. It felt like a scene from a children's fairy tale movie. It truly was captivating.

Swarms of monkeys mobbed across the rooftops of the town. Their stare pierces right through you. You can’t look them in the eye or they’ll freak out and consider you a threat. They’re smart, agile, and daring.

I heard of a lovely hostel, complete with free massages, free yoga classes, and next door to a meditation center. They even bring puppies to the court yard for puppy therapy. Let me say that again… Little. Baby. Puppies. A bunch of them. Enough to make any macho man melt. ...Turns out these dogs have become a bit of a nuisance on the island and are culturally not welcomed by many locals. There's a huge campaign to sterilize them across the island now. 

I joined a tour from my hotel to explore nearby coffee plantations, waterfalls, and of course, those rice paddies I had heard about - the ones with the pretty models and the flowing dresses. Most of the destinations were just more Instagram hotspots with the same picture formula - make it look like you’re the only person there (and not surrounded by hundreds of other tourists trying desperately to do the same). It turned out those flowing dresses are rental props for photo shoots - $60 dollars an hour.

On an impulse, I decided to book a tour to trek Mount Rinjani on the island of Lombok. The park administration required that we hire porters to carry our food, gear, and supplies up the mountain. There was no drinking water along the entire trek and these porters, who were half my size, carried 3 days worth of my supplies in woven baskets on their shoulders. They even brought coffee for me. Their calves were huge and they zoomed past me at an inspiring pace. I couldn't keep up. It was an 8,500ft ascent over 10km. The landscape changed from lush jungle, to sparse pine, and eventually barren volcanic rock.  I climbed above the tree line and above the clouds.

It was one of the hardest hikes I’ve ever done in my life. My calves cramped from exhaustion. But the view? Just, wow. Millions of years ago this volcano blew itself apart and left behind a gigantic crater. A baby volcano burgeoned in the center. You could see hot steam emanating from its chimney. Christ, it was huge.

I spent the last few days bouncing around between hostels, meeting more travelers and learning to surf. There was even some travel romance.  Interestingly, I later found out the girl I met had a fiancé, but that's a story for another time. 

My time on these islands were coming to an end. Sticking to my original plan, I was headed west until I circled the globe. Vietnam was the next destination. 

At the time there was a lingering feeling that I would return to these islands someday. There was just so much to see. This was just barely been the tip of the iceberg and obviously, the island nation of Indonesia has so much more to offer than what I experienced. I've still yet to see the orangutans. When I go back I hope to venture deeper into the jungle, beyond my comfort zone and my lifestyle expectations..