I am currently recovering from food poisoning that I got in Bali last Friday, so I'm hoping to make this a short entry, though I doubt I will. Janet and I both came to the conclusion it was from some calamari we had last Thursday night at a Balinese restaurant, though she is fine. I thought the urgghy feeling was just from the heat and humidity there (which were both in the nineties), but we're pretty sure it was that little piece of squid which has knocked me for a loop for the past five days. But you're not here to listen to me complain about my fever, sweating, upset stomach, nausea and dehydration, so on with the good stuff.

We left for Bali last Wednesday afternoon on Singapore Airlines (which is by far the best airline I have ever traveled on, hands down; the seats were comfortable, the cabin was kept cool, the stewardess wore colorful batik uniforms, and there were individual video screens for each person right above the tray table on the seat in front of you) and flew for only two hours even further south toward the equator. When we got there, we met up with Ari, the guide Janet had booked the trip through, and took a van (without seatbelts) to the Melia Bali hotel. Motorcycles and mopeds wove in and out of traffic the whole way there, and everyone drove fast.

We checked in and were shown to our room, which was huge, with a bed to match. We didn't do much the first day, just checked out the rest of the hotel and the pool and took a walk along the beach. The next morning we found the section with internet access, and I did a quick check on my email, finding out that my story in Electric Velocipede will appear in the giant double-sized issue #5 in time for WorldCon, alongside fiction by three of my Clarion classmates (Rudi Dornemann, Mike Lewis and Trent Walters), Paul di Filippo, Kealan-Patrick Burke and James Hartley! The rest of the day was spent relaxing, swimming in the Indian Ocean, swimming in the pool, reading, laying out. At one point, we ended up taking a cab into Kuta, which I regret now. Almost all of Bali's income comes from tourism, and because of the 9/11 attacks, the bombing in northern Bali last October, and the current war in other parts of Indonesia, their tourism has obviously dropped and the people have gotten much poorer. Everywhere you walked in Kuta, someone was hassling you to buy something. At first I'd say, "No, thank you," but after a while I just ignored people. They see a tall white guy and assume he's rich. It almost spoiled the trip for me.

That night, we went to a ritual dance called the kecak or "monkey" dance, which re-enacts a section of the Ramayana. There were three concentric rings of the chorus, who chanted and sang while the action was going on. Afterward, we went to the aformentioned Balinese restaurant, where we saw another dance, that of a male and female bumblebee finding love. There were only a few other people in the restarant, which was typical for just about every store and restaurant we went to. The food was delicious, but gave me the endless trots.

Friday was our big day out, the day when my tummy started churning. We started out at a batik factory and got to see how dyes and wax formed the cool patterns and colors of that process. Then we went to a gold and silversmith's and they showed us how they made those tiny intricate pieces of jewelry. Then it was on to an art studio (all of these places were just vehicles to buy their products, so you know). Then to a wood carver, where the little Balinese guy helping us went on a twenty minute diatribe against fundamentalist Islam and how it has hurt his country. We also saw a few temples, ranging from modest ones under banyan trees, to the massive Royal Temple that looked like it belonged in a movie. That night we drove to the Western side of Bali to Tanah Lot, where we were hoping to see the sunset, but didn't because of clouds. We came back to the hotel and ate dinner at the outdoor restaurant on the beach, and a quartet of musicians serenaded us with folk music from the 60s and 70s.

The next morning, we slept in and bummed around, then packed our stuff to meet up with our ride back to the airport. The flight back was fine, though I started feeling chilled, attributing it to the air conditioning. I played Street Fighter II on my seat-screen. Janet's father picked us up from the airport, and when we got back to the house, I went straight to bed and didn't wake up for three hours. I was burning up, and sweating, and shivering, and Janet suggested we go to the doctor. So her parents took us to the clinic in the bottom of the airport, we had to put on SARS masks, and wait. I told the doctor my problems and she diagnosed food poisoning. That was Saturday evening (Saturday morning to most of you people), and I still haven't gotten over it.

Which is why the last three days have pretty much been a wash. I hope I get better so that I'll be able to spend the last few days with my lady love before going home Saturday.

---

Now Reading:
All the Names by Jose Saramago

Stories Out to Publishers:
9

Books Read This Year:
21

Novel Word Count:
9200