Indonesia 2013: Panic Attack!

I experienced my first proper panic attack of my life yesterday, which was not fun. My last bit of money was taken by the police when they stopped us en-route to Uluwatu. The police are probably more corrupt here than in South Africa and prey on tourists and travelers. Bribery is an everyday occurrence. Being on the Bali police force must be one of the ‘highest earning’ jobs because of it.

They checked our licenses and said that we needed international ones, which we obviously didn’t have. They said we had two options: to either spend a night in Denpasar jail and pay 1 000,000 Rupiah each the next day, or pay them half that amount now and be on our merry way. When they saw that we didn’t have enough cash on us, they accepted 250,000 IDR each, gave us a signed piece of paper, and said that we wouldn’t be stopped again. “Have a great day!” they seemed to say while waving us off. Our local friend says that the jail thing is bullshit and that the police just say that to scare you and make some quick bucks. How much you actually pay them is even negotiable…

I don’t plan to hire a scooter again while here, and I would never do it alone without a local guide. Riding through heavy traffic is extremely intense and took some severe concentration. I’m just so glad that I have lived through it unscathed! It was a good experience nonetheless. We made a full day if it.

The entire afternoon was spent on the southern part of Bali – visiting the famous beaches, including one that was the setting for “Eat, Pray, Love” and another rocky one called Dream Beach, where all the pro surfers go. We also checked out Uluwatu Temple, which is built on a cliff-face and boasts some of the best views in Bali. Finally, we visited a sacred area mostly unknown to tourists. There are these huge statues built right into the mountainous rock!

We were also caught in a sudden thunderstorm while on Dream Beach and all huddled together in a cave to wait it out. It was a surreal, primitive vibe and I couldn’t help but laugh. The storm passed over in about 45 minutes, but the ride back to Kuta on wet roads was harrowing to say the least! I am still so relieved to be alive after that experience.

The panic attack kicked in that evening while reflecting on how I could have died, ended up in hospital, or even worse, in jail! I was literally penniless and had thoughts about being homeless until my F’ing bank card arrives… It simply has to arrive this week. Yesterday I survived on a bread roll and some old jam which I had kept from breakfast during my Swastika stay in Sanur. I felt nauseous and was pacing up and down my room not knowing if I was going to faint or vomit. I managed to distract myself by watching Friends and eventually got to sleep around 1am.

I was staying in a small room, had paid for just one night, and explained my situation to the staff, who were really friendly and understanding about the whole thing. My American friend Theo is also staying here. We had also met a cool 36-year-old New Zealander whose wife had recently left him. It sounds like he has come here for a bit of saucy escapism.

So the highs and lows of my Indonesian travels are certainly keeping me on my toes. I’m managing to remain relatively optimistic and believe that things will work out. I feel like I have achieved and experienced a great deal in the past two weeks, and I still have two more to go! I’m sure this is all very character building.

Next: Indonesia 2013: Land of the Lotus Eaters

Previously: Indonesia 2013: Living Like a Local