I wake up at 7:00 in the morning. Lately, I often go surfing early in the morning, so it’s like going to bed early and getting up early. I think to myself that I am really healthy. Since I came to Bali, I have been leading a life that can only be described as healthy. I eat well-balanced meals every day, go to bed early and get up early, and exercise early in the morning. I think it’s a really healthy life. I don’t think the word “sick” even enters my mind. I think such an environment is wonderful.

Prepare for checkout

Today is the day to go from Canggu area to Kuta area. In other words, it is time to say goodbye to this hostel. I took a shower, folded the laundry, and packed it in my backpack.

T-shirts and bath towels were not dry yet, so I hung them outside and picked them up just before check-out. Finally, I decided to go to my favorite Indonesian restaurant nearby for breakfast.

I think it’s really healthy to eat nutritious food in the morning.

I ate a good breakfast and returned to the hostel after filling up on nutrition. As I was walking to the hostel, I wished I could say bye-bye to the girls for the last time.

When I got back to the hostel, Andrea was there, apparently preparing her luggage. Apparently, they were checking out today, too, and were going to Ubud. So we checked out together. We packed my bags and left the room together.

I wanted to take a picture with her as a souvenir. So I said, “Let’s take a picture together! But she was really confused about where to take the picture. So we decided to go to the front desk.

Alexandra was there, too, chatting with the Australian boys. At that moment, I immediately became introverted. I thought, “What am I going to do…?” Really, it was a sign that I was not used to groups. The problem of not knowing how to behave in a group. I think this is a really big problem. So, I decided to check out for now to calm down.

And I was able to check out without incident. After that, I was packing my bags at the table at the end of the room. But the girls were talking to the Aussies, so I didn’t know when to talk to them. So anyway, I went back to my room and went to the bathroom. At the same time, I realized I had forgotten my shampoo rinse, so I retrieved it.

I stayed there for a minute or so to compose myself. Now, how do I have the courage to say in a group, “Let’s take a picture!” Now is a challenge for me. I’m just going to try my best, and just relax. With this thought in mind, I brushed my hair and headed downstairs to the lobby.

Alexandra’s body was turned toward the Australians, and I was worried that she might not like me.

So, after putting shampoo and conditioner in my bag, I boldly said, “Hey! Let’s take a photo together!”

And Alexandra said, “Oh! You are here.” Apparently, she didn’t realize I was here. After all, that’s how it goes. 90% of anxiety never happens. Good grief, Kota.

So we decided to take a picture together near the pool! I asked a Russian-looking girl nearby who was playing with a computer to take our picture. I was very nervous, but I was able to get the shot in the middle, just as I had imagined.
I was wondering if I would be able to go in the middle after I said that. So I’m glad it turned out that way.

I was nervous, but it was great to be able to shoot with everyone. And even more so because I didn’t know that today was the last day.

We also took a selfie with Andrea’s iPhone. I don’t have glasses, so I couldn’t see much, but because I couldn’t see, I could just smile normally. I thought that was a really good point.

From then on, I told the girls my emoticon. First of all, thank you. I told them that I was too shy to talk to them, so thanks to the brave Alexandra, I was able to make friends with them in this way.

Alexandra also told me how happy she was that I had written her a letter, which made me very happy.

There was music playing in the background, so even though we were in the middle of talking, Andrea started dancing lol. So they taught me how to dance. I told them that I did not know how to dance and that Japanese people do not dance that dynamically. They told me that it was important to use my shoulders and hips to the maximum and that I should train them.

Their dance was really interesting to watch. Their dance was really interesting to watch because it was a new territory for me and I had never been involved with this type of dance before, so it really, really made my eyes sparkle.

Also, Andrea told me that if I came to Norway, I could come and stay with her, which made me really happy. Of course, when I go to Norway, I will stay there! Everyone was really friendly, and I thought Europeans are the best.

We also talked about clubs, and it seems that Alexandra is the same as me, she doesn’t like to drink a lot or get drunk, she just wants to dance with the music. Really, the same.

After talking like this, we decided to have lunch together at the hostel.

I was telling Andrea about yesterday’s story and how I had mistaken her for Lena, which was very funny. We were laughing at each other.

I asked her if she was vegan, and she said she wasn’t, but apparently Alexandra is vegan. So she told me that she misses meat a lot because she has been eating only vegetarian food lately. I can totally understand that. I have a few vegan friends, and when we go out together, we don’t eat meat at all.

Andrea eats nasi goreng, Alexandra eats fruit, bread and eggs.

I ordered the pineapple pancakes.

I had never had pineapple pancakes before, so it was really interesting. While I was eating the pancakes, I was talking with Andrea about how amazing it is that Indonesians eat chicken with a fork and spoon, because I hadn’t used a knife in a long time.

I was a little happy because I hadn’t used a knife in a long time. Apparently, Andrea had traveled to China and ate a lot of Chinese food in Beijing, so she can use chopsticks now because she had used them a lot. She also told me that in Norway, sushi is everywhere, so she uses chopsticks a lot. She told me these things.

In the course of our conversation, Alexandra showed me a picture she was drawing. She was drawing indescribable illustrations and pictures with a Cambodian feel to them. They ranged from very unique, which I had never seen before, to very creative. But there were so many that made me wonder how she could think of how to draw these pictures. Really, I was very curious to see what was going on in her head.

Besides, we got on the subject of music and I asked Andrea about ABBA. I am a big ABBA fan, so I was curious if Andrea liked ABBA too. She told me that she is in the quarter and that her grandmother is Swedish, so her grandmother listens to ABBA a lot.

I also shared with her that when I saw the Mamma Mia movie, I wanted to get up and dance. I was so happy to have someone to share such things with. When I told Japanese people that the dancing queen scene in Mamma Mia made me want to dance, they said, “Oh, really? Heh!” and that’s it. But Andrea was different. I got through to her and she wanted to dance, too! I understand so much! I really love it too! I was so happy.

It’s so hot today. I took a break to eat pineapple pancakes and drink some water.

Alexandra took out a notebook and asked me to write a message. I decided to write a message in Japanese.

Because I dare to write messages in Japanese, I can genuinely convey what I think and what I feel to my heart’s content. I think this is really wonderful. I thought that the Japanese language is wonderfully used in this kind of situation. I am not good at Japanese. It is a language that creates “distance” from the very beginning, and the use of honorifics, respectful language, and humble language, the choice of words, and everything else is too complicated. That is why I am not good at Japanese. However, when I write letters, it is easier to convey my true feelings straight from my heart because, contrary to English, there are many words that do not exist in English. I thought that was wonderful.

I wrote the letter in one page tightly. So I wrote the date and my signature at the end and gave it to Alexandra, saying, “You can translate it into English if you use Google Translate! lol” When I actually translated it, it really translated what I wanted to say. But since Japanese does not have a subject, I had become the subject of the message.

On a different page of Alexandra’s notebook was a schedule written by her ex-boyfriend. I feel that human life, or human drama, especially between men and women, is wonderfully complex, deep, difficult, beautiful, sweet, and sad.

I still think that love is wonderful.

And so the conversation went to relationshop. Andrea asks me if I have a girlfriend. I, of course, don’t lol. We were talking about how difficult it is to have a girlfriend or boyfriend while traveling. Apparently, Alexandra broke up with ex boyfriend. We also talked about how nice it would be to travel together. I told her that I really wanted to travel with someone I love someday. But for now, I still want to explore on my own, and because of that, I am free and can meet many different people. It makes me grow up, discover new things about myself, develop myself, influence the other person’s life, and bump into each other. Of course, “bumping into” does not mean bad. I think we both have parts of our human drama that we bump into each other. But I think that is the true “meaning” of life.

Now, I know I’m a little off topic, but that’s how I was talking about love. I was asked whether I wanted to date a Japanese woman or a foreigner in the future, and I said that of course I wanted a foreigner. To my surprise, they said they wanted a foreigner, too lol. That was a surprise to me. I was surprised that there are so many foreigners who want to have a date with foreign people in the world. But as long as you speak English, it doesn’t really matter what nationality or country you are from, as long as you are attracted to and love the “human being”.

My dream is to partner with a European and have a romantic and intense love. I can definitely do that, and I will.

Because we were in the lobby of the hostel, there was always music playing. But the music was all in French, probably because there were always a large number of French people there. So Andrea asked if we could request some Swedish music, too. She brought a remote control and started playing Swedish songs. People around us were like, “What’s this song?” lol. But we were very excited. So we were listening to the Swedish song with the music video.

The Swedish song was rhythmic and sounded like rap music. But unlike rap music, the melodies were simple and had a “sound” to them. I wonder if this is some kind of music genre called Funk? Among them, I was watching a music video of Andrea’s dance teacher. What a surprise, he is an teacher but also an artist. So I thought it was amazing. At the same time, I felt that she is really into dancing.

I think it’s really wonderful to be passionate about something like that. The songs we were listening to were Deliah by Isah, Girlfriend by Ruger, Achuu and A Minute by Matata. Andrea was especially excited during the songs Achuu and Girlfriend. She would stand up and start dancing rhythmically and suddenly by herself without paying attention to others.

I couldn’t believe she is 25 years old, really 25? I felt so pure and innocent. Andrea was so wonderful like that. When I watch her, I felt like as if the incredibly thick ice of the distorted shape of the “human eye” on the outside of me was melting away, and I was smiling so much which I have truely pure light inside. She was always smiling and dancing, even though she was looking at Alexandra and me. Andrea was like me dancing around in my room in the middle of the night, listening to music in my earphones and getting silly. In my case, I can dance only in my room in the middle of the night, so I wished I could go out and dance like her. I thought how wonderful she is. She is really attractive. The way she danced so innocently is glorious.

Besides, Alexandra and Andrea were watching the music video and exchanging opinions about how they liked the song but didn’t like the music video or how weird it was. And they were smiling and laughing so much during the funny scenes. I was surprised that there are such innocent Norwegians. I had been brainwashed by many people and media that Norwegians are proud and very cold. I really can’t believe it. I don’t think many Japanese exchange opinions or laugh while watching music videos. We can smile, laugh, and spend time together over something like this. I was really moved by how wonderful this is, and I could feel the genuineness of the two of them. At the same time, I was so happy to have met these two people.

So we never ran out of time, so Andrea said, “Let’s call a cab,” and Alexandra called a cab. So I decided to move to Kuta, too, and called a cab. I packed my bag, gave a hug to Alexandra and Andrea, and said good-bye.

It’s really a wonderful meeting. Really, really. It was the best moment.

At the same time, I learned once again not to believe what I hear from others, that “Norwegians are cold.” What people say is more than 80% subjective, so I thought that the only thing I can believe is what I have seen, heard, and been involved in. The world is dangerous. There are media, objects, and people everywhere that make us uneasy. How important it is to judge them, to live purely and always without colored glasses. It is really difficult. It is very complicated and difficult. But once again, I want to live my life with this in mind.

Getting on the bikes and head to the Kuta area

From then on, I took a Grab cab from Canggu to Kuta. My bag weighed over 11 kg, so it was very heavy and I was constantly using my abdominal muscles. On the way, I asked the driver to carry my backpack. So after about 30 minutes, we arrived at the hostel.

I waited outside for 45 minutes before check-in time. Then an Indonesian guy came and talked to me in a very friendly way. He was apparently a waiter at a cafe and told me how long I would be staying in Kuta and that I could rent a surfboard if I told him I surfed. In other words, he is a sales guy.

But there was another guy from Jakarta besides him, and he was an attendant for another Japanese guy. There was another Japanese guy, and he was very unsure of himself. He was wearing glasses and he was an older guy? He was wearing a regular jersey and was really sloppy dressed, not like Bali. He could not speak English, so he was using Google Translate. I felt again how different some Japanese are from the rest of the group. I was glad that I could speak English.

I had the wrong day to check in for a month

Well, it was time to check in, and lo and behold, I had made a reservation from July 27 to August 3, one month wrong. That was really bad.

I decided to change my schedule and move to a different hostel. The cafe waiter immediately recommended a different hostel, but I said I wanted to make my own decision.

Yoshinoya near the hostel

I found a nice looking hostel, so I booked it right away and moved there as it was only a kilometer walk away. The Kuta area was like a city, with lots and lots of “the tourists”. It did not feel as warm as the Canggu area.

Arriving at the hostel, I take a short rest. My whole body is very tired and very sore.

After a short rest, I was hungry, so I walked to a local Indonesian restaurant.

I was listening to music as I walked along, and many people were trying to get me to get a massage. But I was concentrating on the music and ignored them.

Then, I eat dinner. It was only 4:00 p.m., but I felt like eating something. I ate at a local food stall. I forgot the name of the place, but I ordered something like this.

This was 250 yen, and I also ordered watermelon juice, which was 100 yen. Very cheap. I was surprised. And it tasted so good.

I thought that when you come to Indonesia, you can feel the real culture of the country by going to the places where local people go, not to the restaurants where tourists go. There were really no tourists, only local people. But I am glad I went to this restaurant.

Walking back to the hostel, go to Kuta Beach

Since I’m going to be there, I decide to go see the beach and bring my computer and books.

When I arrive at the beach in Kuta, I was amazed at the sight!

The time is almost 5pm and the waves are too small. And there are hardly anyone surfing. And there are a lot of tourists, and I didn’t see people laying out mats and tanning or relaxing.

Everyone seemed to be a real tourist, and no one seemed to be a “temporary resident”. So I felt sadness, shock, and coldness.

Besides, one guy solicited me if I wanted to surf and when I asked him the price, it was 100,000 rupiah for two hours. It was double the price of Canggu. I really can’t believe it. It’s impossible. The guy also looked like he liked to rip me off, and the people were not very nice.

This was a shock to me.

Anyway, I went to Starbucks and wrote my diary. Then, I will probably leave Kuta soon and go to an island near Bali as soon as I finish my current projects, or go to the area where Monkey Forest is located. Then back to Canggu and head to Kuta one day before returning home to send parcel to Japan. I decided to think about such a schedule. I don’t think Kuta is good at all. The waves are too small anyway.

I think it is good for beginners, but my first surfing experience was in relatively big waves like Canggu, so that was my foundation. Thinking about it again, I’m glad I headed to Canggu Beach out of the blue.

This was all thanks to Chiru, and I was really grateful to him. If I had not joined the programming community Codolife last year, if I had not registered for the group enhancement consultation, I would never have met Chiru, and it was only because I learned that he was nomadically surfing in Bali, Indonesia, that I told him, “I want to surf! ” when we first met, and I made it happen on the same beach where Chiru was surfing. So it’s really unbelievable to think that if I hadn’t met Chiru, I wouldn’t have met my Norwegian friend, Lena from France, the big waves, and Yogi, who is a great instructor. I am so thankful and I really feel lucky.