Echo Beach

i flew in and spent a couple of days in the southern part of Bali because i wanted  to shop before i moved into more rural parts or the islands.  i'd been told not to linger in Kuta/Seminyak and that was good advice.  it's unimpressive and in some areas the touts are more than just annoying -  i don't care that they are selling viagra on the beach but some of them are obnoxious. 

Echo Beach is far enough up the coast to discourage the touts and it's a popular surf spot so lots of everything that goes along with that culture.  it's still strange for me to see so many westerners.  some days in Myanmar i go all day without speaking to a westerner.  then you show up at an expat event and there will be 150 and everyone is like 'where did all these westerners come from?'.  yeah, i know it's crazy.

the surf is very strong here and i am interested to take a lesson which i have never done but a couple of times when i went in to swim i was just tossed around like a rag doll so i need to start someplace much easier. in an amazing mixture of past centuries and present the beach is lined with graphiti fences amid the old temples.

Tanah Lot is one of the more spectacular shrines and it just north of Echo Beach so a few of us from yoga go for sunset one evening.  the days here are busy, wake up, yoga, eat, beach, massage, nap, pool, cocktails, sunset.  i'll be moving up to Ubud next which is in the middle of the island.