Day 18: Cobra's and Dogs ... Uh

So if I had not already mentioned, Brit lives about 100 meters down a grass bordered brick alleyway only reachable by motorbike. The first half of the alley is bordered by a small rice field on one side, concrete wall on the other. The second 50 meters is concrete walls on either side with a few doors leading into villas. If you continue down the alley another 50 meters you would hit a large rice field and apparently there's a big Cobra that chills there, maybe several. Who knew Cobra's lived in rice fields? Brit has yet to see the big one but he's had friends that observed it right outside his door, and his dog has killed several baby ones in his garden that were about 18" long. And then there are the dogs ... In Bali they run wild throughout the entire country but as of late, they are having incident with rabbies. And there must be 5 random dogs that I have passed on my bike down his alley, which Brit informs me like to snap at bule's (white people). So keep this all in mind for this next part. 

I wake at 3:45am, make a call to the cab company to make sure they will pick me up at 4 at the end of the alley on the road. I load up to leave, huge Gregory travelpack strapped on my back, over the shoulder bag around the front, and my iPhone flashlight app to guide me. As I make my exit, lock the door, my local cell starts to chirp, it's the cabbie. He's speaking really fast Indo-English, says he's at the entrance of the alley, but I see no lights down by the street. He keeps asking questions, distracting my attention from the path, the one with possible cobras and dogs, that I am traversing in the pitch black dead of night. I attempt to tell the cabbie to meet me at D-Mart (like a small 7-11) about 50 feet south of the alley entrance, so I can get off the phone and focus on my task. I realize I've been walking without paying enough attention, and I'm now next to the small rice field. I hear something rustling in the tall grass, but hear no growl, which makes it all the more creepy. I tell the taxi driver to hold as I shine my flash light app in that direction, nothing. I hear a distant bark closing in and hear more grass rustling. Uh, this is not the best time to observe, so I high tail it to the road, never looking back. I'm sure I looked pretty stoic with my packs on my back and front flopping as I sprinted in the dark with 2 cell phones in my hands, one in my ear and the other lighting the path. I reach the end, heart beating, eyes adjusting, just in time to look back down the alley and hear a yelp from a dog. I have no clue what happened, but here I am going to take creative liberties and allude to the fact that the dog was was attacked by the 6ft Cobra that was hot on my trail. Whether that's true or not, we will never know ...  

So that brings you up to speed on the first 30 minutes of my day. Now for the airport. I think when I arrive, it might have just opened. I went to the Lionair counter, there were a few people scurrying behind it setting it up for the day. I got in what I thought was a line at the 2nd counter, I am #3, and waited patiently for somone to sit behind it. As I stood there, more and more people joined me, but not behind me, they walked to the front of other counters as if they were there first. Semi-lines, more like crowds formed around them, and I thought, do they not see us in our nice perfectly formed line? The girls put up a sign saying our flight behind 2 of the counters and the crowds quickly shift and form quasi-lines behind it with no respect to who was there first. I would of been number 20 by the time the lines straightened out and was having none of that because your seat is assigned at check-in. So I busted to the front, just stood number 3 in one of the lines, and ignored the crazy people behind me. I think someone was saying something negative in a native tongue but since I'm a "bule", I did not care to look back or listen. I asked for the window exit row seat that reclines, got it, and went through to the gate.

When our flight was called on the speaker to the gate, it was pandimoniun. Again, it becomes a crowd mentality with pushing and shoving, no organization or sections being called. Once through the bustle, we descend some stairs and see a bus waiting to take us to our plane. They pack it full, to the point of dangerous - imagine an overstuffed subway car, most people standing, with not nearly enough bars and handles to grab - and of we go. We stop by one plane, a few words are exchanged, I guess that's not ours for today,0 and we move on. He stops at another, the doors open up and people scatter for both entrance staircases, one in the front and one in the rear. I ascend the front, find my seat, store my bag, and realize they gave me the wrong exit row, the one that does not recline ... Blurgh! 

Shane's driver Augus was waiting for me at the airport with a big sign saying DEANO. We jumped in Shane & Lindsay's ride and head for our 3 hour trek to Semarang, 3 hours and 15 minutes if you include the pitstop by Mickey D's! 

This blog has gone on way too long already so tomorrow I'll catch you up on the crazy drive, the beautiful volcanos, Shane's sweet house, & the great fellowship we had. Till then, nite nite from the iPhone blogger!