Groceries

After a long day of teaching, I came home with the intent to feed the monsters, and head into town for dinner and groceries by about 5pm. My food is critically low at the house and I knew that I specifically needed milk for the coffee in the am (sadly no 1/2 & 1/2 here). And no easy task buying good quality Australian milk. The nearby local IndoMarts don't sell it.

But to grocery shop is a serious journey for me right now. Helmet on head and close-toed shoes on feet, I left my bungalow for the 30 minute drive in, following another co-worker so we could have dinner. The after work traffic is the worst. It is crowded and with no signals and small streets, it can be stressful. Never take your eyes off the road, look left/right/behind in mirrors and don't panic when honked and passed by big trucks. Stay steady and look out for potholes.

We made it and she showed me a new area where she now lives. We parked our scooters and walked up these hidden cement pathways flush with foliage, a running stream, rice paddies and yoga studios hidden amongst organic restaurants lit by candles and dripping with expat atmosphere. It was yummy and surreal at the same time. And afterwards she directed me the "back way" to the grocery store. It was a narrow and steep (at times) road, leading to the main road in Ubud. We only got turned around once. Ha! It's all so new to me, that I am sure anyone reading this from Bali is laughing. But seriously to get around on a scooter, in crazy traffic, or in the dark through unfamiliar territory is a trip.

So when I was finally riding home and in this easy pothole-less patch of the road with rice paddies on either side of me, I thought what was actually in my backpack? What did I buy that could fit on my back that I so desperately needed? (I bought a school backpack the other week so I could do just this: grocery shop on my scooter). Well, here is what I thought were the essentials for the next few days until I do it all over again:

mangoes

milk

cucumbers

cat food (two cans since weaning off the bottle has begun)

mini bananas    

two kitchen towels (the kitties are cleaning me out of all my towels)

olive oil (small bottle)

1 paper towel roll

humus

baby wipes (for the kitty butts)

feta cheese

ant chalk 

small loaf of bread

1 tall beer

pineapple juice

 It seems like a strange list to me too. But the kitties are seriously messy and learning how to become cats and I have some basic stuffs at my home already: coffee, rice, beans, coconut milk, etc. There you go, my evening eating out and grocery shopping. It only took about five hours since I made it home by 10:00pm. Sometimes I miss the convenience of Trader Joes.