hibiscus in the hair, a snake smelling toes

After a while of being in Bali, we are ready to move on. It is pretty here, the people are very nice, but we both have concurred that thailand is our most favorite country so far. For being such a small island, Bali is really packed. The beaches are very westernized, and packed with hawkers. The Hawkers aren't as bad as in Cambodia, where the people selling anything from a massage to a banana, will sit down next to you, ask your name, and now according to them you are freinds, and you must buy...and if you're not going to buy, then hows about putting them through school?
No bali isn't as bad as cambodia in that sense, but even though it is cheap, everything costs. Just sitting in a chair on the beach, you can pay up to 10 dollars to use it. (we never have, but still). This month has been nice because we have a place to leave our bags, and stay in one place for awile, But we are ready for more adventure.
We leave next wednesday, to Kuala lumpur. We plan on spending a night there, and catch a bus or train to butterworth, and island hop over to Penang. Who know how long we'll stay, but after that its back to thailand, to explore the adaman (andaman?) coast. Where, apparently, limey cliffs riotously shoot from the sea, and where a traveller can find seclusion. We'll see.
We've been using this time to save money, as my card still has yet to arrive, my bank assures me its on its way, but if no card by tomorrow, I'm gonna have to think of western unioning us our own money...can you do that? Sounds plausible. So we've been occupying our time with chess, cards, reading(favorite book."stay alive my son" read it. Its awesome, a true account of this guy who survived the Khmer rouge) watching movies, and going to the beach.
Last night we we're on a quest to find a bar, within proximity to the beach, maybe with some music. we found one, but large Bintangs(local beer) were 2.50 a bottle! Not so expensive in the states, but just a walk down the strip to the circle K, we bought the same thing for 1.80. Thats just simple economics my friends. So we walked out to some abandoned lawn chairs, had some beers. the Moon was full, and it did in fact hit your eye like a big Pizza pie! Any hoo, at one point Ryan went up to go to the toilet, and he returned with two giant shots of Arack. Arack is the local hooch here, it varies in potency, and repulsivness. But it takes very little to catch a buzz, and there is virtually no hangover. So as we're sitting there sipping arack, Ryan leaps off his seat, screams not so much like a girls, but more like the panicked bleating of a Goat, knocks over his Arack, and I asked "what?"
He strung together some words, leading me to believe, that there was a snake under his chair, and it had licked his foot.
And in fact there was. and in its snake like fashion it returned to the sea. Because it was in fact a sea snake, as posinous, as they are good swimmers. Ryan was literally minutes away from being bitten. As we later found out, they only come up on the sand if they are really hungry, and can't find anything in the rocky pier.
Well thats about it for now, hope all is well with everyone!
Jill and Ryan