Bali Part 3: Relaxation & Island Hopping

It was a rough moment for us all and especially for Susanne. With the unfortunate death of her mom, all of our plans would have to change and understandingly so. The death of a loved one is never easy and this certainly was no different. Skype became Susanne's new best friend allowing her to coordinate with her sister back home to take care of arrangements for the estate and cremation of her mother.
     To keep her as comfortable as possible in her grieving time, we all agreed to upgrade our accommodations which led us to the Hyatt on the beach. The hotel was beautiful. While the girls relaxed and were spoiled beyond belief at the hotel spa, Baron and I snuck away to surf a reef break just out front. That night we also were able to go to the English group of Jehovah's Witnesses in Bali which was exciting!
     The next day we boarded a small boat and went to stay at the small island of Lembongan for a quick getaway from our getaway. It was really beautiful there as well and we were able to do a bit of snorkeling and island exploring. After staying one night, we headed back to the mainland, had our last night together, and just before dropping Susanne and Baron off at the airport to return home, our driver Nyoman had us over for dinner with his family. His wife prepared many dishes, one of which was sauteed goat. Not wanting to be ungrateful, we dug in (all except for Baron who is a Pescatarian and stuck to the vegetables and fish). Since I've never eaten goat, I was pleasantly surprised with it and the rest of the meal. It gave us a small, but very personal insight into the everyday life of Balinese locals.
     At the airport, we were sad to see them go and, after many discussions about whether we should return as well, we bid them adieu. Our next stop on Bali was the North-East in Candidasa.

Baron getting pumped for surfing as we take an outrigger to the nearest reef

 Yet another photograph of my father-in-law without his shirt

The view from our room on Lembongan - only $40

Quite a sunset overlooking the bay at Lembongan

 "Arrak Attack" drink, consists of Arrak (local moonshine), honey, orange juice, and lime

 Nyoman's neighbor, apparently this dress is typical of village life for the elderly and not out of the norm

 Fried corn patties

Nyoman with his wife, daughter, and mother

 Nyoman's niece from next door

Local from Nyoman's area

Bali Part 2: Ubud

     Ubud is a very cultural city. It has rice farmers and paddies, painting and wood artists, and a crazy monkey forest. It has culture, shopping, and many activities.
     We first did some shopping in and around the Ubud area. Shhhhhh! Don't tell anyone, but we purchased many of our family's gifts here totaling under $30. And if you know how big Brandon's family is, that's huge! We then went to a restaurant where we sat one foot off a pond of Koi fish overlooking a private rice paddy that was absolutely stunning in the twilight.
     The next day we went on a 11 mile bike tour. Thankfully for us it was all downhill. The ride was very unique. We passed several rice paddies where we actually got to partake in the rice harvesting, beating the rice out of the plant in which it grows. There were also wood carving shops, huge vined-trees, and gigantic spiders. Brandon even had a spider crawl on his face that was literally half the size of his head (and if you ever seen Brandon's huge cranium, then you know the spider must have been huge!). It was fantastic being able to view the culture uninhibited by modern technology and influences of materialism. That night we went to bed very early, for we had to wake up at 2 a.m.
     The crack of dawn (actually much before dawn) we set out by car where we drove for two hours and then hiked for nearly three hours up Mount Batur's Volcano for that morning's sunrise. The hike was arduous and taxing. Uneven, razor-sharp volcanic rock hampered our progress every step of the way. When we did reach what we thought was the top, we rejoiced in triumph only to learn that if we truly wanted to see the top and that morning's sunrise we needed to hike another half hour up much steeper terrain to our final destination: the volcano's summit and ridge.
     We finally had made it and to say we were exhausted was an understatement. We had climbed in upwards of a miles's accent in hot humid weather that the guide said even trained athletes had trouble (which we were far from). It was so beautiful to watch the sunrise and take in the view of the lake below and the opposing volcano in the distance. We even hiked a bit further to a spot where you can cook an egg in the super hot steam pockets that naturally vent from the volcano out-croppings. Needless to say that night we slept very well due to our rough 12 mile round trip visit to the summit of mount Batur.
     The next day brought us to the Monkey Forest. It was littered with baby monkeys, medium monkeys, and some monkeys the size of full grown children. It ended up becoming very evident that if had any sort of food in our possession then it was all out urban warfare for the monkeys. I've never seen a Banana ensue a riot before and if you ever had the desire of being attacked by up to ten monkeys at once, then just peel a banana and watch the chaos ensue. Needless to say, I was bit several times and Erica once. However, Erica definitely got the raw end of the deal as her bite needed medical attention.
     With all the fun happening, no one expected to see the storm clouds approaching. The next day Susanne received a very sobering email: her mother had just passed.

One of the million statues that are found everywhere in Bali

View of a rice paddy

Rice paddy worker

Rice Paddy Panorama

Rice Paddy Panorama #2

 Villager on our bicycle trek

 Typical of bathroom for the villagers (looks clean, eh?)

 These things are about the size of your finger, don't want to mess with them

 Rice Harvester

Curious old woman wondering why so many white people are in her village

 Erica "helping" harvest the rice

 local guys hangout

 Sickle wielding rice harvester

 the woman seem to work just as hard if not harder than most of the men here

 Gigantic Spider 

 No Caption necessary

 Erica saw this guy naked; right below him is a puddle of water where he just bathed

The elderly do just as much work as the youth in the fields

Water Bottle Collector - 10 empty water bottles can feed two people for a day

Gambler at a cock fight (we DID NOT stay to watch the main event)

 Only 1 of 2 campers allowed to sleep over night on the Volcano

 Baron & Susanne enjoying the steam facial as they take in the view

Panorama from the top of Mount Batur Volcano overlooking its sister volcano

 Banana thief

 Mommy and baby monkey

 We never knew there were Proctologist monkeys

Yes, the fangs hurt, and yes, this monkey is not modest

Monkey in town scavenging for scraps

Beautiful sunset overlooking dim living conditions

Bali Part 1: Kuta and Rama Beach

     Descriptive words of Bali. Hot. Green. Rain. Smiles. Cheap. This place is amazing. It is so remarkably beautiful and inexpensive that we can definitely see why people always talk about having to visit here. Great hotels only cost $60 bucks with dazzling pools and included breakfast buffets. To top it off the people are incredibly kind and greet you everywhere you go with warm smiles like your some sort of movie star.
     We first met with our driver Nyoman (pronounced New-man) who was recommended to us by Jason Jackson. Boy are we thankful for that recommendation. Nyoman has been so kind and invaluable and a truly trustworthy asset who has transported us up and down this island several times.
     We met Erica's parents when we got off the plane and quickly checked into the hotel in Kuta. The place was awesome, definitely comparable to a night stay at a $250 or more hotel in the states. We quickly immersed ourselves in the local culture by taking a stroll in the local markets where we received more than we bargained for.
     Erica and Brandon have often joked about the 'essence' of each country (referring to a putrid smell that often permeates the slums of third world countries we visit) and it found us with such a strong intensity coupled with soaring temperatures and high humidity that it had us scrambling to the entrance for fresh air. It was horrible and funny at the same time because we were definitely green in the face but knew it came with the territory.
     The next day we all had a very tiring day laying by the pool and flagging down the cocktail host for more handmade pizza and drinks. It was so exhausting *insert laughter here. Later that evening we went to the Ritz for a drink (that was all we could afford there, crazy expensive even by U.S. standards) and watched an amazing sunset with Baron and Susanne.
     The first few days of Bali had come and gone and our acclamation was over. It was time to go explore the rest of the Bali. The next stop: Ubud, the cultural heart of Bali.

$60 bucks a night, can't beat that, actually you can but I digress

 'Friendly' market woman

 Some of the hottest peppers we've ever had (Baron at them like candy)

Coconut chopping

 All smiles in the market

 An unknown tasty fruit

 Cute old man in the market who liked we had caught dancing when he thought no one else was looking

Erica trying to escape the market before her lunch came back up

 Clear water much?

 Our driver, Nyoman

 Baron & Susanne at the Ritz with an incredible view behind them

 Brandon & Erica at the Ritz

View from the Ritz

Massive Bamboo Lobster