Living it up in Bali

Greetings again from Bali, Indonesia.

After being in Amed, Bali, we spent a few days at "home" in the beautiful house of a friend of friend, enjoying being unpacked, cooking, and being able to snack at will.

We are now in Ubud, the art center of Bali.  It's in the hills, surrounded by rice paddies.

 Beautiful Bali rice paddies

Tonight we're staying at a swanky hotel, complete with shower gel, hair conditioner, lots of fluffy towels, and a view of the rice paddies.  While I love being in out-of-the-way places, seeing "untouched" cultures and wildlife, it is such a treat to be pampered in relative luxury.

The view from our swanky room

Sunset drinks by the pool overlooking the rice paddies

(Photo courtesy of Denise Robbin)

Like they say, if everything is amazing, nothing is amazing.  The contrasts in where we have traveled to where we are now makes each place we travel amazing.

Nadia

Summer Camp

Wishing that I could go back...

The peppiest camp I ever did see it never goes a pokin,
If I were to tell you the pep it had you'd think I was a jokin, 
It's not the pep in the pep in the pepper pot or the pep in the vinegar stopper, 
It's not the pep in the mustard jar or the pep in the popcorn popper, 
It's good old fashion P E P, 
The kind that here is found, 
Oh Camp Hoffman, oh Camp Hoffman you're the peppiest camp around.

Maya

A good week in Indonesia

Definition of a good week - Seeing wild orangutan, Komodo Dragons, and scuba diving with giant manta rays all in the same week.  

Life is good.

Rob

6am boat trip to Komodo National Park

On Rinca Island

Looking for his next meal.

Big males

Incredibly powerful

Hoping the big guy in the back doesn't get hungry while I'm taking this photo.

Mira exploring small island near Komodo

Serious scavenger

In Love

I'm in love!

I love being in Amed, on the northeastern tip of Bali, Indonesia, staying in a quiet little town known for its snorkeling and diving.  This little town is fairly undeveloped, though there are lots of guest houses and dive shops.  It reminds me of the coastal part of Tulum, Mexico.  It's got that same sort of laid-back vibe - the vibe for which Bali is known (but probably no longer has in the southern touristy parts of the island).

 Sunrise in Amed

The Bamboo Bali Guesthouse

I love that today, another family is joining us on our trip!  We've known Denise and Jay since before Rob and I were married.  They came to our wedding in the Emirates.  We see them every summer when we're in USA.  Their two kids, Charlotte and Jimmy, are the same ages as Maya and Mira.  Spending two weeks with them in Bali way makes up for not seeing them at Indian Lake this summer!

I love that tomorrow, we're going to a house, to stay there for two whole weeks!!  We'll be able to unpack.  We will be able to play music as loudly as we'd like.  We'll have a kitchen.  We can buy and eat simple, fresh, and uncooked vegetables and foods.  Heaven!

Oh yes, I'm damn lucky and I'm in love...

Nadia

Local Remedies

"This one time, one of the guides was attacked by a Komodo dragon.  He was leading a group on Rinka Island, and I guess he got too close to the burrow for the Komodo's comfort.  It came after him, and his group ran away," our guide explained. "He got bitten around the ankle, but still managed to climb up a tree. His leg was dripping blood, and the dragon was waiting at the bottom of the tree, waiting for his dinner. Luckily some other guides came to his rescue and got him down.  He was sent to the hospital in Bali, and spent two months there."
"Wow," Mira exclaimed."
"And who usually gets attacked? The guides or the tourists?" asked Papa with growing curiosity.
"The villagers." We had no idea there were villages on Rinka, we just assumed that the entire island was a protected area.
"Do the villagers have any local remedies for dragon bites?" I asked for my South East Asian health class.
"Yes," our guide answered, "they fly straight to the hospital in Bali."

Maya

Auntie Jane

The sound of music filled in the gaps of silence.

"Ok" The driver said while getting out of the car. he grabs our bags and we all follow him into the hotel. We had just arrived at Flores island at a hotel called jayakarta resorts. I walk in and see a front desk made out of beautiful old wood, then i look to the right and see another beautiful old table and beautiful old chairs, that remind me of my aunt, She makes art out of drift wood and stuff, its really cool, if she owned a hotel this is what it would look like. Anyways, I keep walking and i see a HUGE chess set and a big pool. My face becomes lightens at the sight of it.

"Can I PLEEEEEAAAASE go explore the beach!" I pleaded

"Ok but make it quick." Dad said. I run to see the beach as soon as my feet touched the sand burning from the mid day sun i see a beautiful landscape of the ocean and a bunch of little islands with big mountains. I look to my left and see an old broken down ship, I look to my right and see a bunch of old drift wood pieces stuck in the ground, Which also made me think of my aunt. I walk down to the waters edge. The waves were small and the sand was black, it was volcanic sand. then i realized how long it had been and ran back up to the lobby, Mom and dad were just getting the bags to go up stairs, perfect timing I thought, grabbed by bag and jumped in the elevator, still smiling because I know what adventures are to come in the next few days.

Mira

P.S. (Her website: janemaroniorganicdesighns.com )

Nice first day on the beach in Bali

Lunch on the beach.

Rob

Amazing wildlife of Borneo

What an amazing experience in Borneo.

Rob

First Week of School

Greetings from Bali! 

We are having a one-day layover here en route to Flores, where we plan to go diving and see Komodo dragons.  We booked our flights this way just in case the volcano in east Java delayed flights into Denpesar again (is anyone outside of the area even aware that this volcano has been erupting lately?).

The girls started school a week ago.  We agreed that our travel in Thailand and Laos was “summer vacation” and that the girls would “go back to school” as soon as we got to Indonesia. 

The girls’ first week of school was a field trip for science (impact of man on the ecosystems of the rainforests of Borneo), social studies (economics of Dayak fishing communities in East Kalimantan), and physical education (trekking).

Children paddling to school on the mighty Mahakam River in Borneo

On Friday, the girls started the more formal part of their homeschooling.  They downloaded and signed up for a few apps, picked country-relevant literature to read at night, registered for a couple of online classes, watched one or two Khan Academy videos, and spent time designing classes based on where we will be traveling.   

It’s going to be an empowering year for the girls.  I am convinced that their learning is going to be deeper than if they were in a “normal” school (and we weren’t taking this year off).  And they will definitely be true international school students who have a first-hand understanding that there are other ways of doing things and that the “other” is also correct.  It’s going to be an interesting school year!

Nadia

Global World

We saw fishermen catching fish.  Women were cleaning and drying fish.  The dried fish were packaged in cardboard boxes and shipped around the world.

It sounds really straight forward.  Except that the fishing community was very remote.  We drove seven hours north to Kota Bangun to catch a motorized canoe to go two more hours to get to the guesthouse in Muara Muntai where we spent the night.  In the morning we rode another three hours on the Mahakam River to get to what was left of Jempang Lake in this dry season.  The boxed fish are put on a motorized canoe, shipped down to Balikpapan to be shipped to the Island of Java for local use or further shipping to the world at large (mainly China).

This place is remote and pretty untraveled.  We've only seen four non-Indonesians in three days in this neighborhood (not surprisingly, they were a Spanish couple from near Bilbao and a young Dutch couple).  And a whole fishing community thrives because of this global trade.

Being global is a good thing.  Here in Indonesia, we know the common Moslem greetings and the call-to-prayer is familiar.

My daughters are in their hotel room "chatting" with friends who are maybe in Zimbabwe, maybe in Canada, maybe in Jordan... (but they asked me the other day how to address a postcard!).  While we were in Phuket, Rob and I great time listening to a local band playing Pink Floyd and Bob Marley.

But being global and connected is not always wanted.  Phuket was full of summer holiday-makers.  Pattaya was full of tours.  Vang Vieng was backpacker heaven.  Except for Laos, we've seen McDonald's and Starbucks in all the cities.  Being off the beaten track in remote East Kalimantan is a welcome change.  I finally feel like I'm traveling...

Nadia

Rainy Days

It starts as a small pitter patter on the sand, creating tiny dips between the grains.  But soon the beach is a muddy pool, bare of beach towels and umbrellas. The downpour slows down, the sky filling with hope. But the drizzle continues, keeping the sand damp and the people away.  What happened to the promise of sunny skies and days lounging by the sea? Instead of spending a day relaxing beneath an umbrella, the day was spent indoors, with nothing to do but sing, "rain, rain, go away, come again another day, little Johnny wants to play, rain, rain, go away."

Maya

Iphone photos

Never being known by family and friends as an "IT Guru", the beginning of this trip has been somewhat of a computer challenge for me. Unlike the rest of my travel companions, I've always been a PC user and only switched to join the rest of my Apple groupies at the start of this trip with the purchase of a new MacAir laptop. So, as part of the growing pains of learning how to use a Mac, I've just recently learned how to download photos taken on my iPhone to my computer (I know, pretty basic - what can I say?). As I sit watching a monsoon season downpour and as we sit waiting for ride to the airport for a flight from Phuket to Bangkok,  now seems like as good a time as any share some of the trip photos from my iPhone.
Enjoy.

Rob

Temple in Luang Prabang, Laos

Viang Vien, Laos

6 inches insect of some sort

frog kebabs

                             In Pattaya with longtime friend Dino Marsocci and wife Helen

Big crabs in Thailand

Fishing boats, island off of Pattaya

Maya snacking on fried scorpion

Mira, Ao Nang Beach

This little guy was eyeing Mira's food contemplating a quick snatch

Beautiful Krabi

Ling Ling climbing

A rare selfie, on dive boat off Phi Phi Island

Sunset boatride

fisher girl

Beach now famous from the movie "The Beach"

This cat seems to have it made, what do you think?