Laura Has A Lot To Say: August 2013

Bali Day 4

Day 4 in Bali was by far my favorite. The tour guide picked me up at 8am.

We first went to see where they make musical instruments.

Testing the sound! When he didn't like what he heard he made a tiny adjustment. He was quite an artist (I couldn't hear what was wrong, typical).

Finished product!

We drove up to Mt Batur, an active volcano. It was beautiful. It last errupted in the 90s. The dark shadow is burnt land and volcanic ash remains.

Other views from the top of the road...A good portion of Eat, Pray, Love was filmed here.

We then went and saw a Balinese village. The village was amazing. I'm so high strung that I have trouble relaxing on vacation (what me?) and this was really the first time that I was able to just sit, be present and think about this amazing culture and country.

Entry to home we toured. The chalk board on the wall says how many people live there.

Entry into home...love the landscaping

Kitchen

The eldest in the family sleeps in the kitchen, closest to the fire (seeing as how it's always hot here not sure why this is a priviledge.

Main house

Then it was off to see the village temple (I had to wear that outfit..don't judge).

We started our trek back to the hotel and I thought I'd try to take some pictures of motorbikes from the car. Motorbikes are everywhere and they drive like lunatics. Last year 550 people died in motorbike accidents. I am surprised it wasn't more!

Just carrying some wood on the back of a bike!

Baby on a bike? Sure!

Bali was wonderful. Probably wouldn't stay at that same resort again as the food/drink really was terrrible but it was absoultely beautiful. Next time would like to stay a few nights in Ubud as well and I might try one of the other resort towns. I would want to do a day tour to see the elephants. I might also want to hop over to see Lombok.

The people here are lovely. So calm, nice and gracious. The hospitality was wonderful. They love to ask questions about you...they aren't being nosey, it's just part of their culture.

Off to Hong Kong I go!

Bali Day 3

I didn't get back from my tour until 8pm on Friday night so Saturday when the guide came to pick me up I asked him if we could just do 5 hours. So, we skipped what we were supposed to do and did some other things. Having your own tour guide is wonderful. It costs about $45 per day and comes with a car and driver. Highly recommend it!

We first stopped at a place where they make Batiks. Growing up my grandparents had them in their house and now my mom has them so I was very interested in the process. I bought a few for my guest room (guest room is getting an overhall this Fall!).

Next we went to a jewelry shop. Being "in the business" I found it fascinating to watch them.

Pretty design outside

After that we went to see some local artwork. Too big to carry on the plane on the way home!

Woodworking...amazing detail!

These visits are interesting. They take you to see the craftsmen and you can take pictures, ask questions, etc and then afterwards there is a huge gift shop. I had read that Bali's economy was dependent on tourism but I had no idea just how much. There is pressure to buy both from the sales people but also you want to support them. "Fruitcase" is full...I have adequately supported both the Thai and Balinese economies. No more room!

We visited another temple. This time I had to wear a sarong. Such a fashion statement over my clothing

And a traditional house...look at that kitchen!

By the time we were done it was about 2pm. The driver dropped me off at the hotel and I sat on the beach for 4 hours and read a book. This vacation has been wonderful but so jam packed. It was nice to have a little downtime. I came back to my room, ordered room service and was asleep by 8:30. I. AM. OLD.

Bali

Bali has been on my bucket list for as long as I can remember. I left Singapore Thursday am after a fun last night with Emma and Field. 2 minutes after this picture was taken Field asked me "if I was ever invited back to the same house twice." Yes Field I am! And, on occasion, I behave myself. Just not often.

My flight out of Singapore was so easy. Not surprising since the city is so organized and functions so smoothly. I left the Pickering's at 6:20 for a 7:50 flight. I was at my gate by 7:10. I flew Garuda Air. No issues at the airport this time (thank goodness) but that's probably because buying my ticket was such a pain. I had to send a money order to the LA sales office. Thank goodness for good, competent, organized travel agents!

I sat next to a couple from Australia who had flown to Singapore for a cruise but their cruise ship had maintenance issues. Carnival Cruise Line strikes again. Since they had already gotten the time off from work they decided to hop on the next flight to Bali although they had "maxed out their credit cards and had no money."

What about me says "PLEASE SHARE ALL YOUR MOST PERSONAL INFORMATION WITH ME?" Seriously people. But, since I still had the swine flu, I needed the entertainment. My ears were killing me (I'm happy to report that after 1 million calories in "Floridina" orange juice, meds that I have no idea what they are from Singapore, and a z-pack I'm better).

I arrived at the hotel in Bali and fell in love with it...

View from my room!

I am writing this on my last night in Bali and I have to say the hotel (Grand Mirage Bali) has been great. The service is outstanding and it's beautiful. However, they can't make a decent cocktail to save their life and the beer and wine is horrible. My liver thanks me for staying here. The food is also not that nice however as my mom reminded me this am "No one leaves Bali and says, 'boy they are known for their food.'"

I have met some interesting characters here. Mostly European and Australian. In fact, I don't think I have seen (more like heard) another American. A lot of people come for 12 days at a time. The bathing suits are amazing. I wanted to take pictures of them but thought that would be a little over the top. For a visual, let's just say I saw a lady in a string bikini yesterday that was so large you couldn't actually see any of the fabric through her skin rolls. I thought she was naked at first. Yuck.

I booked a lot of tours while here. Looking back, I would have probably done it a little differently but I was in a new country and I'm totally alone here. I had 3 full day tours and managed to make them all half day tours which gave me time to lay by the pool or lay in the sand and do nothing. No shortage of wonderful chairs on the beach here and tons of shade from both trees and umbrellas. A pale person's dream!

My finger is in both of these pictures. I inherited my mom's photography skills.

Friday morning I went for a walk on the beach and saw a wedding. I took pictures thinking it was something special and then learned that it happens at least once a day. This wedding was UGLY. I'm sorry. I have a pink bathroom at home, I love pink but oh my god. They had no family there so the hotel staff threw rose petals on them at the end. Kind of sad if you ask me...

Friday afternoon I had a tour. It was me and a British couple and their 5 year old daughter who was very entertaining.

We toured a coffee plantation where I learned that they make coffee here out of mongoose poop. I have not had coffee in Bali since.

The mongoose. Yuck!

The coffee which I guess is very expensive....

Cocoa

Other spices harvested and exported from this plantation.

We then went and saw the Mengwi Temple...there are a lot of temples here. Every house has its own temple and each village has its own. They are beautiful however, I photographed so many I can't remember which is which...

We then went to the Monkey Forest. I had seen monkeys in Africa last year however, those monkeys didn't come near me...these wanted to be my friend. EEEEK!

The guide kept telling me to get closer. I was about 2 feet from them. Plenty close.

Baby was nursing in this picture

Grooming....

Oh..and there were also bats. HUGE BATS. Disgusting!

After the Monkey Forest we went to see the rice fields. Rice is a staple in the Balinese diet. Their plots of land are so small and they have so many people (and so many tourists!) that they don't have enough to export. They wish they had more land so they could export it. We hiked through the rice fields. It was beautiful.