In June, SBE and I traveled all the way across the world to the Indonesian island of Bali. We took a poll and realized that while other people had traveled more hours due to plane delays and such, Orlando, Fl is just about as far as you can get. But there are no complaints here. S and I knew the trip was completely worth it when we were greeted exuberantly by his friend Masha, the bride were were celebrating. Then we woke up and had breakfast overlooking the ocean with palm trees swaying in the wind. Beautiful Bali is right.
 |
| View from Breakfast |
Jet lag set in pretty quickly, so S and I spent the first day hanging out at the hotel, swimming in the worlds largest pool (I think literally). It had a main pool just outside of the lobby, but also had pedestrian bridges over the water, which winded into a few canal-like waterways. We had a great time just slowly swimming along the edges, imagining the type of guest that chose the pool front room. Later we discovered it was mostly families with kids. Makes sense, right? The kiddos could so swimming whatever hour they wanted and the grown-ups could sip the appropriate beverage while still keeping an eye out without leaving their porch!
 |
| View from our room |
Once it was type to go exploring, S and I hooked with the other members of the wedding party for some poolside hangouts and rides on the jet ski. S had big plans of trying to get me back from throwing him off the jet ski almost a year ago when we were in Pensacola. Sadly (for him) the water was just a bit too crowded to really lose the governor on the machine. Still, it was a great time and really helped us get to know the others in the wedding celebration. I had never met them before and S only knew a few from New York. After the jet ski experience and asking the locals about the "Fly Fishing" we headed out for wedding prep a la Rehearsal Dinner. (The Fly Fish, by the way, it not at all what you might think. Its not fishing at all. It is a giant inflatable that is pulled behind a speed boat. The driver of the fish guides the inflatable in a manner that allows it to catch wind and fly into the air. It looks terrifying.)
 |
| At the Rehearsal Dinner |
The Rehearsal Dinner was beautiful and very traditional to Bali. We had some incredible bar-b-Que (though obviously very different from what we were used to) and listened to Balinese music played by a live band. The band was later upstaged by the groom's parents, who sang and danced to the whole wedding party at the end of the night.
M&D were an excellent host couple. While any of us would have traveled to Bali as an exotic vacation, they went the extra mile to ensure their guests were well entertained throughout the week. Part of this meant treating the wedding party to a full day tour of the island. Some parts were a little frustrating because we were stuck in a van with some ridiculous traffic for so long. But again, you're in Bali. There is no complaining. After spending the morning watching a traditional Balinese dance (complete with gods, monkeys, and tigers) we traveled up the road, through some rice paddies and winded up at a beautiful lunch place over looking Mount Batur. S and I had previously though about riding our bikes up and down this road and were thankful to experience it in a bus prior to making that decision! It is very steep, windy, and very, very narrow. How beautiful is this place? And lunch was a buffet with some pretty delicious items and a round of Bitang for everyone.
 |
| Overlooking Mount Batur |
 |
| The Monkey Jungle. Aka: Jumanji |
Then. . . . then we went to the Monkey Jungle where monkeys roam free. Play the video above to see the scene as S and I are about to walk up the stairs. We got separated from the rest of the group because we went the wrong way initially so we were trying to meet back up. In order to meet our friends, we had to walk up this set of stairs while the monkeys cascaded down. I tried to pretend like I wasn't nervous but I stood as still as possible while muttering to myself "don't make eye contact. . .don't make eye contact. . . don't make eye contact"! Anyway, the point of this Bali tour was to show just how diverse this island is. We had been staying down in Denpasar and traveled through Ubud (monkeys) on the tour.
The second half of the week, we headed to a different side of the island: Seminyak. We walked a long way on the beach after checking in to our new hotel and receiving our leis and complimentary Bali Beverage. It is such a beautiful and calming place. So many different cultures and languages too.
 |
| Enjoying a long walk on the beach |
 |
| Post-Wedding Surf Celebration |
 |
| Post Snorkeling tour of Turtle Island |
Even after the most beautiful wedding I have ever seen (I mean, M&D danced across steppping stones of an infinity pool just outside of the chapel that overlooks the cliff side ocean and fireworks shot off as they were announced as Mr. and Mrs. H) our friends hosted a post-wedding party that included surfing, food & drinks, and lawn games! My favorite things! Except that I am terrible at surfing. At first I thought that I was going to be a natural. I jumped on my board, paddled out to the first break, waited a few minutes, turned around and paddled so hard with the wave I thought was flying. I went so fast and so far into shore that I temporarily forgot that I was going to have to paddle back through those waves if I had any hop of catching another. Turns out that I am a one wave wonder. Oh well. It was fun while it lasted. I felt like I earned the extra beers, hours of ping pong and darts, and an extra handful of french fries. Damn Right.
 |
| Honu: Spirit Animal |
 |
| Nope, still not that comfortable with lizards |
S and I had a couple of days after the wedding celebrations and event to explore the island on our own. We decided on a snorkeling trip with a visit to a place called "Turtle Island". We were thinking iit was like a turtle sanctuary. Boardwalks through the marshes, turtles in a semi-natural habitat, an occasional information stand designed to increase knowledge of the turtle power. Nope. Not the case. We arrive and are immediately escorted to get our picture taken next to the token giant letherhead turtles (which would cost money to keep), then a tour of little boxes with turtles swimming around in groups based on size. Then there were caged birds, bats, and . . . . lizards. It was an interesting experience. We had a great time laughing through the awkward moments that required us to say "no, thank you" 100 times until we finally said "we are not interested in buying trinkets from your shop" which felt really rude but it was the only way to get the message across! It was such an awesome experience.
No comments:
Post a Comment