Beautiful Bali

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. 

S and I spent the last night in Bali with our new friends watching the sunset at a place called Potato Head  (with about half of the people staying in a 10 mile radius; it was packed). I know I have titled this post "beautiful Bali" so I should find a new word to describe it. . . . breath-taking? Delicious? Wait. Those aren't the same? They should be. We finished the night at Naughty Nerrie's for Ribs and Martini's. I know, bizarre pairing. Butt it was incredible! Ribs so tender the meat falls off the bone. Martinis so well poured the server asks you to take a sip so that they can refill the glass before they leave the table. AM-AZE-ING. This trip was such a wonderful pre-wedding honeymoon. And yes, I forgot to mention that everyone asked us if it was our honeymoon and/or called me by S's last night. Not yet, ladies and gentlemen, not yet. 

Sunset at Potato Head

Waiting for our airport shuttle

So long, Bali!

Summer in the Sunshine State

Well, not that Sunshine State. And technically it was winter, not summer. Some of these things don't matter so much when you see the Southern Cross for the first time though. For three months over the northern hemisphere summer I and my classmate and frequent travel partner (and current roommate) SK experienced winter down under, in the tropical town of Cairns in far north Queensland, Australia's Sunshine State.

On the approach to my summer adventure in Cairns

Cairns was very tough living

We were in Cairns to work for the Cape York Institute for Policy and Leadership, a non-government organization in Queensland that works for reform in Indigenous economic and social policy. We were exposed to legal issues such as native land rights and constitutional recognition of Australia's first peoples and attempting to assuage economic struggles outlined in CYI's welfare reform plan and the lack of financial access for the mostly impoverished Indigenous population of Cape York, the far northernmost area of Queensland, ostensibly stretching from Cairns to the Torres Strait. There are a few different entities associated with CYI and the most successful of these are the Indigenous leadership programs, as well as entrepreneurship and job training, as well as environmental stewardship. It was certainly a foreign world, but one that we quickly fell in love with, and were happy to be assimilated into as much as "white fellas" could be. 

SK and I with one of our Indigenous coworkers Donald. We were given handmade Woomeras, Aboriginal tools used for spear throwing and fighting as parting gifts. Unbelievably cool.

There is not too much to write about inside the office. It was tough to work diligently on economic reform, constitutional recognition, and policy problems while in an office overlooking beautiful tropical Cairns (we did do some good work, and I still follow the Constitutional Reform referendum that should occur in late 2014 or 2015). We worked a full day Monday through Friday, but we were free to explore on weekends, and explore we did.

Cairns

We happened to be in Cairns in time to experience "The State of Origin" which is a set of three rugby matches, one a week, between players from New South Wales (the Blues) and Queensland (the Maroons). Naturally, being from Harvard, we pulled for the Maroons. Rugby is huge in QLD and NSW and the "Origin" occurs during but separate from the regular season, so teammates on their professional teams become archenemies when playing for NSW or QLD, whichever state they were born in, hence the "State of Origin" moniker. Suffice to say, downtown Cairns got a little rowdy on these Thursday nights. A few of our coworkers took a "sickie" on the following Fridays.   

The office geared up for the "State of Origin."

Cairns is a backpacker town, and people from all over the world travel here, as it is also known as the gateway to the Great Barrier Reef. That meant the town was never boring.

Cheerleaders at the Cairns Ironman

The iconic triggerfish at the Cairns Esplanade, a public pool and park

We fit in pretty well with the population

Kuranda

Our first weekend in Aus was my birthday weekend, and we ventured just out of the city to Kuranda, a rain forest waystation. In LTD fashion we took the scenic mountaineer railroad, but sped things up with some ATV-ing through the rainforest, avoiding drop bears as best we could. On the way home we took the canopy gondola, and spotting a sweet wakeboarding park that we hit up later.

Kuranda Railway Station. A pretty harrowing ride up hanging off of multiple cliffs.

Exploring the rainforest on ATVs.

Rainforest walk in between gondola stops.

Pretty sweet canopy ride.

Killing it on the wakeboard. The twelve-year-olds were not impressed.

Rafting the Tully

Another day trip out of Cairns was a white water rafting trip down the Tully river. Sporting multiple Class 4 rapids, the Tully was an awesome experience. We performed some cliff jumping, "rafted" down the rapids on our backside with no raft, and experienced the power of eddies sucking us under water and shooting us back out. This happened to be one of the only days in rained while we were in Cairns, so it worked out perfectly.

We actually worked pretty hard through these rapids

Our intrepid crew

One of our cliff jumping spots. Great scenery.

Port Douglas and Cape Tribulation

Once we felt comfortable enough to drive on the wrong side of the road, shifting with the left hand from the right seat, we took a drive up to Port Douglas, a mining and gold rush former boomtown. We partied a little too hard here with a mix of young backpackers and older vacationers, participating in cane toad races and karaoke. n old man participating in his soon to be son-in-law's bachelor party stole the show with an amazing rendition of Donny Hathaway's "In the Ghetto." Australia never ceases to surprise.

SK's girlfriend J (blue plaid shirt) was not stoked when we yelled her name loud enough for her to be picked to race the cane toads.

J handled her toad much better than SK

It's possible Pink played at the bar. Subject of much debate. Fueled and skewed by alcohol.

The real stars of the show

The next morning we headed further north to Daintree National Park in Cape Tribulation, named so by Captain James Cook, who made landfall here after running aground on Endeavor Reef.We ziplined through the rainforest canopy and enjoyed the secluded beaches that were our reward for a long drive.

Our safety gear is not very flattering

Nice way to see the rainforest

Beaches rivaling Florida, no white sand though 

Stop through Port Douglas again on the way home

Melbourne

I took a long weekend to explore Melbourne, and met up with an Australian classmate meeting her family and staying at her house. It was great to have my own tour guide! Melbourne is a very hip city (home to too many hipsters non- Melbournians often complain). I got to see some great nightlife, experience Australian rules football (the "footie") up close at the world famous Melbourne Cricket Grounds, shop at Queen Victoria Market, and stop by Luna Park in Saint Kilda.

Melbourne at night

"I'll meet you under the clocks" at Flinders Street terminus

Best brat I've had at Queen Victoria market

A fierce rivalry, Carlton vs. Collingwood under the lights at MCG 

No shortage of hipster drinks in Melbs

I did not see any skateboarding rhinos. Apparently they are a nuisance though

St. Kilda's Luna Park

Melbourne skyline

Sydney

On another long weekend (yes, we worked, we were there for three months!), SK, J and our Aus classmate L took off for Sydney. We hit Bondi Beach, the Quay, the Rocks, and Manley Beach enjoying the tourist sites, some great nightlife and good company. 

Bondi beach at sunrise

Surfers braving the rocks

Sydney Harbor

Sydney Harbor Bridge

Yep, this pretty much sums up our nightlife

Nice day on the Harbor

Sunset from the ferry headed to Manley Beach

Full moon over Manley Beach

The crew (minus Liz)

Sydney Opera House from the ferry on our midnight return trip

Laura

Every two years, all of the Indigenous clans of Cape York and the Torres Strait Islands meet at a sacred place called Laura, where there are meetings of the elders and a festival that showcases Indigenous dances. We camped out there for four days, with SK and I in charge of setting up camp - ironic, since we had no idea what was going on, though help soon arrived. We saw dances, told stories by the fire, star gazed, visited ancient rock paintings and even got to try out playing a didgeridoo. Laying back looking at stars, listening to someone talented playing the "dig" we could feel a real connection to the land, the pull to "country" that our Indigenous friends have deeply embedded in their souls and blood lines. It was a great experience.

"In country"

Teamwork

I got skills

Donald thinks his Indigenous skills are better

Laura was a family affair. The kids were insane

SK and I seemed to be big hits with our co-workers kids.

Sunset over camp

Playing the "dig"

Donald really playing the "dig" - haunting music that puts everyone in a trance-like state around the fire.

Our bosses Dad gives us the history of the Laura rock paintings

These paintings have been carbon dated to be greater than 60,000 years old

Hunter dance team

Torres Strait Islanders - reminiscent of and related to Phillipines and Hawaiian natives.

The "ha"

The Great Barrier Reef

Of course, no trip to Cairns would be complete without a trip (or multiple in our case) to the Great Barrier Reef via a sailboat and a scuba tank. Knowing this was a necessity, we booked a two day live aboard on teh "Rum Runner" a fitting boat with, unbeknownst to us, a fitting crew. We got along so well with our instructor Masa and our dive masters from Germany and France that not only did we spend extra time on land getting certified as open water divers, we went aboard the Rum Runner three times! The reef, the crew, the weather, our fellow divers, and the "goon" (boxed wine) led to great times, many great stories, and even further debauchery back on land in Cairns. The reef and our friends there were the highlight of an amazingly awesome adventure in Aus!

Sunrise stroll to the boat

The Rum Runner

Part of our crew after our first dives

Sunset on the reef

We were well entertained

We saw a ton of wildlife, including many turtles, rays, clownfish of course, and even sharks

Maneuvering through some caves

This dude wanted to hand for a while

SCUBA instruction from Masa

Underwater navigation

The prize for being certified

We saw humpbacks on every trip

Awesome breach

The full Rum Runner crew

Ready for trouble in downtown Cairns

The End

All good things do come to an end. As my plane lifted off from Cairns back to the States I had Xavier Rudd playing on the iPod and it got a little dusty. I'll always remember the experience I had there with a good friend of mine and the many friends I made along the way. Truly when you see the Southern Cross for the first time, you understand just why you came this way. G'day Aus, Yaluu maliyaa.

Last Cairns sunset

Farewell to the west now 
And welcome, to the east 
Farewell to the one who raked the sand beneath my feet 
Thank you for the space we shared, and the heart and soul my friend 
I will see you through the colours, between the mountains as the sun decends 

Oh we twisted and we reflected upon a grin 
Common ground we walked upon, with common feelings and common things 
Yes it is a cruel world, but there is solace amongst the sin Peace to you for now we'll share again, we'll share again

Farewell to the west now 

My mind is open to the east 
To all the new faces, new minds and things to see 
I am alone here, and my heart at times it weeps 
You will see me through the colours, as the sun sinks in the sea 

Solace Amongst the Sin, Xavier Rudd