BALI BALI BALI!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have hesitated with writing this blog. The reason is because I don't think my words and our pictures can do it justice. Before we went to Bali all of our friends and neighbors kept telling us how great it was and how it would be my favorite place. They built it up so much that I went into the trip thinking that it would be fun but it probably wouldn't live up to what everyone had said about it. I couldn't have been more wrong!

Bali is so magical and so amazing. I hate to even start describing it because I just don't have the vocabulary to really let everyone reading this know how wonderful it is!!! I seriously can't go on enough about it. The people are deeply religious and spiritual and very devoted. There whole day is devoted to their religion and I loved seeing a whole cultural really embrace that and live it. The Balinese people are also very friendly and trustworthy and hardworking. They work so hard and they are so humble and happy. The island itself is incredible. Rain forest everywhere!!! When there wasn't rain forest there were rice terraces everywhere!!!!! To see the rice terraces in person was incredible. I think they are the most beautiful form of landscape. Functional, but also done with careful thought, to compliment nature and blend in. The buildings and homes are also built in this way. They want there homes and buildings to be built with nature and water in mind. Everywhere you go and everything you see is so unique. the whole time we were there Kel and I just kept looking at each other and saying "I can't believe we are here!"

We were also lucky to have my Mom on the trip with us. It was a lot of fun to have here there. Liam loved having his Momo there and she was such a huge help with the kids. Kel and I got to go out alone one night!!!!!! We never get to do that on our travels so it was a great treat. My mom was there on a mission to shop for a client. That made it fun because we got to shop for things that we probably wouldn't have made the effort to look for if we were there without her. There is sooooooo much art in Bali it is amazing! I love the Balinese culture!

I want to warn you that there are going to be a million pictures!!! Sorry, but I couldn't leave any out! I'll try to go in order of what happened on our trip and I will try to not ramble. But I also will not leave any details out...

The flight from Guam to Bali is about 5 hours. We arrived in Bali about 10 pm Thursday night. Here is Momo and Liam and me waiting in the passport line


We stayed at a little hotel just outside of Ubud the first night. This is Arie enjoying the front porch of our cottage These are some statues that were in the dining area where we ate breakfast. I think they are a cool example of the different types of Balinese art. These are a typical start to the Balinese breakfast... fruit plate and ginger tea! SOOOOOO GOOD!
After breakfast and a run to Internet cafe we had the hotel driver take us to seem some art at a museum. The art was beautiful but the property around the museum was the best. Here are some pics...



Next we went to the Monkey Forest. It was really cool. You are in the middle of the rain forest, with beautiful fountains and a stream running through the middle of it. You can buy bananas at the beginning and the monkeys will come right up to you and take them out of your hand. If they think you are hiding food from them they will climb on top of you to get to it. My mom didn't like it because she thought the monkeys had lice and would hurt her!!! She's so crazy! It was a lot of fun. The other great thing was that the whole jungle smelled like incense because the ladies were walking around placing offerings everywhere.



Kel and Arie got really close with the monkeys. Arie was never afraid. I spent the whole time taking pictures and trying to get Liam to notice that monkeys have thumbs, and that they look just like us. My mom made fun of me and said that was a little too deep for a three year old.



Next we were lucky enough to meet a new driver. His name is Sukaya. Not only was he a great driver who spoke really great English, but our trip ended with him as our friend. The Balinese people are very friendly and always willing to help. When we would go to eat and the kids were getting restless they would just walk up and pick the kids up and walk them around so that we could enjoy our meal. After the monkey forest Sukaya took us to a nice place to eat with a beautiful view. Liam crashed out as soon as we got there.


The next day was my favorite day! THE ELEPHANT SAFARI!!!!!!!!!!!! Ever since I was a little girl I have wanted to have a pet elephant. This was a close as I'll ever get, and it was really good. A little background on the elephant safari... Elephants aren't native to Bali. And Australian man that lives in Bali heard about the elephants struggle for survival in Sumatra. Do to rapid deforestation and a farmers laying out poison, elephants are dying by the dozens in Sumatra. This Australian man decided he could help. So far has brought 27 elephants to Bali and he now runs the elephant safari. He was already a wealthy man so the money the park makes goes right back into the park for the elephants, and also for the hope that he can bring more to Bali later. We rode on the elephants, walked through the water on them, took our pictures with them, fed them, watched them do a talent show and enjoyed a really great meal at the end. Liam also got a really big kick out of it. He rode on an elephant named Boris, and Boris just happened to be in the talent show. Every time Boris would do something in the show Liam would clap his hands really loud and yell "Yeah Boris! That's my boy!" It was hilarious! The baby that is in a lot of pictures is named Debi. She is five and is the youngest in the group.














Here are some women carrying their loads on their heads and here is a pic of convenience store we past in the jungle.
The second hotel we stayed at Ubuad was really beautiful. It was two stories. The bottom floor was a HUGE room and bathroom where my mom stayed with the kids (thanks mom) And the top floor was a beautiful room and bathroom and a balcony. We also had our own pool. They cleaned the rooms twice a day and at night they would give a turn down service. They would putting the mosquito netting all around the bed and put flowers on your pillows. It was s uch a peaceful atmosphere. Here are some pics of us eating breakfast on the upper balcony, and some pics of our room. It was heavenly!
That day after breakfast our ddriver took us to see some of the temples. On Bali there was Buddhism and Hinduism for many years. Over time they have become predominently Hindu. But we saw a Hindu temple that was over a thousand years old, and a Buddhist temple that was over a thousand years old. Before you enter the temple you have to put on a sarong (men and women). You can give a small donation to the temple and borrow a sarong to wear. There are also signs in front that say if you are a pregnant or menstrating women that you shouldn't enter. They consider it to be UNCLEAN!!!! Anyway they were beautiful.



ON the way ou tof the temple we saw some crazy black bananas and we met up with this guy.... snake man...




The above picture is actually from the Buddhist temple. You will see in the next few pictures that the temple is now used by Hindus but origanlly it was a buddhist temple. I liked this one the best because there were lots of locals around. It was an exhausting walk though... 200 steps down, 200 back up!!!!






After the temples we went to the coffee.spice plantation. They grow coffee beans, cacoa trees, many different fruits, and many spices. You could walk through the crops and then sit down for some samples. While we wouldn't enjoy the coffee, we cold enjoy the fabulous aroma!!!! They also had many herbal teas we could try which were amazing!!! We tasetd tea and bought tons and tons of spices and cocoa (which I immediatly made no-bake cookies out of when I got home).
That after noon our driver drove us up into the mountains to this beautiful town where there is a volcano and dreamy lake at the base of it. We ate some great food while staring at a breathtaking view. For a while we thought we were back on Guam when the Japanese tourists started attcking our kids!!!! they love taking pictures of blonde kids. It is really funny.
After that super long day we did a little shopping with Momo. We went to a place where they make and dye batik fabric. It was a ton of fun for my Mom and I but Liam didn't last. And Arie does what Arie does best.. destroys!!! The last pictures I kept because I thought it turned out crazy!

Unfortunatly kel had to go back to guam that night for work. My mom and I stayed for four more days. Most of it was shopping and driving. We saw some beautiful art, ate some amazing food, and SHOPPED!!!!!! The next pics are from the Bali zoo. It was really fun. We took our driver in with us. He had never gone in before and he absolutely LOVED IT!! It was really fun to watch him see the animals. The zoo was neat because a lot of the animals were just roaming around! The conditions weren't as good as the zoos in the states so it was little sad to see that but other than that it was a lot of fun. My mom got pooped on by a bird, we saw beautiful white peacocks, and Arie had so much fun she would squeal with excitement at every new animal.
The last two days we stayed in Kuta. If you like to surf it is the place for you, so Jenni take Sterling there, but you will want to leave! I didn't like it. I thought it was dirty and gross. It didn't even seem like Bali to me. It was way too comercialized. I know there are beautiful beaches in Bali but that was not one of them! Arie got sick so I stayed in the room mostly. All in all it was an amazing trip. I can't wait to go back. I'm going to close with a quote from a book I'm reading. I'm reading Eat, Pray, Love. In the book the authr is talking about her love for travel. This quote describes exactly how I feel about traveling and seeing this beautiful world. I'll never stop no matter what hard things come my way...
"... traveling is the great true love of my life. I have always felt, since I was sixteen years old... that to travel is worth any cost of sacrifice. I am loyal and constant in my love for travel, as I have not always been loyal and constant in my other loves. I feel about travel the way a happy new mother feels about her impossible, colicky, restless newborn baby - I just don't care what it puts me through. Because I adore it. Because it's mine. Because it looks exactly like me. It can barf all over me if it wants to - i just don't care."