Bali Part 2

After 4 days spent in the bustling streets of Kuta and Seminyak, we made our way for a peaceful respite up in the hills in Ubud. There we stayed for 2 nights at Villa Sarna a jungle retreat 30 minutes out of town, driving up and down the hills and through rice paddy fields. We then moved to the Honeymoon Guesthouse, a boutique hotel recommended by friends located in town, for one night. Honeymoon Guesthouse is great value for a balinese style retreat with all the luxuries, but make sure you get one of the more expensive rooms (only $70 instead of $50) that has AC, the others can be a bit dark and bare (but still nice). The main activities in Ubud were shopping up and down the streets, peeking into galleries and eating amazing cuisine. I rediscovered my bargaining skills in the craft market, impressing Richard at the deals I could get for all the fun gifts and trinkets. I am in love with the basketry and wanted to buy it all, especially the bags. I loved all the color and creativity displayed in the batiks, sarongs, beaded jewelry, wood carvings, metal work, paintings, etc.

One of the many daily offerings presented to the gods. People believe that the gods are living beings in the carved statue, so they are dressed in black and white checkered sarongs and presented with food and flowers each day.

The offerings are strewn all around the gods and in the temples. Someone must come around every evening and make room for the next day's supply.

People can buy offerings from a supplier and also pay other people to make and deliver an offering to their temple or god of choice.

Market produce

Kopi Luwak. The brewed drink from the coffee that is first eaten and excreted by the Luwak cat native to Indonesia.

These are a common sight, and a popular purchase by tourists. Supposed to endow fertility.

We were told we had to try the smoked duck specialty at this place, Bebek Bengil - the dirty duck diner, and it was definitely worth the trek. It was amazing, go with an appetite.

The set duck menu, included one whole smoked duck stuffed and covered in spices, chicken sate (couldn't get enough of those), green bean salad, fruit cocktail, and steamed rice. So good! Ask for the private cabana seating.

On the trek to the dirty duck diner we found this kite artist and bought one to take home.

In town just in time to catch this sight. 

Amazing views of rice paddies on our half-day walk along Campuan Ridge.

Perfect rehydration drink after sweating so much on our walk.

I had never seen rice harvested before.

This is where rice comes from.

Along Campuan Ridge

I love this photo. This is elephant grass that is used for roof thatching.

The musicians at the Lotus Cafe monday night Kecak performance.

We ended our holiday in Sanur, an East Coast resort region with fewer waves, where we resolved to relax by the pool and do nothing. We did manage to bump into an old friend from Sri Lanka who has been living on the Island since leaving SL. Social networking sites are amazing tools for keeping in touch with so many people, especially having an international profession. I love having the potential to make and visit friends all over the world.

Bali Part 1

Soo not good at keeping up with this blog. Its been one week back, almost feels like forever, but I figured I might as well at least post a few photos of the holiday before time gets away from me.

The first few days were spent in Kuta, the massively chaotic tourist trap on the west coast of the island. Good waves no the beach for beginner surfers for Richard to try out. I was able to capture this one picture of him up on the board. We arranged a drive out to Ulu Watu at sunset to visit the temple where the main attractions are these mischevious monkeys who will snatch anything they dangling and loose on an unsuspecting person and the Kecak fire dance telling a story of Rama and Sita.

Parents Visit (part 2)

The parents made the long journey across the great ocean to see their world-traveling daughter.

Only minor panic when we learned that their flight out of San Francisco was canceled. The reroute to Sydney turned out to be a good thing allowing us extra time to visit the iconic city and visit with the in-laws. They stood up pretty well despite the jet-lag and were royally stuffed and trussed by all the wonderful cooking that Richard's mom undertook. Only two days here, we took little day trips out to Manly, Bondi and the City Centre to see the Opera House and Bridge at a leisurely pace eating yummy food and drinking tasty coffees (though not as good as in Melbourne) along the way. 

In Bondi, it was a beautiful day, not as cold as in Melbourne.

Then we left for Cairns, in Tropical North Queensland. Destination: The Hilton (of Course) and the Great Barrier Reef! This was also just a quick trip so we tried to pack in as much as possible in each day.  First day: Venture out to Green Island for a day trip of snorkeling (and diving for the brave), its one of the closer islands out towards to reef. Trial snorkeling in the AM, Mom saw a baby ray and Richard swam with sea turtles, lots of big and colorful fish. Dad was re-aquainting himself with this inner-fish. Then we took a glass-bottom boat tour to see what could be found further out. 

Sharks!

Look at that coral, and big giant fish.

Next day we rented a car and drove out to see some of the Daintree Rainforest, just the outter edge, via the Coffee Museum in Mareeba (CoffeeWorks). Tons of sugar cane fields along the roadsides and coffee plantations out in the Atherton Tablelands.

Coffee Museum

Rainforest walk

We spent the last lazy day exploring the Northern Cairns resort beaches before heading back to Melbourne.

The Easter bunny made it to our house!

Stepped out this morning to find a little something the Easter bunny
left behind on our doorstep. It made my day! And Richard got to
satisfy his craving for cadbury creme eggs. They taste like Easter.
That sickeningly sweet creme filling inside hard chocolate shells.
Thousands if miles away from home and family our Easter Sunday was
pretty quiet. With Richards mum in town for the morning we took a
stroll down the street to our favorite coffee spot "seventeen squares"
for a cuppa. There seemed to be an awful lot of people out in the
shops. I don't know, but I think I remember a lot more things closed
down for the holiday over in the states. And the following Monday
turns out to be a bug shopping day and everyone has the day off. There
is little less peace in our building with the neighbors kids running
around blah.

Weekend in Sydney 2

Tubing behind Robert's boat, on an inlet North of Sydney. Not sure if it looks like fun. And for sure, I wasn't going to try it out, having a fear of water and all. And for fear of sharks, which are prevalent in Australian waters. 

He has a huge boat, apparently the largest you are legally able to tow behind a vehicle. It was a monster, that I wouldn't be confident enough to haul around. 

Go Lindy!

Even Baka jumped on.

Happy Chinese New Year - Bringing in the year of the Tiger

It was also Chinese new year over the weekend. We needed to get out of the house on Saturday so we decided to spend our going-out fund the night before Valentines on something I've been craving for a long time. I've actually been dying to try Hu Tong Dumpling bar that everyone has been raving about, but they were only offering a $100 pp special New Years Banquet which was a little too much for us. So we settled on a more budget option just for an experience, at a recommended place on Urbanspoon. Shanghai Village Dumpling in the middle of Chinatown.

The place is nothing special, a quick chinese food causal hangout offering gobs of the same ole dumplings any way you like - steamed, fried, soupy - at cheap prices. We were definitely not complaining, I was commenting on how the simple concept is not common in the States, and it should be. Its would be so easy and so cheap. (I'm sure there are places like this in the States and I have just been too sheltered until now. Tell me where they are.) Lots of people seem to frequent the place before a night out, which is a great idea. They also have main courses of popular chinese food, but I have never had success deciphering the menu - being accustomed to American version of Chinese. Never heard of a General Tsao here. I was hoping for Spicy chicken in a brown sauce and instead got fried, crunchy dry chicken and rice - (no sauce). Still good though. And we ended up with way too much dumpling in our faces so we took the rest home. Photos are post dive-in with a fucked camera phone (I couldn't figure out how to un-zoom the touch screen til later on in the night - Its a 3 finger tap guys).

Caught the dragon blessing all the restaurants along the street and got some video that I can upload later. Firecrackers, and parade. Far from a New Orleans Mardi Gras (Which I am sorely missing by the way), but we were entertained for the night.