Oh, the sunsets... If only all the sunsets during the trip were like this. Actually, I can only remember 3: the night of my brother's wedding, the night at Tamahlot, and the night at the dirty beach. I know there were sunsets on the other nights, but I just don't remember them. Chris and I had to ham it up for one of these pics, because I think we needed to release a bit to energy... We rushed to get to the beach to see the sunset, so we were still a bit hyper.
The first place we really visited was Taman Mini, which was basically a "little Indonesia." It showed us a snippet of the different island cultures and things to see and do while in Indonesia. My grandmother got a kick out of the pseudo-Tigger, who apparently was very "gabby."
We also went to the bird park located at Tamah mini. I was the only one who really wanted to go in, but was able to convince my mom and Chris to join me. Everyone else in my travel group was afraid of the bird flu... nuts to that. If I'm going to get sick, I'm going to get sick. And I don't remember hearing of any cases in Indonesia, let alone in an entirely enclosed bird sanctuary! But whatever...
Welcome to Bali! Thanks to Chris and Val for traveling to Bali with us; they were the greatest friends, interpreters, and guides that we could ask for. I should bake them pies...
The first day we were there, we went to the popular town of Kuta, where they had a Polo store every 100 feet. No joke. But just about everything there was really inexpensive; I got a huge bottle of water for what was basically 15 cents. T-shirts were around $1.50, nice luggage for less than $30... Good thing I only walked out of there with the water.
Ah... lunch. Maybe it' s because I was really hungry, but the food at the Dirty Duck Diner was some of the best I've ever had. Not just in Indonesia... But I can have the same opinion about freeze-dried food after a long day of hiking. I was so hungry and the food cost so little, that I asked for everything on the "special" menu. The honey basil prawns were possibly the best part of the meal... But the entrees were delicious, too...
We also went to the bird park located at Tamah mini. I was the only one who really wanted to go in, but was able to convince my mom and Chris to join me. Everyone else in my travel group was afraid of the bird flu... nuts to that. If I'm going to get sick, I'm going to get sick. And I don't remember hearing of any cases in Indonesia, let alone in an entirely enclosed bird sanctuary! But whatever...
Welcome to Bali! Thanks to Chris and Val for traveling to Bali with us; they were the greatest friends, interpreters, and guides that we could ask for. I should bake them pies...The first day we were there, we went to the popular town of Kuta, where they had a Polo store every 100 feet. No joke. But just about everything there was really inexpensive; I got a huge bottle of water for what was basically 15 cents. T-shirts were around $1.50, nice luggage for less than $30... Good thing I only walked out of there with the water.
The following day we went on a big tour of the island. Our first stop was the biggest Hindu temple on Bali. I think this was also the biggest Hindu temple in Indonesia, but don't quote me on that. Big was a bit of an understatement... And even though it was rainy (check out my mom in her "poncho sarong"), the visit was really cool. The temple is on the tallest mountain on Bali, over 3000 feet above sea level, which afforded us some great landscape views of the whole island.
Val and I ended up breaking away from our big group and somehow ended up with a guide of our own. (Don't we look cute together in our sarongs?) Along the way, I learned the difference between bale, bole, bali, and bule. Bahasa seems easy to learn, I just wish I would have had more time to learn. (Bahasa is the official language of Indonesia, and the word "bahasa" translates into "language." So if anyone says they can speak the bahasa language, they're being redundant.)
Val and I ended up breaking away from our big group and somehow ended up with a guide of our own. (Don't we look cute together in our sarongs?) Along the way, I learned the difference between bale, bole, bali, and bule. Bahasa seems easy to learn, I just wish I would have had more time to learn. (Bahasa is the official language of Indonesia, and the word "bahasa" translates into "language." So if anyone says they can speak the bahasa language, they're being redundant.)
Ah... lunch. Maybe it' s because I was really hungry, but the food at the Dirty Duck Diner was some of the best I've ever had. Not just in Indonesia... But I can have the same opinion about freeze-dried food after a long day of hiking. I was so hungry and the food cost so little, that I asked for everything on the "special" menu. The honey basil prawns were possibly the best part of the meal... But the entrees were delicious, too...
Afterward, we all went to the beach to watch the sunset, which was a surprise because it had rained all day. The next couple of days were spent relaxing, swimming, snorkeling and whatnot. Overall, a great time. I just wish I could have stayed longer.
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