Bali

Bali - October 2002

Homeschooling at our hotel
Jimbaran fish market
Scott's cooking class results

The Kecak dance at Uluwatu
Benjamin's Bali look
Surfing in Kuta

Bali was a welcome change from Japan. Lower costs, great food, and lots of sunshine. We spent most days at our bungalow where we had enough room to spread out a bit and do our school work. Our favorite classroom was on a veranda near the pool. The faster the kids got through their schoolwork the faster they could get in the pool. One day Scott took a fantastic cooking class which started at the morning fish markets in Jimbaran and ended eight hours, 31 recipes and a very full belly later. When we weren't doing school or swimming we visited a couple of the nearby temples. The highlight was a traditional kecak dance that we watched with a backdrop of Uluwatu temple and the setting sun. Benjamin enjoyed the bustle of the Kuta strip and even got his hair braided to get into the spirit (that and Bintang beer). He also took surfing lessons and was able to ride the waves in to shore after a few days practice.

We were staying in the town of Seminyak, a couples miles north of Kuta, when the car bomb exploded on 12 October. The blast woke us, but it wasn't until morning that we learned the extent of the devistation. We never felt unsafe, especially among the Hindu people of Bali. Our only available news was what we heard from the locals and read on the internet, which gave us more control over our media intake. We never really considered leaving early, but as the days wore on we were glad to be able to provide some business to the hotels and restaurants that were suffering terribly from the exodus of tourists.

'Infinity pool' at Ubud hotel
Rafting on Ayung River
Cerimony procession in Ubud

Traditional Balinese painting lesson
The Monkey Forest
Rice Terraces in Eastern Bali

We left the coast and headed north into the hills around Ubud. We lucked upon a brand new hotel on the edge of a ravine, where we stayed in relative luxury for a few days. From here we took daytrips including a river rafting trip, a bicycle ride down from one of the islands volcanos and a visit to Monkey Forest. It was a full moon while we were there and many of the local temples were holding ceremonies. We happened upon a couple different processions and enjoyed the beautiful costumes and intricate offerings. We also took advantage of the little village we were staying in and the kids took some lessons from local artists.

One thing we had had little luck finding on Bali was good off shore snorkling so on our last two days we decided to drive to the eastern side of the island. In Tulamben there is a wreck of a US warship from WW II that you can snorkle on just 50m off the shore. In the 24 hours we were there we did lots of snorkleing around the wreck and the nearby reef. It was good warm up for our next stop at the Great Barrier Reef.

Homeschooling at our hotel	Jimbaran fish market	Scott's cooking class results
The Kecak dance at Uluwatu	Benjamin's Bali look	Surfing in Kuta
Bali was a welcome change from Japan. Lower costs, great food, and lots of sunshine. We spent most days at our bungalow where we had enough room to spread out a bit and do our school work. Our favorite classroom was on a veranda near the pool. The faster the kids got through their schoolwork the faster they could get in the pool. One day Scott took a fantastic cooking class which started at the morning fish markets in Jimbaran and ended eight hours, 31 recipes and a very full belly later. When we weren't doing school or swimming we visited a couple of the nearby temples. The highlight was a traditional kecak dance that we watched with a backdrop of Uluwatu temple and the setting sun. Benjamin enjoyed the bustle of the Kuta strip and even got his hair braided to get into the spirit (that and Bintang beer). He also took surfing lessons and was able to ride the waves in to shore after a few days practice. We were staying in the town of Seminyak, a couples miles north of Kuta, when the car bomb exploded on 12 October. The blast woke us, but it wasn't until morning that we learned the extent of the devistation. We never felt unsafe, especially among the Hindu people of Bali. Our only available news was what we heard from the locals and read on the internet, which gave us more control over our media intake. We never really considered leaving early, but as the days wore on we were glad to be able to provide some business to the hotels and restaurants that were suffering terribly from the exodus of tourists.
'Infinity pool' at Ubud hotel	Rafting on Ayung River	Cerimony procession in Ubud
Traditional Balinese painting lesson	The Monkey Forest	Rice Terraces in Eastern Bali
We left the coast and headed north into the hills around Ubud. We lucked upon a brand new hotel on the edge of a ravine, where we stayed in relative luxury for a few days. From here we took daytrips including a river rafting trip, a bicycle ride down from one of the islands volcanos and a visit to Monkey Forest. It was a full moon while we were there and many of the local temples were holding ceremonies. We happened upon a couple different processions and enjoyed the beautiful costumes and intricate offerings. We also took advantage of the little village we were staying in and the kids took some lessons from local artists. One thing we had had little luck finding on Bali was good off shore snorkling so on our last two days we decided to drive to the eastern side of the island. In Tulamben there is a wreck of a US warship from WW II that you can snorkle on just 50m off the shore. In the 24 hours we were there we did lots of snorkleing around the wreck and the nearby reef. It was good warm up for our next stop at the Great Barrier Reef.