Selamat Hari Natal and Selamat Tahun Baru (Merry Christmas and Happy New Year) from Bali!

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We have been resting in Bali for almost one month now. A few days after we got here, Ted returned to the U.S. (some of you got to see him!) to retrieve our oldest son, Tyler. We have been staying at a fabulous villa and loving every minute of our time here. Jill has had 2 facials, 3 cream baths and 6 massages. Ted has had 8 massages and he was gone for two weeks -- go figure! Truly we have been pampered and taken care of by our wonderful staff and will miss this place very much when we leave in a couple of days to begin our tour in China.

To tell you a little about our time in Bali (besides big dinners and massages), we have visited several beautiful Hindu temples; we've been to the beach and swam in the Indian Ocean; and we have been to Indonesia's biggest volcano, Mt. Batur. Ted and Ty got to bond over a couple of rounds of golf and the two of them went to a bar in Kuta with our driver Soma to watch a cover band Soma used to play bass in. After a few more beers and a couple more glasses of the local liquor, arak, Tyler might have gotten up the nerve to play drums with the band but instead, he drummed on the table while Soma played air guitar. Jill and Griff had a lot of bonding time as well while Ted was gone. We bought and decorated a small tree for Christmas and picked up lots of take out KFC for Griff.

Bali is a beautiful tropical island -- the temperature never dropped below 90 degrees even when it rained -- and its people are warm and hospitable. Although they are 90% Hindus, they open their arms and hearts to peoples of all religions evidenced by the fact that today, Christmas Day, is also a state holiday. Our staff gave us Christmas cards and gifts and asked if we wanted a turkey for dinner! We miss all of you, our friends and family, especially this time of year. But we are happy to be together and we feel so fortunate in our life to be on this amazing journey. We wish you all a wonderful holiday and a safe, healthy and happy 2007.

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Photos

Uluwatu Cliffs
Here's a shot of the amazingly beautiful cliffs at Uluwatu Temple.

Ganesha
A statue of the Hindu god Ganesha at the holy water temple of Tirta Empul.

Dewa Ruci
A majestic statue of Dewi Ruci in a traffic circle in Kuta.

Kimodo Dragon
Don't want to get too close to one of these guys... We saw this one in Bali's Reptile Park.

Blue-Tongued Skink
Griff is holding one of the "baby" reptiles in the park.

Iguana
This bad boy was heavy!! Against my better judgment, Griff talked me into holding the tail.

Uluwatu Temple
One of Bali's nine Hindu temples -- eight of which are on the coastline.

Uluwatu Temple
Ted and Jill enjoying the temple.

Uluwatu Sunset
The Uluwatu Temple is known throughout Bali for its magnificent sunsets.

Tanah Lot Temple
Another one of Bali's temples on the Indian Ocean.

Tanah Lot Temple
Check out the fishermen. We also saw many surfers catching waves in the ocean around this temple.

Tirta Empul
Worshippers at the temple of Tirta Empul.

Balinese Boys
Some less than reverent worshippers at Tirta Empul.

Banyon Tree at Tirta Empul
The Nelson men in front of a huge banyon tree at the Tirta Empul temple.

Rice Fields
Terraced rice fields in the Balinese countryside.

Village Ceremony
While driving through the Balinese countryside, we were lucky enough to get to see some villagers in a biannual ceremony worshipping their god.

Mt. Batur
Little Mt. Batur, formed in the caldera of Mt. Batur which erupted violently in 1917, wiping out the village at its base.

Balinese Children
As we often did, we ran into some Balinese children selling snacks while we were visiting Lake Batur at the foot of Mt. Batur.

Mt. Batur
Here we are posing in front of the volcano Little Mt. Batur which is still active and formed when Mt. Batur erupted in 1917.

Comments

[Jade Drake]

merry christmas
Merry Christmas to all of you guys and I'm happy that your having a good time on your trip. ttfn (ta ta for now) Ha ha

[Ronda, Gerry, cole and Noah]

Merry christmas!
Nelson Family, Thanks for the blog update - Bali is gorgeous - We sincerely love getting the updates and wish you many fun adventures ahead as you head to China. Love and Light, Ronda, Ger, Cole and Noah

[Mary Sacco]

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year
Thank you for all the updates. The pictures are beautiful. Can't wait to hear about China. Love to you all! Mary

[Becky]

Happy New Year!!
Thanks for sharing.

[Courtney Clark]

Hi guys!! I just wanted to say Happy New Year!! I moved into my apartment in Chicago and my first day of work is tomorrow...wish me luck!! Miss and love y'all sooo much!!

[ruben]

hello hari natal mau tidak apa-apa