In Bali, I Am Happy

---

Our original itinerary called for just 3 days in Bali before heading to Perth, Australia. However, CM caught a cold in Singapore and was unable to enjoy Bali for the first few days so we decided to stay longer (good thing because J subsequently caught the cold). Doing so caused us to change our ticket to Darwin (instead of Perth as planned) so we'll have to see Western Australia another time. We are sure glad we stayed 8 days in Bali - we loved it! We stayed at the Westin, a fantastic resort in the Nusa Dua area of the island. We were a bit concerned about security in Bali after the bombings in 2002 and 2005 but felt very comfortable at the Westin. There was a security checkpoint at the entrance to Nusa Dua, another checkpoint at the entrance to the Westin complex with several armed guards who looked inside the car and trunk with flashlights and underneath with a mirror, and a metal detector at the entrance to the hotel lobby. In addition, the beachfront was patrolled by security guards on bicycles and only a handful of vendors with ID badges were allowed on the beach itself. The staff at the hotel were so friendly and made us feel welcome at every opportunity. The grounds at the resort are gorgeous, with the highlight being the pools: a gigantic 2 meter deep chlorine pool with waterfalls and a slide and a smaller saltwater pool. Between the pool and the breakfast restaurant is a lily pond stocked with carp and smaller fish. Each morning a huge bird (related to a kingfisher maybe?) would come down to catch his breakfast of fish. J was enthralled with this and eagerly awaited the bird's arrival each morning, telephoto lens in hand. Our routine was generally breakfast at 10, followed by 2-3 hours by the pool, a nap, then showering to go out for dinner, shopping, and massages. Life's rough. After so much traveling though, it was really nice to have a week to completely relax and decompress.

Bali was extremely empty when we were there. Every place we went, people were eager for us to buy something, eat at their restaurant, get a massage at their spa, etc. Every taxi driver offered to take us on a full day island tour. Every masseuse had a husband with a car who could take us on a day long island tour. At first we were annoyed by this bombardment. We quickly learned that hotel occupancy was only about 40%. Tourism is still really hurting from the terrorist bombings. We only encountered one other group of Americans the entire time we were there. So our annoyance turned to sadness and a desire to help in any way possible. We obviously couldn't buy everything from everyone but we did what we could. The biggest way we can help the Balinese people is to tell YOU to visit Bali!! It is a gorgeous place filled with the friendliest of people. Please go to Bali, spend your money, help the people and enjoy one of the greatest vacations of your life!

---

Photos

Mango Tango
The perfect mid-day snack for two!

Banana Pancakes
The breakfast buffet at the Westin was amazing! We had made to order pancakes with hand places banana slices in them. Oh yeah, and there was chocolate sauce to go on top....mmmm!!

Cool Shower
This is the outdoor freshwater shower next to the pool.

Mad Grip
$200 US is equal to 1.8 million rupiah.

We're One, but We're Not the Same...
These guys took requests and knew both "With or Without You" AND "One." CM was delighted and sang along with the band!

Breakfast Time!
This bird showed up at the pond next to the breakfast buffet every morning. The waitstaff would feed the fish leftover bread and meat, then the bird would swoop in to catch the fish.

Easy Pickin's
J sat patiently with the telephoto lens each morning to get these shots.