The next two days are football focused, with today being the Clemson/Ohio State game and then tomorrow the Seahawk/49er game. Luckily, we found a great beach bar with TV’s and the right channels, so we aren’t missing a thing! Our first night at the Nike Villa room was quite comfy, with a big king-sized bed, blasting AC and being very quiet. I am posting some pictures of the property, which is quite serene and tropical. We enjoyed our full breakfast in the small little outside eating area and then got ready to walk the 1+ mile to the Sanur Beach House for the 9am Clemson kick-off. Even at 830a the sun is hot and by the time we arrived to the bar, we were sweating and ready for some cold refreshments. Since it was still early, ... read more

Today is Friday and we have been at the Swallow Guest House since Monday. I wasn’t sure how we would do with the slow pace, spotty wifi and rural setting, but it has been a nice change from our normally crazy life. The quiet countryside, where the only sounds are the roosters crowing, the odd sounding frogs croaking (there are several types and they all sound weird!) and the occasional motor scooter on the little path create a very serene setting. Our days of coffee on the patio, reading, writing, sleeping and swimming are a sure cure to any blood pressure issues and Ken has slept better than he has in years. Our only activity for the day is to head back into Ubud, get some more cash (this time 2.5 million rupiah=$180) which should last ... read more

I have rolled two days into one, as Tuesday the day after Paige left for home, Ken and I pretty much did nothing. Ok, we did walk through the rice fields to the laundry shop and then continued to check out the little village. There were a couple of little grocery shops (and I mean little) and a small fruit/veg market, as well as some of the normal vendors needed to keep the village running (housewares, fuel, etc). Even though it was about 9am, by the time we got back to the house we were both sweating and ready for the pool. Before our walk we had enjoyed a nice breakfast from the stuff we got at the grocery store, of toast, avocado, local jam, mango and banana. And of course the local Balinese coffee, which ... read more

Our 315a alarm came very early, but our guide was meeting us at 330am for our Mt Batur Sunrise hike. We had just enough time to brush our teeth, pull on clothes, walk up to the reception area and have a quick coffee before being handed flashlights and heading out. The hike is approx. 2.5 miles up the 5,300 foot mountain and timed so that the average person will make it up in 2 hours, for the 6am sunrise. Because we were staying at the foot of the mountain, we were lucky to start at 330a and not the 2am that those staying in the beach areas were forced to endure. However, it also meant we could walk through paths around the village for about 1 mile to the start of the trail. Ken was disappointed ... read more

After our much needed sleep, we had to be up bright and early to catch an Outrigger catamaran to Nusa Penida, an island off the southern coast of Bali. Paige and I had done some research and the views on Penida were reported as awesome. Our taxi was coming at 645, so we did a quick stop at the Hyatt Club for some food and coffee, before heading to the port which was only 15 minutes away. Nusa Dua, where our hotel is located, is very manicured and the visuals are carefully managed. Similar to Hilton Head, Cancun or Hawaiian tourist areas, it is beautiful but feels like you could be in any beautiful beach resort area in the world. No matter, it was a great way to ease into the real Bali, which we would ... read more