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Published: November 19th 2009
To say we have been tardy in posting a blog would be an understatement, I will therefore attempt to cover the last month or so and keep it concise...sort of.
Over the past few weeks we a) traveled to Bali for 4 fun filled, jam packed days with Mike & Rita b) Debated our job situation here in Australia - at nauseum c) Started to plan our trip to the final destination - home d) welcomed Dani (Sheena's cousin) for a few weeks of fun in Perth, e) celebrated Melbourne Cup, and f) celebrated Sheena's birthday!
I will preface this blog by saying that although we’ve experienced some ‘ups’ and ‘downs’ while in the land down under…at the end of the day it still is and continues to be a life changing experience for us.
It didn’t take much persuasion from our friends Mike & Rita (they had already been to Bali once) before we were on board for a last minute 4 day trip to Nusa Dua, Bali, Indonesia. The deal was too good to pass up and was equal to the cost of spending a weekend somewhere in Australia.
Upon our arrival in Bali we soon came to
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This is the cat that this monkey adopted. I think sheena wasted about 800 pictures on it. this was the only one i was going to put up...understand the appeal, it’s dirt CHEAP. We lived like kings (and queens to be politically correct) for 4 glorious days in the sun. Our hotel was situated right on the beach and we could comfortably watch the sunset from our balcony. Customer service is Bali’s specialty. The Balinese people seem to embrace the fact that tourism drives the local economy, a much different experience from my travels to Cuba or the Dominican Republic.
Eric had traveled to various parts of Asia with work but maintained Bali definitely had a unique culture unlike anything he had experienced before.
Given the fact that we only had 4 days we hit the ground running on in our quest to see everything we wanted to (Mike & Rita were able to help narrow down the list of things to see/do based on their previous experience). To spare you of the minute details, our itinerary went as follows:
Day 0 - Land at midnight on Tuesday evening, get through the tight customs & security (drugs into or out of Bali equals the death penalty..yikes!) and got into our taxi to take us to our hotel in Nusa Dua (on the south-eastern tip of Bali's southern
peninsula).
Day 1 - Hired driver to take the four of us to Seminyak (coastal town on the west side of Bali), window shopped until the heat and humidity forced us to the local beach. We drank $2 beers (which were sold out of coolers on the beach) as we stood knee deep in the Indian Ocean. After a beach front, patio lunch Rita & I found a place to get massages. $7 dollars got us each a 1 hour, full body Balinese massage! After the first hour we found out it was only another $7 to get a full 1 hr foot massage, how could we resist!?
We (Rita & I) returned to the resort in a coma like state after 2 solid hours of massages. After the obligitory happy hour in our resort-pool (swim-up bar), we headed out for dinner at a seafood restaurant on the beach. We hand picked our dinner, selecting the freshest seafood we could find. Tables lined the shore with candle light and a 6 piece acoustic band serenaded patrons…our tables request? Bon Jovi & Eric Clapton (check out the video).
Day 2 - For just $50 we hired a driver for a solid
The bite!
Right before sheena got nipped on the shoulder 12 hours. He drove us all over the country side, with stops at a local temple (complete with breath-taking rice paddies), a buffet lunch overlooking a volcano, a stop at the Monkey Rainforest - at which I was assaulted by one cheeky little monkey!. From the rainforest we hit a local coffee plantation at which we sampled an array of Balinese coffee - including the famous ‘Kopi Luwak’ coffee. Kopi Luwak coffee is the most expensive coffee in the world, and its made from beans found in the stool of a jungle cat called the Palm Civet - not a word of a lie. From the plantation we were dropped off to another massage/spa. This time we convinced the guys to join us and they soon understood the necessity of cheap massages.
Day 3 - Day of relaxation and minimal activity!
After going non-stop for 2 days we decided to take it easy (at least in the morning) and enjoy some of the beach chairs and the hotel pool. Mike & Eric (of course) didn't last too long at relaxing and were soon working up a sweat in a resort ping-pong challenge. After lunch, we hopped back into a cab
Flasses
Flasses are fake glasses. Mike finally found the perfect pair of flasses, which we found good use for in this photo shoot. and went to (yet another) massage at the "happy hands" spa (famous spa in Bali) where yet again, Rita and I had another 1.5 hour massage for less than 40 dollars! While the girls were getting massaged, Eric & Mike headed down to Kuta (popular town with the younger folk) to check out some sights and enjoy the sunset on the beach. After reconvening with the boys, we all sat down to a quick meal at the Hard Rock Cafe and then walked around Kuta bargaining and getting some souvenirs and clothes to take back with us. After getting our fill of shopping, we found a Mexican bar in the heart of Kuta which sold (again) $2 beers, and we decided to enjoy a hard-earned drink, complete with more singing & karaoke.
Day 4 - Finally..heading home. After catching a 5am cab to the airport, Mike & Rita tell us the story of the year - apparently on their way into Bali Mike's passport had recently dipped below the unofficial "6 months until expiry" limit. This was flagged by the Balinese customs officers, where they proceeded to pull Mike & Rita into a room (with nothing in it but a
Night swim anyone?
Our resort pool at night...which the guys took full advantage of but never got caught. computer monitor hooked up to..nothing) to try and scare them into a bribe, or going home, or worse. Mike, being the consummate negotiator, managed to bargain his way into Bali. Unfortunately for Mike, the cost of the unofficial 6-month passport expiry is about $400 US!
We returned from Bali feeling completely relaxed, but soon had to face the prospects of another week of work. Lately, both Eric and I have been feeling the financial and work related pressures of being in a foreign country and find it increasingly difficult to enjoy our working holiday. Faced with some tough decisions, Eric and I both feel like we'll be ready to leave Perth and finish our travels with a bang - in January! This means that we'll pack up in January, get a final bit of traveling in on both the east & west coasts of Australia, and come back to Canada earlier than expected.
I (Sheena) gave notice to my employer this morning that my last day will be Dec 4th. I had recently been offered a contract extension with a bit of a promotion however I soon realized it is not something I wanted to pursue. Eric and I
The view ain't too shabby
Our view of the volcanos while eating traditional Balinese food...for a whopping $10! have also put our place up for rental a few months early, so with some luck we'll be able to get rid of our place early (so we don't have to cover the lease costs until the end of January).
We both feel a sense of relief and excitement as we plan the final leg of our adventure...it will be bitter sweet to leave Australia but it is time.
In light of our decision to leave earlier than expected we have made an effort to really enjoy our remaining time here. A visit from my cousin Dani has helped us do just this. Dani arrived early November and is just finishing up a 3 week stay with us here in Perth. Dani's 2nd day in Perth was the "Melbourne Cup" - the biggest horse race in Australia (an unofficial holiday in the city of Melbourne, but nowhere else) where the country literally shuts down for a few hours to watch this 3.5 minute race. Luckily, Eric's work was having a client function on the water (i.e. catered, open bar) which started at 11am, and was set to carry on for most of the afternoon into the evening. After I
Room with a view
View from our balcony at the Aston Bali finished work, I picked up Dani and went straight for the bar where Eric and the rest of his colleagues had been all afternoon, and we were able to show Dani a true Australian night out.
The following week was a monumental occasion for us - Sheena's 26 birthday. That's right...she's getting old. To celebrate, Dani and I found some incredible Sushi, an amazing carrot cake, and invited Mike & Rita over for a feast to end all birthday feasts (which coincidentally was way bigger and better than Mike's Birthday, upcoming in December). Sheena was thrilled with all of the cards, flowers, and gifts she received from those at home - thanks for remembering!
This last weekend marked Dani's last weekend in Perth, and what better way to celebrate than a day-long wine tour with Sheena to the Swan Valley, just up the river from Perth. Only hearing that they drank copious amounts of wine and that they stumbled home at 7:30pm, I can say with confidence that they had a good afternoon 😊. We followed up the wine cruise with a night out at a local bar 'Tiger Lils' to celebrate Sheena's birthday the traditional way
Pool bar
No better way to cool off! - a night on the town cutting some serious rug. Kevin, June, Stuart (Eric's colleague), Dani, myself and the birthday girl partied the night away.
Over the next few weeks we hope to book our plane tickets, find tenants for our apartment, find some temporary work for Sheena (post Dec 4th) and plan our Christmas 'unofficial outback tour' with Mike & Rita. Stay tuned for the next blog as there are sure to be plenty of changes/updates. As always, enjoy the pictures!
Over and out,
Sheena & Eric
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Okay ... I know finances are a little tight. But couldn't Sheena afford a complete bathing suit?