Beautiful Bali

A few years ago I went to Bali and when I left..... I just knew I would return. This place has my heart. I love the beautiful scenery, the beaches, the rice fields, the mountains, the small villages you pass on the way to your next destination. The people are so warm and inviting, that you instantly become best friends with every taxi driver, waiter or hotel staff. Bali.... I will be back.

here is a view of our villa overlooking the rice terraces and bamboo forest, about 30 min outside of Ubud- a very relaxing and quiet spot. For sure in my top 5 favorite places i've stayed. Morning yoga was included along with local village walks and cooking classes. They grew all of their own vegetables on the local grounds.

on the way out of town, a beautiful site

after my last trip to Bali, I swore off monkeys. These were much cuter and more tame

Mom and I having dinner in Ubud

followed by a performance of the Balinese Dancers

a day of Temples

We packed it in this day! Temple after temple and amazing views along the way. The locals were preparing for a Hindu festival and bringing their offerings to prepare. Great memories.

We began at a local coffee farm near the village we were staying at.

along the way we passed a few locals preparing for the festivities


We then visited the Tirta Empul Temple just outside of Ubud. It's known for the holy waters.




and then a stop to the Elephant Cave

return to Indonesia

After a weekend in Singapore, I headed south to Jakarta for a week of work. Mom joined a few days later to enjoy the city life of Jakarta. I think her favorite part was the amazing buffett at the hotel! =)

The Indonesian cuisine is quite an art display. Many small dishes to share with the group. Mom, Anders and myself found a very traditional place to celebrate our last night.

Ubud

Ubud is located in central Bali- a quaint village surrounded by terraced rice fields. It's an artistan village where everywhere you turn you see wood carvers and sculptors. It's also home to my new favorite resort- Furama Villas. We had 2 short days to see the Hindu temples, volcano and enjoy a little downtime at the pool (right outside our door!!) and maybe another quick stop for a massage :-)

the poolside Villadaytrip to Mount Batur- the active Balinese volcano Tirta Empul- sacred waters

Gunung Kawi Templethe joining pool villas- your private pool opens to the main one!Traditional Balinese Dancing-

an accidental Friday night find that ended our Indonesia stay perfectly!

Lombok

off to Lombok- a small island off the coast of Bali. We had heard so many fun things about this place, we couldn't miss it. Even if we had to fly over for only 24hrs! It was worth it. We spent the day traveling to the local villages for a more off the track feel.

Ricardo and I on Kuta Beach

with my new friend Eddie

Demi Moore, Ghost, that's all they kept saying as I was talked in to making my own pottery.
locals working the rice fields

Vacation Time! We begin with Sunshine.

For the first time, in a while, I left a place craving more. I love indonesia. The people are helpful, friendly, and live with smiles on their faces. And there is so much to see- beaches, mountains, villages..... After spending some time in Jakarta for work, I had the opportunity to spend 5 days on the islands of Bali and Lombok. I also was lucky enough to have a special guest join me for a few weeks! Let's start with Bali...

Our first 2 days we stayed in Nusa Dua at the Hotel Nikko- the hotel was built on the cliffside overlooking the Indian Ocean. My favorite part- the amazing seaside massages, Ricardo's- the super cool slide

Uluawatu Temple- I wanted to take more creative pictures, but we had a slight issues with the Monkeys. They were everywhere and would take any loose items: hats, cameras, even an earring from a lady who kindly warned us to not have anything out. Nonetheless it was breathtaking. (the Temple, not the Monkeys)

We arrived to Bali during Nyepi Day (Balinese New Year and Day of Silence). This meant for 24 hrs the entire island shuts off with no electricity and everyone staying in their homes. The goal is to make the evil spirits believe no one is there, more spiritually it is a time for reflection and meditation. Even for tourist you are not allowed out of the property. The previous day there are many festivals and parades where Ogoh-ogoh's are built and paraded thru the towns.

back to Jakarta

after Qingdao it was straight to Jakarta for the 2nd week of our workshop. I must say- Southeast Asia has won my heart! We loved these guys and once again had a great week. I hated to leave- but vacation awaits!!

dinner at a local rib joint

enjoying the last night out- how fun are these gals?!!

and this would be me trying cow brain!! ahhhhhh

1st of 23 flights! Jakarta....

I survived the first week! and quite nicely I must say..... On February 3rd I left Knoxville for 61 days on the road for work (and a few vacation stops). 6 flights later and I arrive in Jakarta for a week of Process Excellence workshops with 21 participants from Southeast Asia. Luckily after 48 hours of flying I was able to get a $20 massage at the hotel! That's 1/8th of what we paid at Opryland!!

Looking at the pictures makes me miss these guys already. What incredible hospitality from Indonesia and such friendly people. We managed to get out a few nights for some local Indonesian cuisine. A bit spicy, but quite tasty. Satay was my favorite. I'm back again in 4 weeks, so I'll try to be a bit more creative and take a few more shots of the crazy traffic scenes.