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.

Mom and Me

The Richards hit Singapore! Mom joined me on one of my last trips to Asia. What a great opportunity to build in a little vacation time around my work weeks. I started out in China and met Mom in Singapore for the weekend! Here's a few highlights from our trip......

Walking on the promenade and overlooking the Marina Bay Sands.

Lunch at the famous Raffles Hotel

A trip to the Singapore Botanical Gardens

Work.

Work is prevalent in life these days. I spend 70-80% of the month on the road. And while I love what I do- it has taken a toll........ Today I was asked what I love about my job. This trip to Qingdao, China, being my next trip in the blogger role, summed it up for me. The people. My colleagues have become some of my best friends (and family=) Being able to meet so many new and diverse people has changed and expanded my life beyond words. I can't imagine not having lived these experiences and I am blessed to have a job that let's me travel the world seeing amazing places and meeting such great people. With that said, next year brings a life of balance.

Catching up.

This seems like ages ago- August at the lake! We were fortunate enough to spend a nice long weekend at a dear friend's amazing lake house in Georgia. I am beyond blessed to have such amazing girls to share my time with. Even though the trips are few and far between..... they keep me going for ages!

Makeover

Wow- 3 months have gone by already! I used to be quite up to date on my travels, but my travels have gotten the best of me lately. So I've decided to continue my next batch of post starting with a site makeover. I've had a few really amazing trips lately, so I'll get caught up before the holidays takeover!

I've also cleaned up my links- so blogger friends if you decide to go back "live" again, let me know so I can re-add you. Also have a few new links that I've added from some great blogs I've been following on Travel and Fashion.

And speaking of makeovers! Check out Ricardo and I modeling at: http://www.cassandrakennedy.com/index2.php?v=v1#/home/
Cassandra did my hair and makeup for the wedding- and an Amazing job she did!

More soon.....