Jess and Al

Well we have had a lovely time in Sanur with Jess and Al. It's strange being on holiday with people as we have been away for a year but not 'on holiday'. We have had to re-train our brains to think actually it's ok to spend more than £3.50 on lunch, it won't bankrupt us, but it's a hard habit to break after being so careful with money for so long. So we are allowing ourselves to splash out and last night had dinner and spent £5.00 instead (it nearly killed us!!). I'm kidding, it's been brilliant to lounge around the pool, playing ping pong and chatting about stuff. Jess says it's like we have been in the Big Brother House, as we have no idea what's been going on England and that side of the world generally. On an evening we have been partaking in a few cocktails (and beer for the boys, and milkshakes for Sam) and then we go out for dinner. We are usually in bed by 10pm and feel really guilty about making Jess and Al go to bed so early (until we found out that they want to go to bed that early).

We have had a couple of touristy days. Yesterday we went to the water park and Sam, Will and Al went on all the rides whilst me and Jess found sun loungers and had a lovely massage, bliss. Then we showed them the delights of Kuta and all the crazy people trying to drag you into shops. Jess is tryingto get her head around the bartering system but hates it because she feels like she's robbing people, I keep trying to say that it's what they expect you to do, it's all part of the system, but she still hates it. Anyway, they are both relieved we are staying in sleepy Sanur instead of Krazy Kuta. Today we went to Turtle Island which is a turtle sanctuary. Some bits were a bit suspect, we went to one place where there were big pools of turtles, and you fed them sea weed but the people had you cornered and kind of made you buy souvenirs, it felt really awkward, but we bought something from them anyway, it was a shame because it took away from the experience of seeing the turtles and you didn't learn much about the conservation so I'm not sure just how much good they are actually doing, or weather it's just another way to extract money from tourists (but maybe I have just become a bit cynical.) After this we went to see a temple and that was brilliant because everyone had to wear sarongs...yes, even, Will, Al and Sam and they looked hilarious.

So it's been great having Jess and Al to stay. Next step is to look for some cheap flights to Singapore for our Visa extension, probably around the 15th July. Hopefully we will fly out and then back into Bali the next day.

Pic attached of Sam surfing in Balian.

Sanur

Finally we are in Sanur with Jess, can't believe they are finally here. They had a great flight and weren't too jet lagged when they arrived so we went to a warrung and had squid and cocktails. A drink I have been looking forward to for months.

Sanur itself is like a quiet Legian. Much more touristy than Balian but not as busy as Legian. The hotel is as you would expect. A big complex with two pools and a spa. The rooms are nice and big and quiet on a night time. We don't have breakfast included here but if you walk to the beach, which the hotel backs onto there is a walkway and this is studded with more warrungs. Breakfast in the hotel costs more for one person then for three meals in the local places.

Sam is super excited to see Jess and it was great for us because throughout the trip he has remained fairly quiet about his adventures and so we weren't sure just how much he had absorbed but last night we couldn't shut him up. He told them about the Macchu Picchu, describing the journey in great detail, and the time he caught a fish and cooked it and ate it himself in Dongorra, which is just North of Perth, and the time in Corindi when he learned to skate board and on and on...even the waitresses came to listen... and then he showed everyone the magic trick he learned in Nicaragua and told of the time he showed it to the Japanese surfing team. And me and Will thought, well, maybe he was taking it all in after all.

Today will be spent lounging by the pool reading books, playing table tennis and water polo and perhaps a spot of yoga.

Picture of our beaautiful balcony in the Beach House at Balian.

Leaving Balian

Well, you can all rest easy, we are not about to be arrested and thrown into a Balinese prison. I called the passport office today and hurrah, the passports are in and ready for collection tomorrow... and as if that wasn't enough, we are on our way to Sanur tomorrow to meet up with Jess and Al. Sam as you can imagine is the most excited child in the world. Will is also very excited, but can't stop thinking about what he is going to do when we get back home, build houses, build vans etc etc... The other good news of the day is that we weren't savaged by mozzies last night. Our bed has a temporary kind of mozzie net (with a few holes) but the spare net we brought came in handy as we rigged it above the bed.

The balinese cottage we are in now is gorgeous. It's constructed from bamboo and beautiful Balinese wood with a kind of thatched roof and it overlooks the pool. It also has a little open aired hut to the side, kind of a platform and you can sit cross legged on cushions and play a traditional instrument which looks a bit like a glockenspiel and is called a gamelan. Sam sits there cross legged and plays amazing tunes (well kind of amazing and kind of cross legged). Sadly we had our last yoga lesson with the lovely Maureen today. It has been really nice learning a different style of yoga (she teaches Hatha yoga which is less intense that the yoga we do in Bristol) and has been brilliant for keeping us chilled and opening up our hips!!

So all in all, we will be very sad to leave Balian but are equally looking forward to our new adventures in Sanur and catching up with Jess and Al.

Pic attached of the gorgeous Sammy.

Subconscious working overtime...

I don’t know if it’s because we are on the home straight but I seem to be visited by moments of ridiculous anxiety at the moment. Let me give you an example. When we drove to Balian, Sam kind of hiccupped in the car, ‘was that a hiccup?’ I asked. ‘No, It was just a strange sort of noise,’ he replied. Of course I spent the rest of the journey convinced that he had developed tourets due to the trauma of being taken around the world... obviously he doesn’t heave tourets and hasn’t madeany more strange hiccupping sounds.

Last night I woke up at about 3am and started worrying about the passports (which are still with the agency who are renewing our visa). Our visa was due for renewal yesterday and last nights thoughts went something like this: ‘I bet they’ve lost our visas and passports...that means we are now over our visa period and we have no passports. What if we don’t get our passports back and they have lost them and then they will charge us £100 per day per person for overstaying. Perhaps then we will get put in Balinese prison...then all our friends and family back home will have to go to the media to get us released...no, don’t be silly... but what if they do? I’ll call the British embassy and meet them. They will have a nice cool, air conditioned building and I will drink tea with the official and explain our situation...but he will be corrupt and make us go to prison unless we pay a massive amount of money to them. Then we will miss our flights home and have to pay for new flights but we won’t have any money... and maybe they will give us a temporary passport but they won’t let us use it in Hong Kong and aaaaaarghhhhhh.....

As you can imagine it was a restless nights sleep and with the light of day came Will’s logic which seemed much more reasonable. That we had taken them to a reputable agency and he was sure it would be fine. And, if it wasn’t then we would deal with it at the time. Rather than worrying about it now. So there you are, although I am cool calm, chilled and collected in Bali, there seems to be something bubbling under the surface in my subconscience. Perhaps it was watching Bowling For Colmbine before bed, which was a brilliant and disturbing documentary. Sam was riveted and was surprised by a) the coverage of the plane flying into the twin towers which he hadn’t seen before and b) Just how stupid George W actually is. It was good to watch with Sam as he had some perspective on the documentary having met an American in Guatamala who sleeps with his gun under his pillow and having seen the devestation that the US has inflicted on Central and South America first hand.

Tonight is our last night in the Beach House and we move to another villa by the river for the next two nights. This is also two bedrooms but is built in a more traditional style and the bathroom is partially open air...hmmm open air by the river, I think it could be a mozzie fest...still there are nets over the beds so we should be ok. Only three days now until Jess and Al arrive.

Peaceful

It's difficult to describe how gorgeous Balian is. We have been here for nearly a week now and the days are just flying by. The hotel is run by a lady called Tati (although hotel is the wrong word to describe this place as it's more a series of cottages) she is a gorgeous, welcoming, silver haired Javanese lady who is obviously adored by all the people who work for her. In fact we love it so much here that we are not checking out tomorrow but have booked to stay for an extra week. Perhaps if I describe the walk to the internet cafe it will help you to experience the place.

Leaving the house you walk out onto a windy road which is probably about 2k and winds up to the main road. Along the way you pass banana trees growing on the side of the road with kites attached to them to scare of the birds. Behind the banana trees are terraces of rice fields just like you see in the films and men and women work in the fields wearing the pyramidal straw woven hats. As you walk up the road there are small Balinese houses each with a little offering of flowers and incence burning outside. The Hindu offering to the gods. And the people here are so gentle and each one greets you with a Hello and a wide cheery smile. It highlights even more the contrast between the busy streets of Legian and the peaceful village life enjoyed here. It feels incredibly safe and welcoming and you get the feeling that if you stopped to chat people would invite you in for a drink in their homes. Every so often a motorbike passes driven by an 80 year old and his family or a 14 year old and his brothers and sisters. They don't go fast so even that feels quite safe. And of course all of this is punctuated by tall palm trees and the occassional fat looking cow standing in the field.

Our days are steady. We have breakfast of pancakes and fresh fruit and then Sam does his school work. After this we walk the 2 minutes to the sea and Sam has a surf - the swell is pretty big here and he is doing really well. Then me and Will go to yoga for an hour and a half and Sam watched a DVD in the house. After this we are usually starving and go to 'Toms Garden Cafe' for Balinese food (my favourite is the fish curry). It's a great place to end the trip and I would recommend everyone to come here.

The picture attached is of a monkey sat on the temple wall that we went to in Uluwatu at sunset. Only 7 days til Jess and Al get here....

Beeeeeauiful Balian

We have now found our Balinese spiritual home. Balian is a small village with a long road leading down to the beach. It's the Bali we imagined. As yet unspoilt by Aussie tourists with plaited hair and bintang singlets. Along the road are a couple of places for surfers and surfing families to stay and these places are pretty rustic. We are in a house called The Beach House and it's beautiful. There is a loungw area with a nice little kitchen, a double bedroom with a really comfy bed with extra cushions and fresh flowers...and a single room for Sam with a very Balinese looking bed. It's like a four poster with a mosquito net around it. Then there is a gorgeous bathroom, with a stone walled shower and decorated Balinese doors. The place is a series of small, unique villas, they are run by a couple and the staff are all super friendly and want you to feel like family... it's gorgeous. There is also a flat screen telly and a DVD player, so whilst me and Will go for an hours yoga session with Maureen, Sam watches a DVD in the house. The walk to yoga is also lovely as we walk through the fields and past a few cows to get there.

Balian is like El Zonte (our favourite place in El Salvador) this is because it's so quiet and beautiful. It's like Bali used to be before the tourists came and I'm surprised more don't come here (but very glad they don't.) The beach itself has mellow waves which roll in all day. The beach is black sand and surrounded by cliffs. There are fishermen on the beach and kids playing football barefoot...we tried to get Sam to join in but he is in that embarrassed teenage stage at the moment and won't go over to play.

So we could stay here quite happily until it's time to leave Bali...give us this over the 5 star hotels any day...still we will make the exception for Jess and Al when they get here... although I know they would have loved it here...Sam is till counting the days...only 10 to go.

Bali time...

Ohhhh....now I get the hang of Bali....now I understand. The reason that there isn't much to do in Bali is because there isn't any point in doing anything in Bali. That's not why people come to Bali. Bali is not about tearing around in a car to see the sights. It's about lying on a beach and then strolling along to a local cafe to buy a drink. It's about watching the ocean whilst gentle music plays in the background. It's about self indulgence and massages and reading books and smiling at people. And once you understand that, you understand Bali.

It's a different time zone to anywhere else. It's a place where you have to lose the watch and the urgency and kick back and relax and I can now proudly say that I am on Bali time.

Tomorrow we leave Legian and head to Balian Beach. I feel semi naked as we have handed our passports over to a guy in a visa place in order to get a visa extension. Handing your passports over to a guy who looks about 12 years old and who says 'yes, come back in 10 days and your visa will be here...oh, and your passports' is a little unnerving. Especially because this is Bali time and so 10 days could mean absolutely anything... but as I said, I'm in the Bali frame of mind now and so I'm not too worried, I mean they have to show up at some point....don't they??

So, this is just a short blog because I'm far to relaxed to write much and think I may have over exerted myself with all this typing so I'll just head back to the room for a little lay down and perhaps when I fell up to it a cocktail x

The future

We are now out of 5 star luxury and after a confusing day of driving to places we didn't like much and checking out hotels which were either fully booked or way too expensive we now find ourselves back in Legian in a small hotel called the Sari Beach Hotel. It's about 100m from our last hotel in Legian but is a completely different experience.

The Sari beach is a small hotel amongst big resorts. It has 24 rooms decorated in a Balinese style with small gardens attached to each room and sweet Balinese gates. That's the word to describe this hotel. It's very sweet. It's run by Balinese people and the best thing about it is that it backs directly onto the beach which means you can avoid the chaos of the main roads and the traffic and the people trying to drag you into shops. Obviously that's still there but you only see it when you choose to. So ourdays here involve a breakfast (chocolate pancakes) followed by schooling and then a walk along the beach, possibly a surf, reading/films and then a nice meal in a warrung. I'm not sure it's enoughto keep me occupied for too long but it's ok for now.

That's the thing with Bali. In the other places there were lots of things to see and because we had transport we could explore but here we are a bit stuck in the places we end up and the only option is to wander the streets, but they are so busy and filled with people and cars that it gets a bit overwhelming. We can't really rent a car because it's just not the best way to travel and most people hire bikes bus seriously they look lethal.

Our next stop is a small place called Balian Beach. Again it's a quiet area but I think a little bit more the true Bali and here we should see the rice fields and I understand we can hire bikes to get around whilst we are there. The place is a family run hotel and I have a feeling we are going to like it there. But what we are all really looking forward to is the arrival of Jess and Al. For Sam it's like Christmas and he is counting down the days until they arrive. Trying to make the time seem shorter, 'Well we don't count today and the day they set off so that's only 15 days to go...oh, and we sleep for half of it so that means that we can half the time again....' you get the picture. So we are all looking forward to the 20th.

Between now and then we are going to Balian for a week and then we have to come back to Legian to get our visas renewed for another 30 days. Then we have 6 days and then over to Sanur for two weeks with Jess and Al. Then we are booked back in at the Sari beach as the lovely Vallenders will be here from Australia and then we have to fly out of the country and back in to get a further 2 week visa renewal....and then we will be heading home!!! God the time is just flying by and I think the next few weeks will whizz by. People keep asking if we are looking forward to coming home and I think we are, we are all looking forward to seeing friends and family (and horses) and have lots planned for the future.

Am sat writing this in a cafe with Indonesian music playing in the background. I think it's called the Gamelan. The beach is right in front of me and the usual palm trees, umberellas and blue skies...actually although we are looking forward to coming home it might not be long before the novelty wears off!!!

Pic attached of me and Will in infinity pool, arty pic taken by Sam with fountain of water in foreground!!!