Final Days

The last few days were packed full of all kinds of fun stuff. Austin took the boys to Waterbom Park and they soaked it up while I went shopping. We repacked all our stuff (after even more shopping excursions). Between Carrefour, Makro and different malls, I was busy and happy. We even had time to chill out a bit before heading out.


We shared our yard with a rabbit the last 2 days and Riley totally fell in love with it. Whenever we would get food out, it would be right there, sniffing away and quietly waiting for us to share. He cried on the plane ride home, about having to leave the rabbit behind.


We played games on Austin's birthday, went for a walk to a nearby cafe but missed the road and ended up 2 kilometers away. So we took a taxi back and enjoyed every bite of our chocolate tarts and cheese crossaints. Then we went to a local buffet and had huge plates of rice and loads of veggies and chicken. All 5 of us loved the food on Bali, which made a great vacation even better.


There was a jacuzzi in the yard. The water was cold but that didn't stop Pruitt from jumping in again and again.

Oh, the sheer beauty of the place, both within the walls and without. I cherish the memories.

More...

Aah, my favorite time of day!


We went snorkeling one morning - without our camera. Besides, a photo would not do justice to the marvel of the coral reef and the electric colored fish. Anyway, in the boat on the way back, Pruitt made up a song about liking to swim with doggies. So when we got back, he and Riley sang it to us again and again.

Late afternoon was the best time for swimming, after the tide went out. Here they are with a new friend, the daughter of the owners of the place.


Jensen with one of his sculptures.


One afternoon we heard the sound of drums coming down the normally quiet side street. A whole village was in procession, taking their offerings to the temple.

Chilling Out

From the volcano, we headed to the beach. We found the perfect place at Lumbung Damuh and loved every minute of it! The bungalow was charming and large enough for us to all spread out and the ocean breeze was constantly blowing over us. The beach had black sand and lots of rocks but that didn't deter our boys at all from jumping in and trying new things.


They built together when they got tired of being in the water.



And, for once in his life, Riley could throw stones to his hearts content!


We had one glorious week here. While each place we visited was so amazing, this topped it all.

Coming Down

The crater itself was impressive, yet rather like a crater! I guess I expected there to be this huge gaping hole with a bottomless pit and lots of steam. There was steam coming out in places, little holes here and there around the mountain. But overall it seemed pretty calm. Thankfully!


By this time Riley was very glad he had come along. He wasn't too sure when we woke him so early in the morning!


We were served breakfast of steamed bananas on bread and hard boiled eggs which had been steamed as well. As soon as the food was served, the monkeys appeared.


Oh yeah, our shoes were soon full of black sand. The boys had fun picking up lava rocks and deciding which were worth keeping.


By the end of the morning, this guide had completely won Riley's heart! And I think it may have worked the other way as well.

Climbing Mt. Batur

We were all very excited about our hike up the volcano. We hit the sack early and got up at 3 a.m. for our ride to the base. We started climbing around 4 a.m., under a full moon.


It was cold and we had to pull a couple of the boys along but it was so beautiful. A couple of the guides helped carry Riley and Pruitt part of the way. It was a good hour and a half climb up and we got to the summit just before the light started to break in over the horizon.


As the sun lazily worked it's way up we could make out the lake and another volcano and, beyond that, the ocean and Lombok Island. I experienced some of the most stunning moments of my life, sitting up there, watching the beauty unfold, shivering in the cold and hugging my cup of hot bali coffee.

Moving On

From Ubud we travelled to Lake Batur area, with the goal of climbing Mt. Batur. On the way there we stopped for a "rest" at the home of the tour guide. I have never seen such a mind blowing collection of plants - 7 foot high poinsettas, orange trees, hydrangeas, roses, marigolds...


cocoa pods hanging from a cocoa tree...


Coffee berries (my first ever glimpse of a coffee tree!) not to mention guavas, passion fruit and a whole host of other plants that I don't know the name for.


Our boys were soon playing soccer with the sons of our tour guide while his wife made banana fritters and fresh coffee (from their own trees) for us. Need I tell you that it was marvelous?

I think the boys would have been happy just to stay there but we soon headed down the road to our next hotel, which gave us a great view of the volcano we were soon going to climb.

Even More of Ubud

I try to imagine living off a road like this! The boys and I ventured back this way on a walk one afternoon.


This is actually a tree, not a bush. One of the many exotic breathtaking sights.


Our walk brought us out into the open air and rice fields. We met a few other people walking and a few motorcycles, but for the most part it was very quiet, except for the boys, of course, who were running ahead and finding sticks.


The boys loved this big field near the center of town. When they weren't playing tag or running around, they were gathering grasses to weave baskets. I mean, hey, if everywhere you go you see people making little baskets, how hard can it be?


When they weren't off on an adventure, their parents would drag them into some shops. LOL. They were pretty good sports and I think we got in a fair amount of both adventures and shopping, with some ice cream and fanta thrown in on the side.

More of Ubud

The boys packed a few books and toys to take along, but I've learned from past experience that it really doesn't take much in a new place to keep them occupied. They have vivid imaginations and take them wherever they go.


Austin took some work days in Bali and visited Mitra Bali, a fair trade organization we found online before our trip, and he thoroughly enjoyed that.


The boys found odd bits of bamboo and reeds to turn into swords on their "exploring" walks.


There was never a dull moment and they slept really well at night. Okay, I think they're faking it here though!

Monkey Forest

Just south of Ubud center is a monkey forest, a home to many rather aggressive monkeys. We paid our entrance fees and purchased some bananas to share with the monkeys on our walk through.


It was lovely to be in a forest again. We found all kinds of places to stop and pose for photos.



This monkey is rather calm compared to most of the others. One big old fellow jumped up on Austin's leg and snarled at him until he threw down some bananas. We saw a couple of people walking around with a monkey on their head, trying to remain calm. I made Austin carry the bananas and tried to walk calmly, looking as boring as possible.

As we were walking around, one of the boys made a comment about feeling like Indiana Jones. Riley found some vines before we left and tried to swing. He didn't get very far but he had fun trying.

Temples, Old and New

I don't have much to say after the last entry, but wanted to post a few more pics.


We visited the Monkey Forest one day and some of these shots come from there.

Offerings

Though most of Indonesia is Muslim, Bali is a Hindu Island. The number of temples and offerings was astounding. Each village had it's own temple and each household also seemed to have a temple, some larger than others.


The sculpturing and architecture was amazing.


Flowers play a huge role in the prayers and offerings of the Balinese. Everywhere we looked there were flowers. Flowers growing, flowers being offered, flowers used in decoration.


These little baskets were everywhere - at the temples and on the sidewalks, in front of statues and seemingly in the middle of nowhere. The women at the place we were staying would spend hours and hours making these little baskets. In fact, the one woman seemed to do nothing but that all day long. It gave me a lot to think about. On one hand, I am so deeply grateful that my faith allows me to come to God as I am, anytime, anywhere, without needing to prepare an offering of any sort. Yet the sheer beauty in the ritual of baskets of flowers being daily offered back to the One who created them touched something in my soul. My thoughts wondered one day as I sat on the porch, letting my eyes feast on the beauty all around me. A beautiful sacrifice was made for me long ago, so I would not need to perform sacrifices. By embracing this tradition of faith and grace, have we become prone to loose the beauty, the physical tangible beauty of offering what we have back to our Creator? I confess that, for me, the thought of sacrifice usually brings to mind tears and giving up of something that I really want, something painful rather than something beautiful. My mind wondered on and I was reminded of the Scriptures that tell us that our bodies are temples (which was pretty impressive after seeing the beauty that is carved into each Balinese temple) and that our prayers are like incense (again pretty impressive after spending the day stepping over little baskets of flowers topped with a stick of smoking incense on the sidewalks). I was challenged in a new way that my life itself is an offering, a beautiful living breathing fragrance when lived out of a soul that is reflecting the smile on the face of God. Some days it's hard to believe that the mess of my life could ever be as beautiful as all those offerings of flowers and fruit that I saw in Bali but then I hear His words, whispered in my soul and I am speechless.