Christmas and New Year's in Bali

My husband works very hard.  Very, very hard.  His commute is a nightmare, his days are long, and he is dealing with an entirely different work environment from the US.  (Not better or worse, just very different.)  Oh, and he travels a lot and we do not see him nearly as much as we would like to.  So, this trip to Bali was a wonderful retreat from normal life in Moscow.  I am not going to write a lot about our trip, quite honestly because it was not the marathon that we usually run when we go on vacation.  There were many days at the beach and the pool, which was just perfect for us.  The highlight of the trip was white water rafting, and we also enjoyed snorkeling, shopping, riding on elephants, and a visit to a Hindu Temple.
Getting to Bali is no walk in the park.  It's almost a 10 hour flight to Hong Kong, and then another 5 hour flight to Bali.  The older kids were champs, but John was no prize on the first flight.  Lucky for us though, that he was not the worst one on the plane.  We had a large group of Russian men and women sitting next to us that spent most of the 10 hours, drinking, yelling, and smoking in the bathroom.  It was super fun, especially since this was an overnight trip.  But I have to say that it was all worth it (mostly) when we arrived at our rental house.

 

The house was beautiful, the views were amazing, and the pool was so much fun.  Every morning the staff had breakfast for us and they did the cleaning up and the tidying of the house.  (This is very typical in Bali.  Even though my parents found it hysterical and still wonder what I do in Moscow and on vacations.)  The owners of the home were very sweet and provided us with a Christmas tree.  The lights were crazy and it played very high pitched Christmas carols.  We loved it.
Our favorite day in Bali was white water rafting.  This is an activity I have always wanted to do, and it was much better to try this in Bali where the rafting is a three, than compared to places in the US that are rated a 5 in difficulty.  I love completing a life long goal without losing one of my children overboard.  It was quite a climb to get to our rafts- over 400 steps down.  And when we were finished we had to do those steps in reverse!  John was not able to come with us, but we brought a nanny from the house and he was quite happy to stay with her and the driver.  And I was glad I did not have to tether him to my body for over two hours.

 

 

 

One morning we went snorkeling.  Colin, Jesy, and I loved it, but the girls, not so much.  Poor John stayed home and took a nap.

 

 

Another day we went to an elephant sanctuary and took a ride.  I have to say that this was not my favorite activity.  It was very hot and I was quite uncomfortable on the elephant.  But, another experience to add to my list.  John and I were much happier when it was over and we could walk around the park.

 

We also hiked to a Hindu Temple, which was quite beautiful.  The guides kept on telling us to be aware of crazy, sometimes a bit violent, monkeys, but there were no problems.

 

 

Swimming, whether at the pool or at the beach, was by far our favorite activity.  The beach we went to was amazing.  We could rent chairs under a lovely tree, have massages for about $8 an hour, and eat at a great restaurant that was only steps away from our seats.  My kids love to play in the sand and they are quite good in the water.

 

I would like my sister Tara and my brother Sean to take particular note of the seaweed in the last picture.  Yes, just like you two loved to do when we were kids, my kids had great fun picking up the seaweed and trying to throw it on Mom.  All of you are quite demented.

 

Some funny things when we were in Bali.  All of the locals thought we were from Australia. Even a woman from Australia asked us if we were from Melbourne.  I brought this up to an Asian friend of mine here in Moscow and she said yes, all of you people from the US, Canada, England, and Australia sound the same.  Who would have thought? 

 

We did some major shopping in Bali.  And not the kind of shopping you would think.  I did buy some cute tropical dresses for me and the girls, and we found some nice lotions and soaps.  But mostly I bought toiletries, candies, and stuff for the house.  We found a Wal-Mart like store near us, and everything was so cheap.  And they had so many Western products.  I was filling the shopping cart with shampoo and conditioner, face moisturizers, little notebooks for the kids, baking products, Werther's candies, and much more.  Now, the real question is why can you find all of this great stuff in Bali, and ISLAND NATION, and you can get none of it in Moscow.  Sometimes I just do not get this city.

 

On New Year's Eve Jesy and I made it until about 10pm and then we were too zonked to stay up.  Our kids get up at 6- who can stay up to midnight?  Well, at midnight I was woken up by what I thought was the end of the world.  I thought Bali was being bombed!  Turns out the Balinese just really like their fireworks and New Year's is one of their favorite holidays to light up these wild noisemakers.  I have spent New Year's in New York, Las Vegas, New Orleans, and Athens, Greece.  I have never heard anything like this in my life.

 

Bali was fabulous.  So fabulous that we are planning to go there next Christmas/New Year.  We will stay in a different house in the northern part of the island. (We were in the south this time.)  This house will be right on the beach and it looks like paradise again.  Which you really need when you live in winter and darkness for 6 months of the year. 

 

Next blog, Jerusalem!