Home Sweet Home!

This is the blog entry that most likely will never be read. Regardless I thought to give it a proper ending it should include an entry about our life back home.

I really want to thank every single person that took the time to follow our blog. Since our arrival back home, we have heard from people how much they enjoyed reading it and following along with our adventures in last eight months. This is amazing news to us... and never in our wildest dreams did we think so many people would be interested.

This blog has given us a chance to document our travels and in the future we will look back at it and hopefully re-live some of the things that we did.

Although it was at times hard work... I think I will truly miss this form of expression!

Home at last:

We had a very turbulent flight and we literally had hours of bumping around. It was a very long flight from Hong Kong... but we were thrilled to pass the time watching our personal t.v's.

It seemed surreal that we were heading back home to Toronto after all this time. We felt like it was another stop over and the reality of going back home for good hadn't quite settled in. We were excited about seeing our family, friends and of course our dog Reily-Buttons!

Since we had extended our ticket to accommodate the two weeks in Australia, my parents were on vacation and therefore could not pick us up from the airport. Thankfully my trusty cousin, Ian agreed to pick us up from the airport and drive us back to Oshawa (where we are currently staying.) Our flight was a few hours late, and Ian patiently waited for us in the parking lot until we called him after landing. It was one of those times in the airport where everything seemed to take forever.

Brrrrr:

While we were travelling in the oppressive heat... a VERY SMALL part of me was curious about what the cold weather would feel like, and secretly wished a few times that I could feel cold. I thought that I had forgotten what Canadian winter air felt like, but as soon as we exited the airport and I felt the sub zero temperature on my body... I instantly remembered the smell of the brisk air, the way it freezes your face and body.... the kind of cold Canadian air that no matter how hard you try to forget it, you just never can!

I immediately wished for the HEAT of Asia.

One of the first things my cousin Ian said to us in the car ride home from the airport was that it had not snowed yet.
Famous last words!
The following day we had a light snow fall and periodically it has snowed ever since... the pile of snow in our yard only getting bigger

The "shwa" AKA Oshawa:
So my parents moved to Oshawa about two years ago... into a sweet quaint (little) bungalow. It is almost 1/3 the size of their former home where I grew up in Brampton. It's a great size for a retired couple, but what about... two couples and a dog???

They were kind enough to let us live with them until we decide where we want to live.

The plan is to live in Oshawa for a few months... then move back to somewhere around the city again.

Work work work:
I was so fortunate to get a leave of absence from my work, so three days after our arrival back home... it was back to work for me!
I did lose some sleep in anticipation of my return to work... would I know how to do my job after so long???

Just like everyone told me, it was like riding a bike... you never can forget!

I work right in the heart of Toronto's financial district... it was only a 15 minute walk from our condo. Now that we are staying with my parents in Oshawa it is an hour train ride into the city... meaning I catch the 5:50am train and the 6:40pm train home after work.

What a change in schedule!!!

Somehow I am surviving it... and now I am a "commuter!" I too run at lightning speeds after work to catch the train on time!

Reunited and it feels so good!:

The following day after arriving back home, we drove to pick up our dog from Andrew's sisters house. It has been eight months since he has lived with us and we couldn't wait another minute to get him. It was a great reunion... and I am happy to report that he had an amazing time at his Auntie's house and the adjustment into life with us has gone smoothly and things feel back to normal. He currently is being completely spoiled by his "grandparents" and is thrilled with all the constant attention that he is receiving!

Pinch me, it must have been a dream:

Integration back into our daily normal life has gone smoothly. It literally feels like we picked up where we left off.

When people ask me "What it feels like to be home?" I say that "It feels like we never left."

Not in a bad way, but I find comfort in knowing that things back home didn't change a whole lot, so we feel like we didn't miss out on too much.

Our travels feel like an amazing dream....

something that has changed our life forever.....

it has affected us in so many ways that everytime I try to find the words to explain it... I can't.

It's our proof that anything can be possible and the sky is the limit for us!

~Nicola

Last stop~ Hong Kong!

Hong Kong was never a city that I placed high on my list of cities to see.

It was a scheduled stop over on our Cathay Pacific flight back to Toronto, so back when we booked our ticket we decided we would spend two days on a lay over. Boy am I glad we did... Hong Kong was a great city to end off our eight month journey, it encompassed all the things that Andrew and I enjoy in a city. We only had one full day to explore, but we made the most of it and know some day we will go back to see more.

When we booked our tickets to South America and Asia, Andrew thought we should book our hotel in Hong Kong as it was only a short stop and figured we would want to spend our last few nights in a nice hotel. I was hesitant, because I usually don't like to pre-book, but we looked on the Internet and found a good hotel. I am SO glad that we did that... our hotel was fabulous, it was a high rise, modern hotel right in a convenient location. After months and months of searching for rooms in hostels, guest houses and low budget hotels it was a relief to arrive in a city and walk right into a hotel. I was ecstatic about the hotels fluffy towels, clean bath mat, comfy bed, amazing bathroom and shower! The comforts that we sometimes sacrifice when we are on the road!

We arrived in Hong Kong around 8:00pm, we found the transit system was very easy to use so we decided to take a train and subway right to our hotel. We were pooped so it was an early night to bed.

Our day in Hong Kong... first stop DIM SUM:

We had planned for ages that we would eat Dim Sum in Hong Kong. We were really looking forward to trying it in the place where it comes from. On advice from the concierge at the hotel we found a Dim Sum restaurant located near by. Andrew and I are avid Dim Sum eaters, so we were not worried about going or what to order. Perhaps, we should have been....

I must admit on our first time there it was a bit confusing, NO one spoke English at all! Since I look Chinese, everyone was speaking to me in their language only to find out that I couldn't speak back. We expected to find trolleys carrying the food around, so it would be easy to chose and point at the dishes we wanted. Unfortunately this particular restaurant only had a menu and a small area to go up to and pick some dishes. After some sign language we eventually got an English menu that was only 1/4 the size of the Chinese menu. We wondered, what else was on the bigger menu? What were we missing out on???

The food was great, not too different than what is available at home. It was a relief to know that what we get at restaurants in Toronto is the real thing!

Second stop... SHOP:

With full bellies, we left the restaurant to wander down the area looking for a bus to take us to Stanley market. We took an hour bus ride through very windy roads to the market. We were surprised to see just how green this part of the city was. We ended up near the ocean and the view was spectacular. It literally couldn't have been a more perfect day, the sky was brilliant blue and the temperature was low 20's. It was fantastic!

We loved Stanley market... it is where you can buy souvenirs, paintings, jewelery, clothes etc. We wandered around for a few hours and did some last minute shopping. Prices were reasonable, not dirt cheap like in South East Asia, but definitely better than at home!

Third stop... Queen Victoria Peak:

Again we took the bus, which we found to be inexpensive and easy to use! We found our way to Victoria Peak, and rode a funicular that went up the side of the mountain to see a nice panoramic of the city and to go to a shopping area. It was great view, and we were able to snap a few nice pics of the city.

Fourth stop... light show at the Harbour

We had heard about the light show that happens every night at the Harbour. We arrived early to the area only to find tons of people waiting. We wondered, is it this busy every night? If so, then this light show must be really really good.

There were police and many many volunteers patrolling the area. We couldn't find an English speaking person to ask what was happening so we left to go get dinner. We ate at a great Chinese restaurant...

Note: Would Chinese food in Hong Kong simply be called "food?"

Since it goes without saying that it is Chinese...

Or is it still called "Chinese food?"



After dinner we went back to the Harbour to find it "packed" with Thousands and Thousands of people and the police had shut down the streets to cars. At this point we realized that something special was happening, and it was the opening ceremonies for the East Asian Games. We stayed for a while to see the fireworks and the beginning of the ceremony but there was so many people and we couldn't see very well. We decided to cut out early and head back to our hotel to watch it on the television. This was a very good decision on our part... and when we turned on the television we saw a very elaborate opening ceremony and we were lucky enough to see some of the fire works from our hotel window.

All in all our time in Hong Kong was amazing. We found it to be a modern, bustling city with a lot of amenities to offer. It was easy to navigate around and in our experience the people were friendly and helpful. For a city that was one that I had not really been looked forward to seeing... it certainly surprised me! I'm glad that this was the city we ended our eight month long adventure with!!!!

~Nicola

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Hong Kong

Our last stop in South East Asia... Back to Bali

It was hard to leave Australia.

We had a really good time with my family and it was nice to see some familiar faces after being on the road for so many months.
Andrew and I had gotten accustomed to not living out of our backpacks and packing up all our things was such a task. We had somehow managed to acquire quite a number of things while in Australia... some gifts for family and some things for ourselves. Plus the 6kg statue that we had previously bought in Bali! Our backpacks were really put to the test, they were stretched and overloaded like they have never been before. Not only were we concerned about not getting everything in our bags, but we were also concerned about the weight of our bags. We really hoped that we would be under the weight restrictions for our flight.

Luckily for us... with our baggage weight combined we were OK and we had no extra charges. We did not have a direct flight from Melbourne to Australia. Unfortunately we had a four hour lay over in Darwin, which made the journey seem like forever!

We arrived in Kuta Beach, Bali later that evening... it was nice to come back to a familiar place. Of course we checked into the same hotel that we had been to twice before. It isn't the nicest place in Kuta but sometimes its good to be in familiar surroundings. The weather was hot and humid! Man, did we miss the hot weather! We took a room without air-con, but we didn't complain because we knew that we would not be experiencing hot weather for quite some time back home.

We soaked up some sun for a few hours before heading back to the airport.

Next stop.... Hong Kong!

~Nicola

G'day Mate!!! We made it to Australia

We decided to add two weeks onto our trip to go to the "land down under" to visit my family who lives there. Since Australia is so close to South East Asia, we felt we had to take advantage of the cheap air fare and go for a short visit. Obviously we knew that in two weeks we wouldn't be able to see a lot of the country. So we decided to just see Melbourne city and Upwey, where my family lives.

We had a great stay in Australia, my family made us feel really welcome and showed us around the city. We now can say first hand that Australia is more than just a place with funny named animals and spiders that can kill. Hopefully some time in the future we will return and see more of the country.

Sizzling in Melbourne:

We were warned by my family that Melbourne was having a heat wave and it was unusually hot for the spring season of November. Since we have been chasing summer for the better part of this year, we felt that the 40C weather was perfect for us. In fact, Melbourne lacks humidity so the temperature didn't feel hot to us at all... it was a relief from the oppressive heat of South East Asia. Only two days after we arrived the heat wave broke and it when back to a typical spring temperature of around 18C and rainy. This temperature felt extremely cold to us... and since our bodies were use to the hotter climate we had a hard time adjusting. We slept with four blankets every night, and wondered "how will we cope with the sub-zero temperature back home in Toronto?"

Allergies from H*ll!

In our entire time away, neither Andrew or I have had such extreme allergies! Upwey, where my family lives is basically located in the country side. Since it is their spring, there are a lot of new leaves etc... we both suffered from extreme allergies there. As soon as we landed in our next stop of Bali... miraculously the allergies were gone!!!!

Melbourne

Our first impressions of Melbourne city was that it reminded us of a smaller greener version of Toronto. It was a strange feeling being in a modern city, and out of the tropical environment that we had grown accustomed to. Of course within a few days, we were completely adjusted to our new environment and we adjusted quickly to having all the comforts of home that we had been without for so long. It has been "ages" since either me or Andrew have lifted a finger to do anything domestic like dishes, cooking, doing our own laundry, folding our laundry, making our bed or even cleaning after ourselves. So along with our new found comforts, came doing the occasional chore... a dose of "real life." For the first time in months Andrew and I stayed put in one place for two weeks. We started to feel less of a backpacker/transient traveller and more like we were on vacation.

My family lives about 1 hr east of Melbourne city in a suburb called Upwey. It is located up in the hills, in a quaint picturesque part of Victoria. It is a cute area that is located on the tourist trail, so every weekend bus loads of tourist pile off buses to look at the area. From Upwey to Melbourne city it is about a 1hr train ride, and Andrew and I took the train a few times to visit the city. We did the typical touristy things like visiting the Old Melbourne Gaol (Jail), taking a tram around the city and seeing the Queen Victoria Market.

Catching up with some friends

Along our travels we have been fortunate to meet some really great people from all over the world. In Mancora, Peru we met a couple named Jessica and Chris from Australia and we ended up spending a few days hanging out together. We really got along well, and when we decided to add Australia to our trip we contacted them to see where they were living. Coincidentally, they had relocated to an area just outside Melbourne city, about 2hrs by train from my family's house.

We spent a weekend at their home... hanging out and catching up. It was a really great weekend, and they were amazing hosts that took us out and showed us around their area. Definitely a highlight of our time in Australia.

Day tour to Phillip Island & Zoo

We took a day tour to Phillip Island to see the Penguin Parade. Every night after sunset, the world's smallest penguins (1 ft) leave the ocean to walk to their nest on the main land. They set up bleachers so tourist can watch them. It was a great tour... the penguins were so cute and tiny!

The zoo was a great experience too... we got to hand feed kangaroos and Wallaby's. Very Cute!

~Nicola

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Melbourne, Australia

Fun Fact #5: TOILETS

Everyone loves a good toilet joke!!! Well in South East Asia the jokes on us!!!


It is the land of squatter toilets, which are only to be described as a toilet basin on the floor with two areas next to it for your feet and are always accompanied by a large bucket with water to scoop into the toilet after. It is something that us Western’s find hard to get accustomed to. As mentioned in the Fun Fact “Crouch” blog, our bodies just don’t seem to bend the way that is needed to use one of these toilets. In fact, I find it very troublesome and annoying to use them.


There is also something else that is commonly located right next to a Western toilet… and it is a hose (similar to a backyard hose) To this day I am still confused… What is that used for????


Western style toilets are becoming very popular across the continent but the funny thing is many locals prefer the squatter. When waiting in lines for the toilet, I have witnessed locals opt and wait for one of the squatters to become available instead of using a Western one.


A fact: There have been Western toilets with diagrams showing how to use them. One thing I find funny is the sign with the picture, showing NOT to stand on the toilet seat… but to use it by sitting on it. After seeing this diagram in a few establishments, I noticed that many Western style toilets do in fact have foot prints on them.


Don’t get me started on the lack of toilet paper available! It has become a “must have” of mine, I always have a roll of toilet paper in my bag or a package of tissue. I feel it is absolutely necessary to have such items, and I can’t understand how many people go without! I’m not judging them… I’m just sayin’!

Loving Lfe, Culture, Creativity and everything Ubud has to offer:

In yet another black out in Bali… here we are sitting on our front porch in a cute hotel in Ubud. The entire city in darkness, but we came prepared with a bag full of candles and a flashlight. We have learned from pervious experiences to always have a light source since Bali is notorious for blackouts. We rarely have them back home, so these experiences come as a somewhat exciting experience. I’m taking this opportunity to write our last blog of South East Asia, with a background noise of frogs and crickets singing in the rice paddies right outside our front door. It’s quite comfortable here in our liitle hotel, with a mosquito coil burning, many candles lining our little table and my husband sitting beside me smoking a cigar… silence and darkness is good for the creative juices!


Sometimes there are towns that are good, and sometimes there are town that are great! Ubud falls into the latter category. It’s neat, a little quirky and really friendly. The town itself is considered to be cultural capital of Bali. On an island where tourism is flourishing, sometimes it’s hard to find a place that is the “Real Bali”. It’s a place where traditional art and culture is everywhere to be discovered. We only have good things to say about this town, it’s one of those places that both Andrew and I find to have that “special” quality that we look for in a town we are visiting. I know there has been a lot of hoopla about Ubud every since the popular book “Eat, Pray, Love” was published, but that’s not the only reason to take a trip here. I can imagine it would be a place where a few days stay could easily turn into much much longer.


Immediately after exiting our bus from the coastal town of Kuta to the inland town of Ubud, we met a fellow named Katut. He drove us to a few hotels until we found one that we liked. Along this trip we have developed a strategy when it comes to touts, sellers of anyone in the tourism industry… it is to trust our gut! We really caught a good vibe from him so when he offered to come back in the evening to take us to his dance performance… he didn’t hesitate. Ubud is known for being a town with a lot of the traditions of Bali still in effect. There seems to be always a celebration of some kind happening, whether it is full moon, black moon or anything else. Traditional Balinese dancing is something that is also very popular and is hosted at the temples in the night. Our new friend Katut’s performance did not disappoint us; he played the Gamelan in the show dressed in a Balinese traditional outfit. After the performance we were invited to his home to have dinner with him. We love being included in things with locals; the kindness of strangers never ceases to amaze us. His wife cooked us a lovely meal, and we got to see his home. We spent a few hours chatting about life and we really appreciated every minute of it. Our meal consisted of various forms of chicken (smoked, congealed blood, bbq); we learned from Katut that he buys a live chicken everyday to slaughter himself. He uses every single part of the chicken and nothing ever goes to waste. He is one of those rare types that are completely glowing with happiness. Really inspiring!


Another thing Ubud is known for is being an artist town; it is where majority of Balinese art comes from. It seems everyone and their brother is artistic in some manner. Katut, for example plays the Gamelan (xylophone made of brass, hit with a bamboo hammer), is an amazing artist and sculptor and can also do traditional Balinese dancing. His entire family is artistic and almost all the members of his troop are related to him. There are hundreds of shops selling amazing art, and for Andrew and me it was very difficult to decide upon a “perfect” piece. We really wanted to bring something special back home with us, to remind us of our time in Bali and something that we both agreed on. After several days checking out shops we narrowed it down to two pieces. Which one we will decide upon is still not known.


Since we only have three days in Ubud… we felt we should maximize our time. Gone are the days where time is of no importance to us, so we had an early rise and off we went for a six hour hike/walk through the monkey forest, rice patties and village. Of course we timed everything wrong, and we were walking through the rice paddies in mid day sun. But I’m not complaining about the heat… since in only a few weeks time I will be braving the cold Canadian winter back in Toronto. Katot met us at our hotel later that day to drive us to a spa that he had heard was good. We indulged ourselves with a 1hr Balinese style massage and a 30 min body scrub after. It was fabulous… and we thoroughly enjoyed our evening at the spa.


For our last and final day in Bali we took a tour of a temple outside Ubud and ate lunch on a patio overlooking the rice terrances. It was extremely hot and the humidity was quite oppressive, we finished our day a little tired and worn out. We were invited back to our new friend Katot’s house for some Balinese coffee before our bus ride to the airport.


Spending time in Ubud was a wonderful way to say goodbye to Bali. We know that someday in the future we will return to Bali and of course a definitely stop will be to Ubud. I think the culture in Bali is so interesting, and the further we removed ourselves from touristy parts like Kuta beach… the stronger it became. It was sad to say goodbye to Ubud, but we were excited to see what our next stop of Australia had in store for us.


~Nicola

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Ubud, Bali

Just can't seem to stay away from Kuta Beach!

After the surfing experience in Bingin, we decided to head back to Kuta Beach to enjoy a few days of surfing at the easier Beach breaks there. It was a pretty funny feeling to come back to Kuta... we checked back into the hotel with the graffitized room. This time we got a different room, with no graffiti. The days we spent at the beach I was under the same rented umbrella as before. Most of the vendors in the area were surprised to see us back again, and of course like always they were relentless in their sales techniques.

Unfortunately, the surf wasn't very good for the few days that we were there. Waves were really small but Andrew was able to get out and ride a few.

A famous D.J. from the U.K. named Sasha was spinning at a club called Ocean's 27 in Kuta. We saw the fliers and decided to go and check it out. It was a beach party, so all the dancing was done on the beach. We saw some great fire dancers that night... probably the best we've seen all trip. (and we've seen a lot!) We had a great evening of dancing and listening to some good music. This was our first real club experience thus far in our trip!

All and all we had some great times in Kuta... Next stop Ubud!

~Nicola

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Kuta Beach II, Bali

Bingin Beach: Livin’ the Bali dream!

Finally we found the picture perfect place, the image that is conjured into your mind when the word “Bali” is said.

We had a spur of the moment change of plans and left Sanur to go to one more destination before our final planed stop in Ubud. Thank goodness we did that, because we were pleasantly surprised at what we found in Bingin beach. We hoped to find good surf and a nice beach, something to combine both Andrew and my passions, but what we ended up with was far better than expected.

A fellow traveler suggested a hotel on the beach and gave us a business card for it. Of course like every wonderful destination we had to “work” hard to find it. We left Kuta with our clueless driver who reassured us that he knew where the hotel was located, of course he did not! With our hotel business card in hand, we were dropped somewhere on the side of a dirt road and given instructions to follow a barely visible dirt path towards the beach area. We walked and walked with our heavy backpacks for what seemed like forever down many steep stairs towards the beach. It was not easy because all the accommodations are set upon a cliff side, so it involves quite the trek to get from hotel to hotel. Finally, after much sweating and frustration we finally found the place we were looking for, tucked away neatly up on the cliff. We worked hard to get there… and the hotel did not disappoint!

We got an upper bungalow facing the ocean; it was high up a winding set of large stairs into the cliff. Our huge front patio overlooked the ocean with an amazing view of the horizon. The bungalow is exactly the type of hut that is a mixture of rustic, but with the small touches of comfort. Our patio was lined with wicker carpets and the perimeter had a seating area of floor cushions with pillows along the walls. The bungalow was made of weaved bamboo and wood with tons of open area to let breeze in. The bathroom was Balinese style (short waist high wall), so whether sitting on the toilet or showering you could look into the ocean. One of the best features was the sunsets, from our patio while sitting on one of our comfy floor cushions we got to see the sun setting across the water. At night we fell asleep with all the windows and doors open, listening to the sounds of the ocean and feeling the ocean breeze.

Of course one major draw back of having a bungalow that has so many open spots for air to circulate is the amount of creepy crawlys that can enter. Our first night at Stinky's Place, as Andrew walked into the bathroom he saw something scramble behind the toilet. It really freaked us out since it was dark... Andrew looked behind the toilet and to his surprise.

It was a CRAB!!! How the heck did it get there??? We were located high up in a cliff. Maybe it climbed over the bathroom wall???

What a funny sight, Andrew trying to shoo it out of our bungalow with a broom in one hand and a toilet brush in another hand. The next day we spoke to the owner about the incident, and apparently it is quite common... and "NO", unfortunately you can not eat that type of crab.

Surfin' at Bingin:

The Bingin beach is essentially a rocky beach, with some areas of sand. We really liked the look of the beach, with the rocks giving it a natural appearance. At low tide you could see the rocks and coral really far into the water. Unfortunately for Andrew, he found out first hand just how shallow and sharp the rocks and coral can be on our skin.

The break was just a short paddle out from our hotel it was called Bingin (the name of the wave) it is a reef break which means that it breaks right over the coral reef area. We watched many people surf this area, all with grace and expertise- making it look really easy!

On our second day, Andrew rented a board to try his luck at Bingin Break. Let's just say that Andrew has found a new respect for the ocean and all its might! The water was really shallow and he incurred some minor cuts and scrapes on his hands and feet during his paddle out to the break. At the break he was tossed and thrown around a bit. The wave was strong and were breaking much quicker than what Andrew was used to and was pulled under the water a couple of times. He came back to the beach a bit tired, and feeling a little defeated.

After the surfing experience, we decided to change plans once more and head back to Kuta (where the surf is better for novices) before going to Ubud. This was very unexpected, but we both welcomed the chance to get back to the hustle and bustle of Kuta Beach.

Swankin' it up in Dreamlands:

After the surfing experience, we went to Dreamlands beach for some R&R. Unlike Bingin's rocky beach, it is sandy and better for swimming. It is another beach located about half hour walk from Binging beach. Since the tide was low, we were able to walk the distance instead of taking a taxi or motorbike.

Dreamlands was really nice, we rented an umbrella for the day to relax and escape the sun. The break there is called Dreamlands and it is a beach break, there were a lot of surfers out that day. The waves were really high and strong, I didn't go near the water because I watched many people get thrown off their feet at the edge. Of course Andrew went in the water, and had a great time diving through waves. We agreed that it was a good thing for him to get back into the water after the surfing incident, so that he not develop a fear of the water.

There is this huge entertainment complex called KLAPA right on Dreamland beach, it has a night club, two restaurants, pool and more to built in the future. We heard through other travellers that before the entertainment complex, golf course, and luxury villas were built it was a place where you could stay in traditional huts right on the beach and experience a really laid back vibe. This was only a few years ago, and apparently the construction of this huge complex has ruined the waves of Dreamland and of course has impacted the environment in many other ways.

But... I must admit I was very put off by the appearance of this big monstrosity looming right on the beach. It was concrete and massive and oh so ugly! After our afternoon under our nice umbrella we decided to get something to eat in the complex. We were surprised at how lavish and swank the complex was. We were immediately greeted by a Waiter who insisted on getting us the right table in the shade, when none were available he set us up our very own table under a tree to eat dinner. The prices of the food were high by our backpacker standard, but definitely not high by Western standard. They had a beautiful infinity pool that overlooked onto the ocean, which huge deck chairs to lie on. The whole area was grass, and we enjoyed the sunset in the infinity pool while listening to a live band. The whole experience was a bit over-the-top, but for a day... we felt like rock stars!

~Nicola

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Bingin Beach, Bali

Sanur & Nusa Lambongan

We left Kuta by way of minivan to a town called Sanur, which is the gateway to the island Nusa Lambongan. Since we axed our plans to go to an island off the east coast of Bali called Gili Islands, we decided to give another island called Nusa Lambongan a try. It came highly recommended in our guide book, and it was closer and easier to get to.

Before leaving for the island we stayed in Sanur for a couple days to explore the area. We were glad that we did because it had a nice beach that stretched for a few km’s. The sand was a golden shade and in some areas it was almost copper. The beach was so long that it always had a deserted feeling to it, and we enjoyed the quiet time to relax and catch up with some reading. The water wasn’t the best for swimming. There weren’t any big crashing waves like Kuta; on the contrary it had a low tide and a lot of seaweed. There are many seaweed farms in the area, so it was common to see big floating pieces in the water. The town itself was cute, there were a lot of shop selling the usual crafts and souvenirs and many restaurants to chose from. Usually we would take a Bemo into the main area, which is a minivan with no doors that you can flag down for a cheaper price than a metred taxi. We enjoyed our stay in Sanur because unlike Kuta with its party atmosphere, Sanur had a more mature vibe but still had the facilities to go out and have fun.

We stayed in really cute place called Shanti Home Stay, it was clean and comfortable… a welcomed change from our graphitized hotel in Kuta. Mixed in between the two budget accommodation areas were high end resorts with fancy property. We enjoyed some really great meals in the town at quite reasonable prices at the kind of restaurants that at home would be reserved for only special occasions.

One meal that we really enjoyed after a long day at the beach was BBQ corn from a local vendor. She would coat it with lots of butter, salt, black pepper and hot sauce. This is something that really suits mine and Andrew’s palate well. We will definitely bring this recipe home with us; the hot sauce would leave your lips feeling like they were on fire~ but sooo worth it! I love being in this region of the world because hot sauce is provided with everything. Unlike the sissy’s in the West that can’t handle spice, here everyone enjoys a “good sweat!”

Nusa Lambongan:
After a few days of chillin’ out, Andrew was ready to hit the surf! We boarded an early boat over to the island. Both of us were excited to get there and see what was in store for us. The boat ride was only about one hour, and I decided no seasick pills were needed. Water seemed to be smooth, so I anticipated no problems. Boy was that wrong, about half way there the waves became big and our small boat was bouncing all over the place. Myself and a few other passengers seemed to just hanging on to our breakfast by a thread. Thankfully we arrived safely, and other than some pale faces everyone was good.

We found accommodation on the side of the island where it is known to be in the budget category. Even still we had a difficult time finding something suitable, eventually we did find a classic Balinese style hut, simple and clean. Unfortunately our side of the island was not good for swimming; the water was basically a big boat parking lot with very shallow water at times. The good beach we were told was on the other side of the island but accessible only by motorbike or boat. Luckily our hotel staff arranged a boat for Andrew to go to the break (surf spot) called Playground, and then to drop me off at a beach to watch him.

The surf was not good that day, it is a reef break (waves over coral) and they were quite small. Of course the local Balinese kids, because of their size and skill were able to surf there and do 360’s and all kinds of tricks. When we met three of the little kids later on the beach, it turns out that they were all surfing with broken boards. One had a fin missing; another big chunk missing and one even had the nose ripped off. A lot of the kids here in Bali are great little surfers; they almost grow up on their boards and in the water. They are tiny, but they sure know how to tear it up!

The “better” beach was a little hard on the eyes. I wouldn’t consider it a good beach and it wasn’t easy to get too. Andrew and I made the decision that we would leave the following morning and head back to Sanur.

The one great thing about Nusa Lambongan was the amazing sunset. I have never seen the sun light up an area with such a vibrant shade of red. We really enjoyed sitting out at our hotel and watching it.

The following day on our boat back to Sanur, we noticed quite a few passengers from the day before… I guess others had the same feelings about Nusa Lambognan.

Back to Sanur:
Since we knew we liked Sanur, we decided to spend another few nights there before moving on to our next destination. We went back to our cute home stay, and again enjoyed some relaxing on the beach and some good food.

~Nicola

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Sanur & Nusa Lambongan, Bali

Fun Fact #4: BARE FEET

I’m all for removing shoes before entering stores or hotels IF the floor is kept clean. In hot countries everyone wears sandals so it is actually no bother to remove shoes and it can be done quickly.

We have stayed at quite a number of hotels where it is not permitted to wear shoes into the building. Shoes are to be removed at the door step, and every person inside has bare feet. This kind of practice is not done in the West, and I think some people may find it a bit unusual. The only time we found it to be a little strange was at a gas station bathroom that we stopped at while on a bus. We were asked to remove our shoes and put on the slippers that they provided.

That is where I draw the line!!! Wearing shoes others have worn, especially in a toilet… yuck!

During our visit to Vietnam we travelled with Sinh Café (a bus company) a few times we took long haul over night bus rides. The buses consisted of three rows of bunk beds running front to back. Upon entering the bus, we all were instructed to remove our shoes and everyone was given plastic bags to put them in. I completely agree with this practice, firstly it kept the bus really clean. Secondly, who wants to have someone climbing over you to reach the top bunk with their dirty shoes on?

Of course when visiting temples it is customary to remove your shoes as a sign of respect. The only thing that I find annoying in this is the heat of the floor; with the South East Asian tropical climate often times the ground is smokin' hot. It is very uncomfortable to walk over hot tiles or concrete in your bare feet. On occasion there have been so many shoes removed at the entrances that we worry, will my shoes be there when I get back??? So far nothing has ever happened to our shoes… and luckily they have always been exactly where we left them.

Fun Fact #3: AVOIDING THE SUN AT ALL COSTS & WHITENING PRODCUTS

Stripping my tan away? No way… that’s crazy talk!!!

Women in Asia go to great lengths to keep their skin fair and to avoid the sun. Women walk down the smoking hot streets with face visors, umbrellas, oversized hats, long sleeves, long pants and even wearing socks under their flip flops… basically doing everything in their power to avoid the sun’s rays. In Asia it is the exact opposite to the West… tanned skin is considered ugly and white skin is considered beautiful. In no way am I advocating gratuitous sunbathing, obviously I am aware of the medical reproductions of such practices.

Most of the skin products in South East Asia are geared towards whitening the skin. Something in the Western countries that just would not sell well. It is almost impossible to find a facial product that don’t contain a whitening formula. Whether it be facial cleansers or moisturizers or body lotions or underarm deodorant… almost everything is whitening. Even the big names like Loreal, Estee Laudier, Lancome etc have a line of whitening products. When Andrew and I go to the store to buy products we literally have to scourer the shelves to find something that won’t strip away our hard earned tans!

In contrast to Asia we in the West try our hardest to look like we have been on vacation by tanning, using bronzing makeup, spray tan, self tanners or tanning beds. I have spoken to a few locals about this topic and they can’t understand why would want to have dark skin…something that comes so easily for them in their tropical climate. They find white skin to be exotic in contrast to us finding dark skin exotic. I think that saying “The grass is always greener on the other side” applies perfectly to this!

It's Kuta, Baby!!!

It has always been a dream of ours to vacation in Bali. Even the mention of Bali brings up images of beautiful beaches, tropical paradises and lush green vegetation. Since my stomach was feeling good, the antibiotics had done its job, instead of spending an extra day in Yogya we decided to make our way to Bali a little earlier. After a LONG 18 hr bus ride from Yogyakarta we finally arrived into the main city of Denpasar.

Upon arriving at the bus terminal we got into a taxi to take us right into the famous surf area "Kuta Beach" We were surprised to find a vibrant, hectic and bustling town filled with young surfers (mostly Aussie's) and many, many shops lining the streets. The streets were very narrow and congested with motorbikes with surfboards attached to the sides. Walking was always a challenge and you had to be very careful about not getting swiped by a motorbike. Kuta beach is not the sort of place that you go for tranquility, it is a place where you can party hard all night and surf all day... if you want to (quite the opposite of what we had imagined Bali to be like). The budget accommodations are located a few minutes walk or motorbike from the beach. Our place had a pool and included a nice breakfast... our room was a joke, it was covered in graffiti done by drunken patrons and we had many laughs reading it.

It takes time... but Kuta really grows on you!
Our initial plan of staying in Kuta for three days, turned into a one week stay. The beach was huge and the surf was great for novice surfers like Andrew. Our days were spent on the beach... Andrew surfing and I under a rented umbrella and chair. Our nights were spent exploring the energetic town, eating great food and shopping.

Not only does Kuta have many street vendors selling crafts, clothes, jewelry and burned DVD's but they also have stores selling surf wear like Billabong, Quicksilver and Rip Curl etc. The beach sellers were relentless in their sales tactics. I have never been on a beach where they were so ruthless in the way they would "swarm" you in groups, sometimes up to five people all at once. They would keep persisting you buy their goods, but after a firm "no" they would take the hint and leave for the time being. They literally would beg and plead you to purchase, I was even asked blatantly if I would give one lady my hat, towel or sarong.

After a week of full time surfing, Andrew achieved his goal of mastering the art of "catching" waves. (I think he is a natural!) Now he wants to master the art of "carving" on the waves, he was very pleased with his improvements and techniques and felt ready to move on to another town for some bigger and more challenging surf.

At first we really weren't really diggin' Kuta because of it's resemblance to an Aussie College Frat Party, but Kuta is one of those places that really grows on you. We really felt like it was a cool place to be, although it could get wild in some spots with partying etc. It still had a good vibe to it and people were pretty friendly. The "Beach Snobs" (that's us) definitely wouldn't give the beach a high rating because it's not the picturesque post card type beach but for the over all atmosphere... pretty good.

~Nicola

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Kuta Beach, Bali