An "exhausting" day

As hard as we tried, we were asleep quite early last night, which resulted in a one a.m. wake-up. After forcing myself back to sleep, I had a blissful rest.

Today was full of amazing moments. We started with a delicious breakfast - buffet style. This allowed us to get adventurous with our food choices. I was ecstatic to try nasi goreng (a famous Indonesian staple) along with salak (a "snake" fruit shaped like a pointed pair - tastes like a sweet apple), banana bread, chicken sausage, fresh bread, mango yogurt, and much more. The breakfast was quite fantastic and I felt my food concerns slowly melt away.





Thanks to the miracle of technology, we were able to FaceTime with our children on the ipad at poolside. It seems surreal to be on the opposite side of the world and look and talk to your children as if they are in the next room. Our boys weren't too interested in what we were doing. They were far more concerned with sharing what they saw at the Monterey Bay Aquarium and what new goodies Nana and Papa had spoiled them with.

We decided it was time to be adventurous so we left our resort and strolled through the streets of Sanur admiring the handcrafted art and beautiful fabrics and textiles. We expected the vendors to be somewhat aggressive, so there were no surprises. Shopping was very similar to what you would see in Mexico. Lots of haggling and pleading, but everyone was very kind and helpful. We bought one piece of unique art (for $11.00) which the artist blessed with good luck.


It was fascinating to watch the locals lay out their offerings (which they do three times a day!). Our taxi driver from the airport informed us that at least 80% of those living in Bali are Hindu. Their offerings are gorgeous small hand-made baskets containing flowers, leaves, food, candy (and occasionally cigarettes!). We watched offerings laid out on statues, the street, and outside of businesses. We also learned from some research that they spend close to 50% of their income on various offerings.


We decided it was time to head back to the resort. The humidity was getting the better of us and our clothes were clinging to our bodies like vines to a wall. It was pool time!


After lounging around and in the pool for hours and enjoying the Indonesian food and drinks (minus the "nachos" - they haven't figured out how to master those yet!), I opted to be pampered at the spa. The two and a half hour spa treatment sent me to a whole new level of Utopia. The head, neck, shoulder, back, and feet massages could not be topped by the milk bath, fresh fruit, and jamu (a traditional Javanese drink). It was all exquisite.


When I emerged from my euphoric state, we decided to again explore along the shore of Sanur. We walked along the beach eyeing vendors and their goods, restaurants, other tourists, and many locals. Everyone was so friendly. I have officially fallen in love with Balinese babies. One family let me take a picture of their beautiful daughter and insisted that I kiss her!








After returning home and a well-needed shower, we decided to leave the resort and find a "local" restaurant. We had lumpia, nasi goreng, and some sort of chicken dish, all washed down with Bintang. We dined right on the beach and enjoyed listening to all the other diners (We are yet to find other Americans!).


We are currently fighting to stay awake and it's a losing battle. I guess it's hard work laying by the pool and being massaged. Looking forward to another fun-filled day tomorrow!


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