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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We've landed in paradise!

Three flights, long layovers, and little sleep and we made it safely to Bali! The flights were actually much better than I anticipated. The airlines were accommodating in every way possible and it seemed like we got here rather quickly.

From the moment we landed, I felt like there was too much to digest. The airport at Denpasar was small and ridiculously busy. It didn't help that there was construction everywhere. Portions of the airport looked like amazing temples which stopped me in my tracks. Definitely not LAX.

My husband was able to acquire his travel Visa in a matter of seconds. The luck kept rolling as our luggage arrived safely, we exchanged some money, and immediately found a taxi. Nyoman Suparta, a native to Bali, drove us through the insane traffic skillfully avoiding buses and thousands of mopeds while sharing any information he could about the landscapes, people, tourism, etc. I immediately liked Nyoman.

Our arrival at our hotel was truly a Zen-like moment. We were greeted with leis, a gong sounded, and we were escorted in to the beautiful open-air lobby where we were given cool washcloths and some glorious concoction to drink as we waited for the service to tend to us.

The hotel is magnificent We walked the grounds and put our feet in the Bali Sea. We are currently sitting between pools sipping our drinks and taking in the beauty around us. We plan to eat (to keep ourselves awake just a little longer - we are soooo exhausted).

We can't wait to explore and relax tomorrow. I've already picked out my first spa treatment. Bali truly is a paradise!

Location:Bali, Indonesia

And the adventure begins!

After a tearful goodbye with the kids, the adventure begins! We are patiently waiting at the airport for the first of our three flights. It's going to be a long journey (almost 24 hours). Good thing we are prepared with reading! Here's to the start of an amazing experience!



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Enjoying our last day together

The good news is that the nerves are in check. The bad news is that I've reached the next stage of pre-travel - sadness. My three year old hugged me today and said, "Mommy, I'm going to miss you when you are in In-do-neee-sia. I will be sad." Talk about breaking a mother's heart.
So, I spent the day spoiling my boys and distracting myself from the impending trip. Miniature golf, arcade, slurpees, water balloon fight. What a fun-filled day!

My bags are packed and I'm ready to go!

After days of contemplating clothing choices, I have finally packed the bag. My cultural presentation is done, copies of important documents have been made, and my suitcase is officially ready to go. It's amazing how much relief I feel at this point. My hope is to enjoy the next day and a half with my family spending every moment soaking in my children. They still don't completely comprehend that Mommy will be gone for three full weeks as they are still star-struck by the promised adventures with their grandparents. I hope to take a few deep breaths and focus on the excitement of my adventure rather than all the unknowns. But for now, I'm just going to revel in the fact that my suitcase is packed.

Planning, Anxiety, and Excitement... and some more anxiety.

There are only 5 days left before I travel to the other side of the world and the nerves have kicked in!  I am leaving before the rest of my colleagues to travel to Bali with my husband.  I'm finding it difficult to be completely excited at this point because I still have so much to do - a run to Target for more essentials, pack, finish a cultural presentation, prepare gifts, etc.  I'm also stressing (probably way more than I need to) about my attire during my teaching experience, accommodations, Ramadan, and the weather.  In my nervous state, everything seems like a big deal right now.

I am grateful that I get to travel the 20+ hours to Indonesia with my husband (flights make me nervous) and that we get to look forward to a relaxing time in Bali.  We have some amazing plans, including a unique bike tour through the rice paddies, ending with a meal at the guide's home.  Every person we have talked to who has traveled to Bali can't speak highly enough.  We're thrilled to spend some time in what seems to be a magical place!

On July 19, my husband will travel home and I will fly to Jakarta to meet up with my American colleagues from all over the nation.  I have to admit, I am extremely grateful that I will not be fighting jet-lag by that point as they will.  We received our agendas the other day and it certainly appears that we will be quite busy. 

Our initial days in Jakarta will be filled with presentations, meetings, visitations, cultural events, etc.  It's a bit overwhelming to look at on paper but also completely thrilling.  I know this is an opportunity of a lifetime and I'm looking forward to the unique experiences. 

After several days in Jakarta, I will be leaving for Tangerang (a suburb of Jakarta) where I will work in MAN Insan Cendekia school.  I've communicated a few times with my partner teacher (Yuna Kadarisman) who has been extremely kind.  In addition, I am fortunate enough to be have one travel partner to Tangerang.  My colleague (Jennifer) happens to come from Davis, CA and we get along beautifully!!!  We swear that our meeting and partnership was designed by the gods.  We talk/stress often and have even visited once.  Our teaming certainly eases my nerves.

After a little less than a week, we will return to Jakarta and reunite with our other colleagues.  There will be more meetings, visitations, sharing, etc.  I can only imagine how overloaded with information I will be. 

Three weeks.  It's a long time to be away from home.  More importantly, it's a long time to be away from my family.  I'm most nervous about missing my children.  They are fine (for now) anticipating trips to the Exploritorium, Monterey Bay Aquarium, and the Santa Cruz Beach and Boardwalk with their Nana and Papa and Disneyland/Carsland and the beach with their Grandma and Grandpa.  Needless-to-say, I wonder if they will even notice that I'm gone.  My three year old makes me smile when he says, "I can't wait for Mommy to go to In-do-neee-sia so I can go to Carsland!" 

So, it's back to the to-do lists.  Wish me luck!

Stomach Preparation

After thoughtful consideration, my husband and I decided it would probably be wise to have some idea about Indonesian food.  He took over researching and we found what people claimed was the best Indonesian restaurant in the entire Bay Area - the Indo Cafe in Saratoga.  We proudly found this tucked away "gem" (sans kids, of course) and pledged to be brave in our choices. 

After a lot of analyzing pictures and reading over dishes, we questioned our waiter.  As soon as he learned that we had never experienced Indonesian food before AND that we were headed to Indonesia, he was full of advice.  We wisely decided to let his recommendations become our order.

Our meal: Padang style beef, jackfruit in curry sauce, beef curry, red egg, oreng, ice cendol, and ice doger to name just a few.  The beef and ice cendol were excellent.  I did not care for the egg at all and the jackfruit took some getting used to - strange texture.  My nose was running the entire meal due to the spices, but I still enjoyed much of what we ate.  The big question is... can I eat like this for three weeks straight?!