Nusa Lembongan

We left our home in Sanur on Christmas Eve Eve and took a ferry out to Nusa Lembongan. It is a small island east off the southern tip of Bali. We used Scoot Fast Cruise, which was nicely run and not too expensive. It was another example of the great dichotomy of travel. We arrived in a cove that was full of floating water slides and large party boats. Luckily they were just there for the day, you know to get sunburned and drink beer. After getting off the ferry we were shuttled in the back of a small truck up and over the hill to the next cove over. A fun ride that the kids loved. Took me back to the days as kids when we used to ride in the back of pickups all summer. Here we are in the shuttle (Photo courtesy of George Gibbs)

We stayed at the Waka Nusa Hotel which we booked through Agoda. Cool overall experience. Once you leave the road it is all sand paths through the huts to the office. We were greeted with cold towels and fresh watermelon juice. Here is a picture of our room:

There is an air of going back in time (no TV's annoying alarm clocks, telephones or internet) and yet it was comfortable (hot water, AC, and electricity). Of course, no one would come here for to stay in their room all day! So here are some pictures of the real reasons to come here: White sand beaches, clear water and nice views.

Waka Nusa was a great place to stay. They have free boat rides out to good snorkeling, free kayak rental, free bikes and a great complimentary breakfast. This is the only picture I have of the pool which does not really do it just justice... but I am looking good! (Photo courtesy of George Gibbs)

We found a favorite local restaurant and ate there a lot because the food was good, the Bin Tang was cheap and the view was great! Here a few pictures:

I love this picture in the restaurant. Notice the sand floor, perfect for letting the kids play so we could focus on the beer and the view. (Photo courtesy of George Gibbs)

Thanks Robyn for getting this fabulous family portrait! Also at our favorite hangout. Love it when the kids are so tired from the day that they pass out at diner.

We had our Christmas morning here in front of the Christmas tree the Hotel had up. It is such a weird feeling to have Christmas on a beach in perfect weather but we made due...

Kids with presents and the parents with coffee.

The hit was the fake mustaches...

What beach Christmas is complete without a Santa sand sculpture? For the next couple of days it was "Dad, can you make Santa and Miss Claus again?" (Photo courtesy of Robyn Gibbs)

Jessica arranged for me to go surfing Christmas day. I rented a short longboard and went out to a break called "Playground". It is a reef break which I was very nervous about but the swell was mellow and I actually got up. I road some white water and actually caught one wave. Surfed until my arms felt like they would fall off (not very long) and my ribs hurt. Good day! Sadly it was time to move on, I would have liked to have spent more time here though. Next stop, Ubud.

Day at Deus Ex Machina

Deus Ex Machina

Temple of Enthusiasm

I found out about Deus from a motorcycle blog called Bike Exif. At the Temple of Enthusiasm Deus restores old motorcycles, shapes surfboards, makes bicycles, has a bar and restaurant, art gallery and generally the coolest place ever. Here are a couple of shots of the overall view inside the store.

 This is the cafe and bar area

 One side of the art gallery

A nice area for the ladies to chill and the kids to run around.

The front parking area with a bunch of Deus bikes.

Surfboard Rack on a Deus bike.

 Cool bike mural and used surfboards for sale.

 Detail shots inside the store.

Wood surfboards...

This board is too wild. The clear part is only 1/4 of an inch thick. It is thicker at the rails and nose though...

At the back of the compound are the shops. I love the mixture of traditional wood carved doors and the new Husqy outside and new tools inside.

Here is a look where the magic happens.

Sanur

Sanur is a cool little town that is close to the airport on the East side of the Southern Tip of Bali. It is coastal and the pace of life is nice and mellow. The architecture is fun. Everything is detailed, the smallest railing is flourished, any visible piece of wood is carved and painted. Here is a pic of a standard wall in Bali, obsess much?

Its Scooter mania here. Not quite as bad as Thailand but they've got it bad for their scooters, Let these pictures do the talking...

 But this one is my personal vavorite... This guy seems to have the goods the ladies need...

The religious beliefs dictate that the people leave offerings to the various gods. They are these little baskets made of palms that have banana leaves, rice, flowers, sometimes money, sometimes cigaretts. here is a good one. This stone sculpture has been rapped, given many offerings and seems to have quite the smoking habbit.

Food was reasonably priced and decent. It was a great place to start our vacation in Bali. We stayed at the Villa Warna which I would recommend to anyone. It is southern Sanur nestled in the residential area. It was very quiet and comfortable. The web site claims that it is only 200 meters to the beach which is way off (it is more like 750) but it was easily walkable. We walked to most of our meals and enjoyed daily tropical rain storms. My only complaint about Sanur were the overzealous taxi drivers. We were asked almost constantly if we needed a taxi and when we said no, they would ask, "Maybe tomorrow?" The local people seemed to be very friendly and love their island. Our favorite places to eat were the Massimo Italian Restaurant. The food was amazing and they have a gelato bar! We also ate at a restaurant that I cannot remember the name of with tables on the beach that had a great whole snapper. Here are some pics from our restaurant on the beach...

 The local Balinese gas stations are great! They are clear bottles that they fill with gas. They are placed in these simple racks on the side of the road. The best ones use absolute vodka bottles. I think it is some sort of commentary on fuel being the alcohol of of transportation... or maybe they are just the right size.

During our stay in Sanur we took a day trip to Changgu to go to Des Ex Machina's Temple Of Enthusiasm. Check out the next post for more on Deus.

Overview of the Bali trip

We just spent three weeks in Bali and I thought that I would post an overall explanation of where we went and then do individual posts about each place. The Dhaka airport was filled with teachers and students preparing to scatter for the Christmas break. There is no shortage of people to talk to and there are many people that were on the same flight. It would be interesting to see a graphic of where everyone involved in the school traveled to because I am sure that every continent had someone from AISD on it. Not exactly carbon neutral but culturally diverse??? Here is a great pic in the Dhaka airport... I think this sign would make a great t-shirt.

The first leg was a flight from Dhaka to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia then a 5 hour lay over spent with the DenHartighs in the airport. It was great to have the time fly by socializing with friends. Next flight was to Denpasar, Bali.

We arrived and were picked up by the driver from our first lodging. Luis was super nice and talked to us about the ubiquidous statues that we saw on our drive to Sanur. Here is a pic of one such statue:

 

We got settled and then Jessica's sister, her husband and their son arrived. Good to see some family! We spent 6 days in Sanur at this place:

Then took a ferry to Nusa Lombongan (an island that is a half hour boat ride off the coast of Bali). We spent three night there in some great little huts, including Christmas day. Here is our cabana... bummer.

Next we moved to another house in Ubud. Ubud is a mid sized town in the hills and rice feilds. We had another great house and spent 6 days there.

Next we went to the North side of the island to stay in a small fishing village named Amed. Here is a pic that pretty much sums it up:

We stayed in small cabanas for three days and then back to the airport and our day long return to Dhaka. It was a great trip in many ways but the best way to explain it is this: I was actually on vacation. I did not think about work at all! We were constantly moving and doing things and really enjoying the gift of time off in a foreign place. Stay tuned for more!

Bali

We made it back safe and sound to Dhaka from our vacation in Bali. It feels good to be back in our home but I already miss Bali. We had a blast, got to see some of our family, got some city time and island time, went to Deus Ex Machina, Lola rode an elephant, we snorkeled, surfed, saw tones of fireworks, rented a scooter, took copious pictures and drank A LOT of Bin Tang. I will be posting more detailed write ups with pictures over the next couple of days so stay tuned. IT feels good to be back in touch with every one. Merry Christmas and Happy new year!