Christmas 2012 in Bali

On Dec. 23, it was exciting for Caitlin and I to meet up with Cara and Clay, then Fred and Joanne (Clay's parents, who flew in on a different flight) at the Bali airport.  We met up quickly with our driver, who luckily came with a large van, and made our way out of the busy city and up the East coast.  It was a beautiful but long three hour drive, especially for the ones who were just off of their 20 hour flight.  It was all worth it when we arrived at the lovely Blue Moon Villas in Amed.  It was a beautiful spot to recover from jet lag, relax and reconnect.  We were high up on a cliff on the ocean with beautiful jungle covered hills behind us. It was a short walk to two great beaches for snorkeling.  The reef was just a few feet off shore and one of the beaches had a Japanese ship wreck to explore. If we weren't snorkeling, we were sitting by the pool, eating (great meals) or playing "Settlers of Catan", my new favourite board game, on our deck.  It didn't seem at all like Christmas but it was lovely.

The views from our deck.

The 3 C's.

Engrossed in Mancala before becoming addicted to "Settlers of Catan"

Fred and Joanne.

The little tree I brought from Jakarta.

Christmas Eve dinner.

"I saw 3 ships come sailing in on Christmas Day on Christmas Day."

Coming back from snorkeling.

Looking down at the snorkeling beach.

Our driver arrived on Dec. 29 to take us to our next destination, Bali Ecostay.  He parked the van on the sloped driveway and proceeded to load our luggage while we climbed into the van.  Suddenly the van started to roll down the driveway and across the road toward another area of the hotel and the cliff above the ocean.  Caitlin and Fred leaped into action looking for the emergency brake and breaking a rib (Fred) and a toe (Caitlin) in the process.  Almost died but we lived!

Bali Ecostay was not that far in distance but took a long time as the roads are narrow and twisty in that area.  We traveled through small villages and beautiful countryside in the mountains.

A small village.

Rice drying on big tarps.

Lunch stop with a beautiful valley behind us.

A typical store at the side of the road.

Our accommodation at Bali Ecostay was in separate bungalows, each one nestled in beautiful, tropical foliage and hidden from the other bungalows.  Ours had two bedrooms and a large common area.  The bathroom was built with part of it open to the sky.  It had stone walls with plants growing in pots attached to the wall - very beautiful and exotic.  The buildings all had views of the mountains and the terraced rice paddies.  Below our bungalow was a waterfall and natural pool for swimming.

Our common area.

The rice paddy view from our bungalow.

The waterfall...

and pool below.

A rain storm view from our room.

Our indoor/outdoor shower.

Walking through the rice paddies below Bali Ecostay.

The massage gazebo in the jungle.  Hot stones anyone?

A banana tree blossom.

A typical Balinese home where several generations of the family would live.  This is the grandparents sleeping area. The set back raised areas are beds.

Our guide showing us some medicinal plants.

Dancers on New Year's Eve.

Attaching "wishes" to a paper lantern before releasing it on New Year's Eve.

The entrance to Okawati Hotel, down a small lane off of Monkey Forest Road.

On New Year's Day we left for Ubud, the centre of art and Culture in Bali. We stayed at Okawati Hotel, an older but charming hotel, just off of the main road, Monkey Forest Road. It was wet in Ubud, but it didn't stop us from shopping up and down the main street and going out for some great meals.  Caitlin had to leave for home on our second day there as school and the Northwest Territories were calling.

Teatime on the balcony at Okawati.

Coffee beans roasting oi the left and Caitlin grinding them on the right.

Taste testing various coffees and teas.

Temple on a lake.

Hiking in to Twin Falls.

The rest of us moved on to an area near the airport called Jimbaran to spend the last couple of days of our Bali holiday.  Jimbaran is famous for the best fresh seafood at its beachside restaurants.  You make your choice of seafood from the coolers, then they grill it and serve it with rice and vegetables.  You pay by the weight of the seafood you have chosen.

Jimbaran Beach restaurant at lunch ...

and dinner.

It was hard to say goodbye to everyone and head back to Jakarta instead of "home"  but I'm so happy to have spent Christmas the way we did and grateful that they came all this way.  I hope everyone enjoyed the trip as much as I did!