Balinese Food

You know it must be good if the food alone deserves a post. And it so does!

Haleni made fabulous food when she lived with us but I had no idea it could get even better. My absolute favourite is the Chicken Satay with the peanut sauce. Out of this world! And the seafood...oh...the...seafood! What made it even better is the presentation! They could almost display dog poop and it would look delicious.

See that little hand ready to take my goods!

Someone should teach this child that it is rude to smile with your mouth full!

Chicken wrapped around lemongrass, could it get any better than this?

The ambiance is always perfect

The red stuff is Sambol Oelek. It is a very commonly used Indonesian hot sauce. Tomatoes and chilies...delic!

The great thing is, you can eat at cool restaurants with a view like this:

Batur volcano - one of Bali's active volcanoes

Or have a nofrills setting and pay 5 bucks to feed a family of 6:

The food was insane here and cost $5.06. This picture was taken during the first course.

Fitri chowing on something good

Delicious fruit brought right to you on the beach

Asa grooving the chicken satay

And for the food wimps out there (or those who have been in lack of beef for far too long) there is always this...

Hungry, anyone?

Bali Love

When we first landed off the plane I knew I was going to love Bali. Xavier did too, "Mom, I don't see any garbage!" He was right. Everything was clean, warm, lush and beautiful. Here are a few things I LOVED about Bali:

1. Fitri (our nanny) - Fitri is from Jakarta and a member of our church. We hired her to come be our nanny for the two weeks we were in Bali. We bought her a flight and paid her for the time she was with us. We walked off the plane in Denpasar and there she was! It was worth every penny!

It was also fantastic to brush up on my Bahasa and hear more about how the church is growing in Indonesia. They have around 15 missionaries right now and the work is moving forth. It was also amazing to hear a prayer in Bahasa.

2. Accommodation

Our first resort apartment was perfect. There was tons of space and the resort was beautiful. It was especially good for the kids as they had children's programs and an awesome pool.

In Nusa Dua, Bali

The second place we stayed at was in Ubud. Awesome.

LOVE the outdoor bathroom

Our last place was a private villa in Kuta. At first, I was disappointed that I didn't book another resort. It stressed me out for a couple of days. But, once we arrived, it was difficult to be too sad.

Master Bath

Master Bed

View from master bed

Second room

Second Bath

Making Heavah work for her stay.

3. Shopping!!!!!

Which deserves a post all on its own.

4. FOOD!!!

Which also deserves a post all on its own.

5. Art

Same as above...

6. Rice fields and greenery.

6. Depiction of Hindu gods

Nice

7. Wildlife

8. Spas

Axel and I tried to cease any moment we could to have a couple's massage. There is a reason why Balinese massages are so popular. It isn't like the Thai massages that kick your a$$ or that scary feeling that they might push you for something *extra*. Instead, Balinese massages are a perfect way to relax from the smell of the oils, the pressure they use and the music they play. When I think of the Celestial Kingdom, I think of a Balinese two hour massage (which, by the way, is always the fastest two hours of my life).

The room where Axel and I had our first of many massages.

9. Cleanliness

Even the trash cans are cute and artistic. Pristine roads. Again, Celestial Kingdom.

10. Balinese People

Sedona is thinking, 'Finally, kids who actually understand this language I have been speaking!' It was the first time ever that she made sense to other children.

Collectively, Axel and I have been to about 50 countries and we both agree that Bali is one of the coolest places we have ever visited. I understand that all of Indonesia is very different from Bali, but as far as I am concerned, Bali has my heart.

Bali Me, Baby

In the Monkey Forest, Ubud Bali

We just returned from our grand family trip to Indonesia and Thailand. To say it was fantastic would be an understatement. In fact, I am at a loss for what to write because there were so many incredible experiences it is difficult to convey in writing. I expect that several of my next posts will focus only on our trip as our photo count as of today is 1800 photos. There were too many cool things to miss.

Ever since I learned Bahasa Indonesia and had Haleni as a maid I always wanted to visit Bali. It seemed there was something mystical and fascinating about the small Hindu island that I knew one day I would make it out there to see it all. I just wasn't expecting it to happen so soon. When we finally made the decision to go I could barely sleep the last few nights we were home and I was happy to find out that all my high expectations of Bali would be exceeded ten fold.

I had some worries about how all four of my children would fair when it came to extensive travel. Truly, if they couldn't take it, we might have to exchange them for a different model. It is a point of survival in our clan. But each passed with flying colours. In fact, I am now convinced it is in their DNA to be excited about visiting other countries--not only in seeing the resorts and beaches but also eating the food and learning the culture. Bravo to them. They were champs from beginning to end. They barely slept and schedules were completely thrown out the window. Instead of going insane, they took it in stride and seemed to be working off of adrenaline just like Axel and I.

For the next couple posts I will focus only on parts of our trip. We were gone for 3 weeks and to record everything would be impossible. However, every single day seems worthy of its own post. Then again, there are some cool things happening in Nepal since we got back. One must move on. I will write more soon...

The view from our villa near Kuta, Bali

Until I come down from my cloud...