I am sitting in Tokyo Airport once again...almost three weeks ago I was in the same spot..this time, I have the memories of Bali and my aussies keeping me smiling. After a horrific attempt to leave Denpasar I have found comfort sitting on my booty watching all the bootleg dvd's I bargained for in Seminyak. I want to be back in paradise..somewhere in Indo with Lacey, Jakey and Evo...the bali foursome...Can I go back please???
hmmm maybe I will take these next 9 hours to plan my next vacation/adventure...I'm thinking the Gold Coast...but who knows...
Saturday, August 9, 2008
bye bye Bali...
Well as I sit at the seaside restaurant having my last glass of chardonnay in paradise..the thoughts of sadness consume my every sip and my every attempt at a last smile. It is just me now..Lacey has gone, Jake and Evo are back at the pubs in Sydney, leaving me alone, sitting trying to stay happy while my tears start to drip onto the broken-in wooden table. A table that holds similar memories to mine that are haunting my thoughts this very moment. And when I write "haunts" I mean that in the most sentimental, nostalgic way possible. These past few weeks have been nothing but perfect. There are so many adjectives that could describe my holiday as Jakey would say...relaxing, laughable, "dud-ish," amazing, hilarious, cultural, eye-opening, beautiful, different, new, life-changing...but perfect seems to sum it up well..perfectly. I am trying to nibble on my last piece of delightful bread by the sea...but I can't taste it. I am too sad to be leaving to be enjoying my last supper. The funniest part and the most ironic is, I have never been more happy in my entire life. I guess that is what happens to your feelings when...well when you are somewhere in Indo. Goodbye Bali...xoxosheridan
Friday, August 8, 2008
Lanai...Flat Whites..and People Watching...
Our life with Jakey and Evo continues...this morning we wake up and attend our favorite brunch spot, Lanai. Let me explain to you all what Lanai is like because I feel like I revert back to it quite a bit. Think 100 feet from one of the world's best beaches, located in prime people watching spot,sun beaming down on your face while you can enjoy flat white coffee's (with lots of sugar..right Jake?) and the best breakfast burrito you have ever had for $1.90. I mean that is pretty remarkable I would say. It is such a great way to start the day with one your friends and two your laughs...smiling acts like a dose of caffeine when you are in Bali. Spending the mornings reminicing about the prior nights events has become my favorite past time here in Indo. This morning we are talking about our dinner the past night at Rumours...I think the highlight for me was Jakey falling asleep in his steak? What do you think Lacey, Evo? I guess we just needed to catch some more zzz's as we were all very tired from our other shananigans the past couple of nights. Still feeling groggy in the am, "not being able to move our legs," drinking wine with straws, Evo's gnocci and me reading oh and ordering for Jake, was what consumed our laughs this morning. I apologize for the inside jokes and inside phrases...warning the last part of my blog will mostly be like this as we didn't venture out on any cultural adventures the past few days mostly because we all had "dud" feet...yours truly tore all the ligaments in her left ankle (will explain next post) and the boys got their tats on their feet which made them duds too. So most of my postings will entail our local legian laughs.
Just a little bit about my breakfast spot that I will miss probably the most. Had a lot of good mornings and good nights here...cheers with my flat white *Extra x2 Sugar *
more to come...
Just a little bit about my breakfast spot that I will miss probably the most. Had a lot of good mornings and good nights here...cheers with my flat white *Extra x2 Sugar *
more to come...
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Hahahah…I don’t even know where to begin on this entry. First and foremost I want to apologize to all you avid blog readers for the delay on my postings. The last three days have been consumed by Australian surfer fun. Three days ago I was sunbathing on our chess board (life size) when two mates came up and asked if they could play. Three days later we have spent 24/7 with our two new favorite people Jake (4 middle names) O’Connell and Evan (Ev) Richard Faulks. That morning by the chess board Lacey and I knew we were in for three days of fun because we didn’t stop laughing for one second. Between the “ay mates” and “you lil’ mut” and “I’ll cave your head in” we learned that these two guys were absolutely incredible people. We sunbathed, drank our afternoon bintangs and then it was time for dinner. Lacey and I being the two polite American girls invited Jake and Ev to join us for champagne before we hit the town. Pineapple juice with vodka also became a yummy addition to the champagne. (For many reasons…Lacey you sick bloak) After the sunset and the champagne was done we decided that it was time to go get blinded/get bent with our ‘bra’s.’ We continued the fun at Lanai over sushi and more laughs. I honestly can say at this point, I hadn’t stopped smiling since the morning.
After dinner we flagged a taxi and the four of us set off to Ku de Ta for a post-dinner champagne toast..the bending continues. I don’t even really know what to say..you would have to be there to understand level of fun we were having. The pictures will talk for me on this one.
Day 1: Chess Boards, Parking Lots, After Parties, the Lamp, Laughs, Hysterical Laughs, Constant Smiles (J’s), Window knocking, 3 pigs in a blanket, and Purple Violets…
Day 2 begins…
We are a little sluggish today however the bright shining smiles that pop up at our door the next morning make the headaches a little less severe. Nothing cures that champagne sting like a jump in the pool. We head to Lanai, scene of the previous night’s crimes, and reminisce about the adventure that took place 10 hours prior. Sunbathing, reading and eating gross hamburgers consumed our afternoon. Jake and Evo continue to shower us with their aussie personalities and Lacey and I are once again laughing like no other.
The night was relaxed…but not without excitement I promise you that…
Day 2: zzzzzzzzzzzzzz’s, bintangs at the sunset bar, rumours, Jacob sleeping over his steak, Wine in cupswine in bottleswine in cupsback to the bottle, “I need to lift my legs to walk, “Muts!” the thought of family guy, 406, zzzzzzzzz’s.
Day 3: to come soon!
“that was quite a show…it was very entertaining but it’s over now” --> Lacey just left and I am crying over the sunset...Miss her already...xo
After dinner we flagged a taxi and the four of us set off to Ku de Ta for a post-dinner champagne toast..the bending continues. I don’t even really know what to say..you would have to be there to understand level of fun we were having. The pictures will talk for me on this one.
Day 1: Chess Boards, Parking Lots, After Parties, the Lamp, Laughs, Hysterical Laughs, Constant Smiles (J’s), Window knocking, 3 pigs in a blanket, and Purple Violets…
Day 2 begins…
We are a little sluggish today however the bright shining smiles that pop up at our door the next morning make the headaches a little less severe. Nothing cures that champagne sting like a jump in the pool. We head to Lanai, scene of the previous night’s crimes, and reminisce about the adventure that took place 10 hours prior. Sunbathing, reading and eating gross hamburgers consumed our afternoon. Jake and Evo continue to shower us with their aussie personalities and Lacey and I are once again laughing like no other.
The night was relaxed…but not without excitement I promise you that…
Day 2: zzzzzzzzzzzzzz’s, bintangs at the sunset bar, rumours, Jacob sleeping over his steak, Wine in cupswine in bottleswine in cupsback to the bottle, “I need to lift my legs to walk, “Muts!” the thought of family guy, 406, zzzzzzzzz’s.
Day 3: to come soon!
“that was quite a show…it was very entertaining but it’s over now” --> Lacey just left and I am crying over the sunset...Miss her already...xo
Friday, August 1, 2008
Day off, Night on!!! ...so ON!
After our long adventure yesterday, Lacey and I felt it was only appropriate to spend today doing absolutely nothing…relaxing by the pool, enjoying a leisurely lunch, maybe even grabbing an afternoon movie to escape the sun was in our future and we couldn’t have been more delighted about it! After doing my morning laps in the pool (I know I am working out on vacation, but it is great!) we sat by the pool, we both finished our books and danced back and forth between relaxing and swimming. We enjoyed a lovely standard lunch of wood fried pizza’s down the way at the Z Bar as we have started calling it and strolled slowly back with our full bellies…On our way back we did something out of character a bit..well not too bad but more of indulging in a guilty pleasure. We bought a bunch of bootleg DVDs from a guy with a stand on the row. Our afternoon would now be enhanced by laughter and tears of the ultimate girlie movie “Sex in the City.” It was so worth it, Lacey and I would agree…we needed some rest (as we were prepping for a big night) and we needed time out of the sun so the movie idea was simply golden.
After our movie *which cut out about 10 minutes before the end which really annoyed us* we decided it was time to get all dolled up and head to Seminyak for some sunset watching at a place called Kudeta. (which is known for their sunsets) check it out: http://www.kudeta.net/ After the standard 5 dollar cab fare, we arrived…we snagged a killer spot at the front of the restaurant, beach side, sunset in the distance, and took the plunge and ordered a bottle of Australian Bubbly. (it seemed so fitting for the moment) Steve met us with one of his friends from home, Jordan and we ordered another bottle of champagne (once again seemed fitting for the occasion)
The sunset was beyond incredible. I know I have said that about a lot of the things I have seen here somewhere in Indo, but this seriously takes the cake. We sat in peace as we watched the sun disappear below the horizon; we sat speechless as the sun said goodnight.
Now it was time for dinner. We “Adventured” to Oberoi for a lovely dinner at our local favorite spot, Trattoria. And when I say adventure, we hopped on the back of Steve and Jordan’s bikes *don’t worry we had helmets and it was a very short, 5 minute cruise to the restaurant* Talk about a rush! Those bikes are super fun! But don’t worry mom after last night I got the craving for biking out of my system.
After stuffing ourselves with caprese salads, bruscetta and the most delicious creamy pasta (oh and bintangs-standard practice now) we headed to a dive bar in Kuta to meet some more of Steve’s friends. We hopped on the back of our bikes and skipped over to the next town. Driving through the small and windy streets of town on a moped force you to see the towns differently and in a good way. The culture running next to you engulfs your thoughts while you cruise down the bumpy and crowded streets.
We arrived at the “Chill Zone” as the bar was called and snagged a large bed in the front. It’s funny to think that the swanky clubs in the cities (only a handful) have beds to lounge on inside the club and everywhere here seems to have beds..we liked the idea of lying down and having fun…very chill. Very chill. We met some more of Steve’s friends and laughed the night away. Because we were in a less populated area of Kuta it was harder to find a taxi back, so Johnny Alexander (our long haired indo friend from our Bedugal day) opted to bike us back to the main drag. Without hesitation, lacey and I hopped on the back and rode off through town. Lacey was sitting behind me so her legs were draped over me..if anyone knows Lacey you know she is 6 feet tall and beautiful, but those model legs were NOT cool last night! Her tight grip, from her legs on mine, made me scream pain the entire ride into town..but because we were driving so fast, she couldn’t hear my wails! It was hilarious! Painful but epic!
Johnny dropped us on the main drag and we sauntered back into our suite…a night of fun dazzled our laughter before our heads hit the pillow. Recapping our night seemed like the best of ideas rather than resting our tired eyes. Oh what a night!
After our movie *which cut out about 10 minutes before the end which really annoyed us* we decided it was time to get all dolled up and head to Seminyak for some sunset watching at a place called Kudeta. (which is known for their sunsets) check it out: http://www.kudeta.net/ After the standard 5 dollar cab fare, we arrived…we snagged a killer spot at the front of the restaurant, beach side, sunset in the distance, and took the plunge and ordered a bottle of Australian Bubbly. (it seemed so fitting for the moment) Steve met us with one of his friends from home, Jordan and we ordered another bottle of champagne (once again seemed fitting for the occasion)
The sunset was beyond incredible. I know I have said that about a lot of the things I have seen here somewhere in Indo, but this seriously takes the cake. We sat in peace as we watched the sun disappear below the horizon; we sat speechless as the sun said goodnight.
Now it was time for dinner. We “Adventured” to Oberoi for a lovely dinner at our local favorite spot, Trattoria. And when I say adventure, we hopped on the back of Steve and Jordan’s bikes *don’t worry we had helmets and it was a very short, 5 minute cruise to the restaurant* Talk about a rush! Those bikes are super fun! But don’t worry mom after last night I got the craving for biking out of my system.
After stuffing ourselves with caprese salads, bruscetta and the most delicious creamy pasta (oh and bintangs-standard practice now) we headed to a dive bar in Kuta to meet some more of Steve’s friends. We hopped on the back of our bikes and skipped over to the next town. Driving through the small and windy streets of town on a moped force you to see the towns differently and in a good way. The culture running next to you engulfs your thoughts while you cruise down the bumpy and crowded streets.
We arrived at the “Chill Zone” as the bar was called and snagged a large bed in the front. It’s funny to think that the swanky clubs in the cities (only a handful) have beds to lounge on inside the club and everywhere here seems to have beds..we liked the idea of lying down and having fun…very chill. Very chill. We met some more of Steve’s friends and laughed the night away. Because we were in a less populated area of Kuta it was harder to find a taxi back, so Johnny Alexander (our long haired indo friend from our Bedugal day) opted to bike us back to the main drag. Without hesitation, lacey and I hopped on the back and rode off through town. Lacey was sitting behind me so her legs were draped over me..if anyone knows Lacey you know she is 6 feet tall and beautiful, but those model legs were NOT cool last night! Her tight grip, from her legs on mine, made me scream pain the entire ride into town..but because we were driving so fast, she couldn’t hear my wails! It was hilarious! Painful but epic!
Johnny dropped us on the main drag and we sauntered back into our suite…a night of fun dazzled our laughter before our heads hit the pillow. Recapping our night seemed like the best of ideas rather than resting our tired eyes. Oh what a night!
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Bedugal
Another adventure ensues…today we were picked up by two of Steve’s friends to head to North Bali to see the Bedulgal lake and the waterfalls that swallow the jungle of North Bali…10am sharp we are greeted by Johnny and his sidekick (for the life of me I cannot remember his name) we give them our itinerary which Steve wrote out for us and headed North. The two our car ride, was probably the funniest, most outrageous two hours of my life, no exaggeration. I have to sensor everything for the kid’s sake, but let’s just say, a few months ago Johnny ordered an American ebonics book online and showered us with his new American slang for the entire trip to Bedugal. I can’t remember the last time I laughed so hard for so long.
The 2 hours ride drove us through the thick Bali Jungle. Monkeys danced along the streets, while the rice and strawberry fields captured the scenery on either side of us. We arrive at our first destination Munduk where we could walk to Lake Tamblingan. The lake is large..we spot parasailers in the distance and fishing boats gliding along the lakes banks. The lake is positioned down the valley, so there is a heavy layer of mist that delicately lies over the water..the mountains careen above it and the dense tropical forest make it seem it like you are protected from the world.
We hop back into the car and head towards our next destination, Wanagiri. The windy roads through Pancasari make the trip a little difficult and Lacey and I definitely had our bout of car sickness..but the curvy streets were worth it. The first waterfall was very small but very peaceful…the hike to the second one was long and through a little village where the local kids followed us and helped us up the large stone steps to reach our destination deep in jungle of Wanagiri. The waterfall was incredible. We walked as close as we could to the pool below the fall without falling in and the sense of excitement was powerful. Johnny and sidekick helped us along the way..it felt like we had two bodyguards which were nice but funny at the same time…as I wrote earlier…these two were hilarious! Every word that came out of their mouth was beyond vulgar and hilarious.
The day was long and the sun hot and the air sticky, so we decided after hours of hiking around Bedugal it was time to head home. The ride back seemed very long as we were all exhausted and starving..once again we hadn’t eaten anything since our breakfast at 7 and it was now almost 5. We arrive at our hotel and thank Johnny and sidekick for such a great day…all they keep saying is “let’s party” but Lacey and I have relaxation on our mind…so we said our goodbyes.
We immediately jump in the pool and lay our tired bodies down by the pool. We get a call…our friend Zander Gladish from Marin has arrived in Kuta and we are all to meet for drinks and dinner at 7. We get ourselves together and await Steve and Zanders arrival. We all convene and enjoy our large bintangs before we walk down the beach to dinner. It is nice the little group we have now…4 friends, some new some old, all coming together somewhere in Indo. We dine at our local spot and laugh the night away.
Lacey and I are pretty beat from our hiking, so we retire to our suite with Steve and finish the night with more laughter and more bintang before calling it a night.
Today we plan to do a day of massages and beaching…have to keep a good balance right?
The 2 hours ride drove us through the thick Bali Jungle. Monkeys danced along the streets, while the rice and strawberry fields captured the scenery on either side of us. We arrive at our first destination Munduk where we could walk to Lake Tamblingan. The lake is large..we spot parasailers in the distance and fishing boats gliding along the lakes banks. The lake is positioned down the valley, so there is a heavy layer of mist that delicately lies over the water..the mountains careen above it and the dense tropical forest make it seem it like you are protected from the world.
We hop back into the car and head towards our next destination, Wanagiri. The windy roads through Pancasari make the trip a little difficult and Lacey and I definitely had our bout of car sickness..but the curvy streets were worth it. The first waterfall was very small but very peaceful…the hike to the second one was long and through a little village where the local kids followed us and helped us up the large stone steps to reach our destination deep in jungle of Wanagiri. The waterfall was incredible. We walked as close as we could to the pool below the fall without falling in and the sense of excitement was powerful. Johnny and sidekick helped us along the way..it felt like we had two bodyguards which were nice but funny at the same time…as I wrote earlier…these two were hilarious! Every word that came out of their mouth was beyond vulgar and hilarious.
The day was long and the sun hot and the air sticky, so we decided after hours of hiking around Bedugal it was time to head home. The ride back seemed very long as we were all exhausted and starving..once again we hadn’t eaten anything since our breakfast at 7 and it was now almost 5. We arrive at our hotel and thank Johnny and sidekick for such a great day…all they keep saying is “let’s party” but Lacey and I have relaxation on our mind…so we said our goodbyes.
We immediately jump in the pool and lay our tired bodies down by the pool. We get a call…our friend Zander Gladish from Marin has arrived in Kuta and we are all to meet for drinks and dinner at 7. We get ourselves together and await Steve and Zanders arrival. We all convene and enjoy our large bintangs before we walk down the beach to dinner. It is nice the little group we have now…4 friends, some new some old, all coming together somewhere in Indo. We dine at our local spot and laugh the night away.
Lacey and I are pretty beat from our hiking, so we retire to our suite with Steve and finish the night with more laughter and more bintang before calling it a night.
Today we plan to do a day of massages and beaching…have to keep a good balance right?
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Somewhere in Indo...
Somewhere in Indo…
This morning Lacey and I woke up uber excited…today was going to be like no other…somewhere in Indo there was going to be a surfing competition with the 40 top world surfers competiting in paradise at a secret location that would not be made public. However, thank god for Steve, because he knows the ins and outs of this island and knew exactly where to go. We hustled through our mini-breakfasts and hopped into our trusty van and headed to Padang. We rolled down the windows to soak in the sun and breathe in the beach air as we got closer to the secret destination. We know we are there by the Rip Curl tents swarming the cliffs. We park in a dusty parking lot and make our way down the steep cliffs towards the white sand beaches where we can see people starting to line up along the waters edge. The security check point is a tad scary as men with machine guns search our beach bags. Between our towels, Pringles and books we were good to enter.
The stairs we have to climb down are about 3 feet long, cement and scary! They are being hidden by the jungle banana leafs so getting to the beach is a little more difficult than expected..but when we arrive we dropped our bags in complete and utter awe to what lay in front of us. Pure white sand curling around our toes and the clearest waters one could ever imagine all settled within a tiny cove somewhere in Indo.
Okay so I will need to explain the “somewhere in Indo”…well and to explain that I am going to send you all to the Rip Curl streaming video: http://live.ripcurl.com/index.php?home
If you look closely to yesterday’s events (Wednesday here in Bali) you can probably catch some shots of Lacey and I as we had front row beach seats to watch the competition…at one point I was kicking it next to Andy Irons and Mick Fanning, two of the top world surfers. Yeah..I am not complaining. Some of the surfing we saw was I’m sorry to cuss…)(#$8032984 AMAZING! We witnessed Kelly Slater getting the only perfect 10 for an incredible double barrel on a solid eight-foot set as well as a “switch foot barrel” that was just insane!
If this competition was in the states..the beaches would have been like a madhouse..but somewhere in Indo..people are just peaceful and are here to watch the surfing, not to be the surfing groupies. The atmosphere is just like nothing I have ever experienced.
We took some amazing shots today of the surfers and the waves so be sure to check out Lacey’s pictures!
After 6 hours in the blistering sun…we taxi’d it back to our hotel. It was 4pm and we hadn’t eaten since 7, so we were beyond starving…after a dive in our pool we ran down the beach in a bar and ate our standards lunches: me: pizza Bianca (I am still a littler nervous to have any meat) lacey: chicken Sammie and fries. We have vowed to only eat local food however, we were famished and craving something greasy and yummy.
After lunch we got 1 hour massages by the pool for 10 dollars each and relaxed the rest of the day away. Dinner was simple..fried rice, movies and wine…our eyes were tired from the surfing we watched..Or more so we were tired from watching, oogling and drooling over the surfers.
This morning Lacey and I woke up uber excited…today was going to be like no other…somewhere in Indo there was going to be a surfing competition with the 40 top world surfers competiting in paradise at a secret location that would not be made public. However, thank god for Steve, because he knows the ins and outs of this island and knew exactly where to go. We hustled through our mini-breakfasts and hopped into our trusty van and headed to Padang. We rolled down the windows to soak in the sun and breathe in the beach air as we got closer to the secret destination. We know we are there by the Rip Curl tents swarming the cliffs. We park in a dusty parking lot and make our way down the steep cliffs towards the white sand beaches where we can see people starting to line up along the waters edge. The security check point is a tad scary as men with machine guns search our beach bags. Between our towels, Pringles and books we were good to enter.
The stairs we have to climb down are about 3 feet long, cement and scary! They are being hidden by the jungle banana leafs so getting to the beach is a little more difficult than expected..but when we arrive we dropped our bags in complete and utter awe to what lay in front of us. Pure white sand curling around our toes and the clearest waters one could ever imagine all settled within a tiny cove somewhere in Indo.
Okay so I will need to explain the “somewhere in Indo”…well and to explain that I am going to send you all to the Rip Curl streaming video: http://live.ripcurl.com/index.php?home
If you look closely to yesterday’s events (Wednesday here in Bali) you can probably catch some shots of Lacey and I as we had front row beach seats to watch the competition…at one point I was kicking it next to Andy Irons and Mick Fanning, two of the top world surfers. Yeah..I am not complaining. Some of the surfing we saw was I’m sorry to cuss…)(#$8032984 AMAZING! We witnessed Kelly Slater getting the only perfect 10 for an incredible double barrel on a solid eight-foot set as well as a “switch foot barrel” that was just insane!
If this competition was in the states..the beaches would have been like a madhouse..but somewhere in Indo..people are just peaceful and are here to watch the surfing, not to be the surfing groupies. The atmosphere is just like nothing I have ever experienced.
We took some amazing shots today of the surfers and the waves so be sure to check out Lacey’s pictures!
After 6 hours in the blistering sun…we taxi’d it back to our hotel. It was 4pm and we hadn’t eaten since 7, so we were beyond starving…after a dive in our pool we ran down the beach in a bar and ate our standards lunches: me: pizza Bianca (I am still a littler nervous to have any meat) lacey: chicken Sammie and fries. We have vowed to only eat local food however, we were famished and craving something greasy and yummy.
After lunch we got 1 hour massages by the pool for 10 dollars each and relaxed the rest of the day away. Dinner was simple..fried rice, movies and wine…our eyes were tired from the surfing we watched..Or more so we were tired from watching, oogling and drooling over the surfers.
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