Bali with Jer

While we were finishing up our trip in New Zealand, a package in the form of Jeremy arrived at our door in Singapore. Jer had about two full days before we came back, and since then we have been much better hosts, and it's been super fun. We have checked off nearly all of his "food goals" including laksa, chili crab, dim sum, idli...and we have a few more in the schedule. Jer has been an incredible uncle, playing with Sam all day long. She is LOVING him, wanting him to join whatever she does, holding his hand, letting him carry her (she doesn't usually allow those outside of the parent/grandparent category this honour).

In addition to having fun in Singapore, we got to take our fun to Bali, where we met Kurt and Amy, Matt's friends from Peace Corps, who are now living in Kathmandu, Nepal. It was a super fun long weekend. We stayed in Ubud, but were able to hike on the outskirts a bit, eat good food (Indonesian and Western), Jer and Kurt went biking, and we took a car around for a day.

I still believe there is something about Bali that takes my brain out of Singapore and makes me relax. Staying with a view of rice fields, seeing ox walk past your window, smelling the smells and seeing the beautiful colours of that place is just good for the soul.

Some highlights of our trip included:

• Eating breakfast on Jeremy's porch every morning with a gorgeous view. The first morning it included an ox, and a perfect mango hanging right over his porch.
• Sam loves shoes (LOVES shoes). We got her these fancy beaded flip flops (for $4), and she was so excited, she had to wear them out of the shop. The sidewalks of Ubud may not be the most consistent...and within about five minutes, Sam had tripped on a huge slab of cement and lost one of her new slippers into the sewer. We went back to get a second pair (one of which was dropped in the road in Singapore today - with cars running on both sides...but it survived. Maybe we should take a hint?)
• The last morning Sam woke up at 6 and was watching Dora in our bed. Our bed had a lovely mosquito net to keep all the bugs out. After about five minutes, I opened my eyes, looked up and I saw a HUGE cockroach on the top of our bed, inside the mosquito net. How long had that been there? EEEEWWWW!!!

breakfast on jer's porch

all of the waitresses at the restaurant (Murni's Warung) hung out with Sam. They showed her the prayer ceremony. She showed them the snail on the wall.

the building at the back of the rice field (not the one on the right, but the shorter one on the left) is where we stayed. this photo caught sam mid-fall/trip.

you see these all over bali, but i think this is the most beautiful one i have ever seen. just at a store on monkey forest road.

sam lived off of grilled cheese and banana juice/smoothie.

photo of everyone but me, though it's dark...at a temple just outside of ubud

jer trying tamarillo, passionfruit and rambutan all at once.

All in all, it was fantastic to spend time with Kurt and Amy. The last time we saw them was 2007 in Hong Kong. It was also great to be in Bali. I just love that place.