Our Trip to Bali

We've been so busy that we have gotten behind on the blog posting. Here's my update(August's) for those who are interested.

Monday, August 6

We thought that the next day was "free." Of course not! Eri, his wife Lenny and their son Alfred offered to take us to see the "Golden Gate Bridge" of Surabaya. It was recently completed and connects  Surabaya to the island of Madura. Surabaya is located on the north coast of the island of Java.

We also went to a Buddhist temple. We saw people praying there and offering incense. It was quite interesting.

On the way back to Surabaya, there were shouts of joy when Eri and Lenny announced that they were taking us to a Pizza Hut.

Eri, Lenny, and Alfred treat us to Pizza Hut

We went home for a few minutes, then visited my Oma Lien(Great Aunt who is very close to my mom. She is staying with her). We had a nice visit and came home for a few minutes before our next invitation to dinner.

Our family visiting my mom and Oma Lien(my mother's aunt who is like a sister to her)

This next invitation was with my mom's brother and his son's family. They took us to his very nice Italian restaurant. They correctly thought that we might be somewhat exhausted by the onslaught of Asian cooking. Although we all enjoy it, Martha and the kids are not used to eating it 24/7. Of course for me it is a delight. It was really a nice time with my uncle, his son and his family. I really have not had a chance previously to get to know them in the past.

My mother's brother(on the front left), and his son's family on the right at the Italian restaurant

Tuesday, August 7

This is the day that we would travel to Bali. However, Brayden woke up with a fever of 102 F axillary. He also vomited. He had no other signs except later that day he would have several episodes of diarrhea. He was very lethargic the entire day and did not eat for the entire day. We were very concerned. He was held by Martha or was in bed the entire day. We decided not to do any activities that evening. I was the pizza delivery man for the crew that night. It was really tough that night as Brayden woke up several times during the night with abdominal crampy pains and diarrhea.

Brayden in his "hospital bed" in our hotel

The following morning, he was much better, but not completely. As the day progressed, he became stronger and his appetite started to come back. No more vomiting, the fever was better, but he continued with diarrhea.

Just another note of sacrifice and love from my family. Albert, my cousin, was going to meet us at the airport to help us. He was going to Jakarta anyway at about the same time. However, he also had a febrile illness. But he insisted on coming despite my suggestion that he stay at home. It was so helpful. We were afraid of glitches since we did not buy the tickets. Fortunately, he made things run quite smoothly. We were on our way to Bali.

Airplane shots taken by Marina over South East Java

Three volcanoes, Mt Bromo, Mt Semeru, and Mt.Tengger

Our hotel in Bali is located in Sanur Beach. It is a lovely small town on the east coast of Bali. It is where the "old Bali" with older hotels are located. I chose this hotel so that we would have a somewhat authentic Bali experience. We are staying at the Bali Hyatt Hotel. We were greeted by friendly hotel staff and given leis. The service there was superb.

 It has not disappointed. Our entire family loves this hotel. It is "ginormous" and beautiful. It is a city unto itself. The landscaping is some of the most beautiful that I have ever seen. It is on a beautiful stretch of beach as well and within walking distance to the local stores(toko) and warungs(small roadside eateries). Pictures below:

The girls room

Wednesday, August 8

We woke up with a wonderful multicultural breakfast at the hotel. You can have American waffles, toast, croissants, pancakes as well as Indonesian fare and even German food. It was part of a bed and breakfast package; I splurged and it was well worth it according to my family. We had hired a driver  with a van to pick us up at the airport as well throughout our Bali trip. This was arranged by Kongah Thjiang. It was well worth it(only about $30/day). We took a trip to Ubud, the cultural center of Bali with many art stores, markets, and rice terraces. It is in the middle of Bali. The highlight of the trip was the "Monkey Forrest." We entered this very public forest with monkeys of all sizes everywhere. They are so used to tourists that they are not afraid. There are hundreds or thousands of them roaming around. One tried to pickpocket some pieces of paper in my pocket. Apparently, they have gotten wallets and cameras from people. You can feed them bananas or  other foods like corn. Of course theres is a lady out from selling "pisang" (bananas). Brayden loved the monkeys.

You have to even pay the monkey to go to the toilet.

Monkeys everywhere.

We then proceeded toward the local city market to shop for souvenirs. This is where we have to bargain for everything. Since I can speak a little Indonesian, I can fake it some and try to get a better price. I bargained for a metal "becak" sculpture down from 350,000 rupiah(about $37) to 150,000 rupiah($16).  They really try to start high if they know you are a tourist. I try to pretend like an Indonesian person(orang Indonesian), but its hard with a blond wife and Asian American kids tugging nearby. (Although "blond wife" did very well bargaining on her own!) 

We then proceeded to the hills to look at some of the rice paddies/terraces. It was beautiful. Unfortunately, we did not have enough time to see Gunung(mountain) Barut with a nearby lake. This is an active volcano with spewing lava and smoke at times. The rest of the day was spent at the hotel.

We walked down the beach and ate at a beachside cafe called Sanur Bay Restaurant. The menu was international, but I was surprised that Marina picked the sate and Olivia picked the Bakmie Goreng, both Indonesian dishes. Maybe Indonesia is rubbing off on them.

Thursday, August 9

This morning, I decided to let the family rest at the pool. We have been on a whirlwind and they needed some R & R. Of course, my preference would be to see more of the island. (Definitely a case of opposites attract!)

Martha here:  I inserted a few comments of my own in italics.  

I had to give in or there might have been a mutiny. At 4 pm, our driver took us to the south of Bali to a place called Ulu Watu. Here, there is a sacred Hindu temple on high cliffs overlooking the west coast of Bali. We went at 4 pm in order to see the sunset from there. They also have a traditional Balinese dance called the "Kecak Dance"(Monkey Dance). This was performed in a small amphitheater high on the hills overlooking the Indian Ocean. You could see the dance as the sun sets. It was quite spectacular. I don't think that Brayden appreciated the dance too much, it was "cici"(His way of saying "scary"). I don't think that the girls appreciated the dance as much as I did either.

Sunset over the cliffs of Ulu Watu 

"CiCi" Monkey Dance

After the monkey dance and on the way back  to our hotel in Sanur beach, we ate seafood at Jimbaran Bay. This place is known as "the place to eat seafood." You can also eat on tables right on the beach. I didn't realize what an experience this would be. In the front of the restaurant there are aquariums of live lobsters as well as fish, prawns, squids, on display. You just tell them which ones you want and how many kilos of each. I've never ordered this way. I chose on large 1.4 kilo red snapper and two orders of prawns(40 total). They barbecue it in their own style using coconut milk and spices and it is served with rice, vegetables and sauces. It was surprisingly good.

Choosing your meal 

Es Degan(Young coconut drink)

Marina enjoying a BBQ prawn

Beachside dining at the Menega Cafe in Jimbaran Bay

Friday, August 10

This morning we just relaxed at the hotel and on the way to the airport, the request for lunch was Kentucky Fried Chicken. The driver spotted one and it was "Finger lickin' good!" Interestingly, there was no cole slaw. Of course, we could get rice there.

After our arrival in Surabaya, we had a dinner date with more relatives. This time it was Tante Jane and Oom Freddy treating us all. We again had the entire back of the restaurant with 30-40 people invited. I think that my family likes to have dinner parties! It was delicious Indonesian/Chinese cuisine. We  were quite tired and slept well that night.

That's all for now.