So much is on the horizon…Perusing culture on a walk in the neighborhood…All new photos…

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We spotted this friendly neighbor (no English) making bowls as shown in her hands that are used for offerings at the Hindu temples.

“Sightings on the Beach in Bali”

This flat-bottomed fishing boat wafted by a few mornings ago.

OK, I’ll stop whining, or “whinging” as the British and Aussies say in this slang expression, about the wifi problems in Bali. Although no rep has been here to make repairs yet we were able to manage a weak enough signal last night to download today’s photos which took a few hours. The result? A workaround for now. 

I’ll shut up about it. If you don’t see a post at any time over the next 19 days, you’ll know why…no signal at all. We looked up the worst wifi locations in the world and Indonesia was #4. Now we get it. 

Each time we walk by her home, a few blocks from the villa, we find her working.

With few remaining suitable tourist venues for us to explore, we’ve decided to save these for our next period in Bali beginning in September. For now, most likely we’ll stay put other than embark on a few short road trips during these remaining 19 days. 

This is a temple in the neighborhood where locals congregate for prayer and meditation. 

We have plenty to do in the interim, especially if the WiFi comes back stronger (oops, sorry) after the supposed upcoming repairs. We have several future bookings to arrange which we’d planned to tackle while here, poolside in the shade of the cabana. Unfortunately, we haven’t been able to do as many as we’d hoped on the outstanding “to do” list.

One year from now we’ll be arriving in Minneapolis, give or take a few days. We’re hoping to rent an RV in Seattle, returning it in Las Vegas with approximately a five or six-week stay in Minneapolis in between. Once we arrive in Nevada, we’ll return the RV, rent a car and stay with son Richard in Henderson. 

Low tide from the second story of the villa.

With our US arrival less than a year away, we need to book one of these vehicles soon when many RV rentals are snapped up well in advance for the busy summer months in the US. 

An extended one-way rental contract requires a phone call to make the arrangements. We haven’t been able to remain on a Skype phone call long enough to make the arrangements. We’re hoping for a better scenario at one of our next locations to wrap this up before we head back to Bali.

Abandoned old barns and buildings may be tucked away behind vegetation.

Over the next few months beginning on June 28th we’ll be busy with many flights and experiences taking us to a multitude of locations in Southeast Asia, part of which is included in the Mekong River Cruise: 

1.  Fly to Singapore – stay 7 nights in a hotel (apply for three visas at various embassies)
2.  Fly to Hanoi – stay 5 nights in a hotel (cruise/tour starts on the 3rd day)
3.  Fly to Siem Reap, Cambodia – stay 3 nights in a hotel (part of cruise/tour)
4.  Mekong River Cruising to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam – 7 nights on the riverboat until cruise ends
5.  Ho Chi Minh City – stay 2 nights in a hotel
6.  Fly to Phuket, Thailand – stay 41 nights in a vacation rental
7.  Fly from Phuket, Thailand back to Bali, Indonesia for another 59 nights beginning September 1st.

Most Hindu homes have an elaborate family temple on site.

Whew!  This all transpires over a period of 124 days. This may be one of the busier travel periods in a short duration we’ve experienced to date. Although, as I write this while discussing it with Tom, he easily rattles off an earlier busier period in 2013 when we were on six cruises over a 69 day period including only one flight from Dubai to Barcelona. 

When we look back at our past posts which we do almost daily, not only as we’re posting but, also for our personal enjoyment, we can’t believe what we’ve done so far. How did this happen?  How did we do this?

We enjoy walks in the neighborhood although early mornings are best before it gets too hot.

We’re undoubtedly mindful of possibly boring our readers with our lazy days by the sea and/or pool but we need only look back at where we’ve been, what we’ve seen, and what we’re yet to see in the future. Hang on, folks, the adventure continues…


Photo from one year ago today, June 8, 2015:

A year ago today our ship docked in Suva, Fiji. The Fiji Police Band played on the pier as a welcome to the ship. The band was undercover due to the pouring rain. We didn’t get off the ship when we had an upcoming one-month booking in Pacific Harbor, Fiji, later visiting Suva on a few occasions. For more details, please click here.

Cost of living in Bali as compared to other locations we’ve visited…

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Due to a poor WiFi signal, we are unable to post any photos today. Gede has contacted the service provider who’s explained that some of the routers on the tower between the house aren’t working. They’ve promised to make a service call from Java within 24 hours to make the repairs. However, as always, “island time” takes presence over all else.  We’ll see how this rolls out. We were able to acquire a signal strong enough to post the text only. We’ll keep trying throughout the day attempting to upload the photos. Thanks for your patience and we’ll be back with an update tomorrow.

“Sightings on the Beach in Bali”

With only 20 days until our departure from this wonderful property in Sumbersari in west Bali, we’ve had an ample opportunity for a comprehensive take on the cost of living here in a vacation home.

Keeping in mind, living in a vacation home is a whole lot different and less expensive than staying in a resort or hotel. Also, flying to this island can be costly and time-consuming for those living long distances away such as Europe and the US.

A round trip, for example, from Minneapolis to Denpasar would cost approximately IDR 26,676,000, US $2,000, or more for the shortest economy class flights taking no less than 17 hours with some cheaper flights over 30 hours. Most working travelers don’t have (or want) two or three extra days spent traveling.

For us, it’s worked well since we were already in the South Pacific getting as close as Singapore by a much desired and enjoyed cruise. For travelers in Australia and New Zealand, Bali can be a good choice for an
extended holiday when it doesn’t take long to fly here and the cost is reasonable under US $350, AU 475.

Then the costs include accommodations, transportation, meals, entertainment, recreation, and tips.  Many travelers enjoy shopping in the capital city of Denpasar where prices for clothing and trinkets are low compared
to other destinations.  We heard several cruise passengers mention they bring an empty piece of luggage to contain the items they’ll purchase when they come to Bali.

We realize our perspective in definitely unrealistic and impractical for many tourists that want an all-encompassing travel experience including all of the above expenditures and amenities.

In today’s world of the fast-growing retiree population, others travelers are like us in many ways…desiring to spend less and, get the most out of the experience not necessarily staying in a busy, more populated and
subsequently, more expensive areas where “all the action is.”

Those days for us passed a long time ago, long before we began this journey. We don’t need discos and noisy dining establishments to entertain us at night nor are we interested in shop after shop of similar looking items.  These facts alonechanges everything.

A wonderful aspect to Bali is the affordable household help, including cooks, also included in the rental cost of many vacation properties. We couldn’t get better meals at a restaurant than we’re experiencing here, served hot and fresh daily at a cost that is unbelievable.

Again, we’re different than the average traveler, dining only once a day when most would enjoy three meals a day and perhaps a beautiful fruit plate as an afternoon snack.

Even so, in this villa two people could dine three times a day keeping the cost under US $25, IDR 334,000, a far cry from what they’d spend dining in restaurants plus transportation. For our one meal per day, we’re spending less than we’ve ever spent for food anywhere in our travels.  At the upcoming end of our stay, 20 days from today, we’ll post our total expenses, as we always do.

We haven’t dined out once since our arrival on April 30th. There aren’t any suitable restaurants within a two hour drive of this area. For the average traveler, the comprehensive menu for the villa could easily satisfy
one’s desire for great food for even an extended stay.

Sure, its fun to get out, have a few drinks and enjoy an evening out. We always find great pleasure in doing so. Although my restrictive way of eating makes it difficult in some parts of the world especially when a lot of starch and sugar is used in traditional spices used in local and regional food prep.

Also, for us, using the services of the villa’s drivers has made a lot of sense. Never once, have we wished we had a rental car, especially considering “google maps” wouldn’t be much help in this part of the world. Of course, one could use a “paper” map if they so choose.

The cost of most drivers for a full day in Bali is under IDR 1,000,000, US $75. One could easily spend at least half that much per day for a rental car sitting in the driveway when its not in use.

Another factor we highly considered when we booked this location is the quality of this fabulous vacation home, at a reasonable price for which we would have paid three or four times as much in a busier and considered “more convenient” location. Check out the link for the excellent prices for this property.

It all boils down to what’s important to you as travelers.  Here they can snorkel, scuba dive, fish, visit rainforests, temples and much more. Mainly, its a lively nightlife lacking for those desiring action in the evenings.

Overall, our time in Bali may prove to be one of our less expensive vacation homes to date offering an abundance of features we’ve thoroughly enjoyed. The WiFi? Not so much. The rest? Heavenly.

Please mark your calendars to check back on June 27th (the 26th for those on the opposite side of the International Dateline) when we’ll share the total expenses for our almost two months in Bali. You may be pleasantly surprised as we make the final tally!

May your day provide YOU with a pleasant surprise or two!

Photo from one year ago today, June 7, 2015:

The pilot boat. A pilot boards the ship to assist in getting the ship away from the pier, a common occurrence in most ports. For more photos, please click here.

Handling issues and challenges on an ongoing basis…A very odd fact about “time” at the end of today’s post…

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Our cabana in the afternoon sun.

“Sightings on the Beach in Bali”

A young woman carrying a large basket on her head, a young boy playing on the beach and a driver on a motorbike, all commonly seen on the beach in Bali.

Getting online and staying online is an ongoing source of frustration here in Bali. On Sundays, when no staff is around we get a decent signal 90% of the day. When the staff is on duty six days a week they hang around next door in an area designated for their use while they stay on site for their workday.

If there are no guests staying in that villa, they hang around inside and outdoors the villa next door all day using their phones for email and Facebook. Some have SIM cards on their phones, others use the villa’s signal. There’s a huge data tower between the two houses but the signal is not sufficient for everyone to be online simultaneously.

The general service to the area is poor, but with as many as seven users online at any given time between the two houses, let alone the activity from other users in the general area, we can’t get online many times during the day.

The narrow road we walked with Gede to his family home.

As a result, we attempt to do research and planning a little at a time. When applying online for visas this past week, we often found ourselves kicked off in the middle of preparing an online form, unable to save our work, and having to start all over again. What easily could have been a 30 minute process proved to take four or five hours each day.

As I prepare today’s post, I’m doing so in LiveWriter, an offline program,  when I can’t trust work being saved writing in Blogger.com. Although Blogger automatically saves edits, if the connection disappears midstream, the work is lost, had it not been able to save it in the interim.

WiFi has been a major issue in many areas in which we’ve traveled. We accept that our choice to live in more remote areas is definitely a contributing factor. And, without a doubt, we can  handle a “slow” service. It’s the “no” service factor that provides the greatest degree of frustration.

An electric generating plant along the highway.

Of course, we’ve tried other options including buying a SIM card for our own device. This also only works intermittently with a relatively poor signal as well. It isn’t entirely due to the two villa’s sharing the pole between the two villas and two routers…it’s the signal to the area in general which has to travel across a 1.5 mile, 2.78 km, stretch of sea to Java, Indonesia as described here from Wikipedia:

“Java is an island of Indonesia. With a population of over 141 million (the island itself) or 145 million (the administrative region) as of 2015 Census released in December 2015, Java is home to 56.7 percent of the Indonesian population, and is the most populous island on Earth. The Indonesian capital city, Jakarta, is located on western Java.

Much of Indonesian history took place on Java. It was the center of powerful Hindu-Buddhist empires, the Islamic sultanates, and the core of the colonial Dutch East Indies. Java was also the center of the Indonesian struggle for independence during the 1930s and 1940s. Java dominates Indonesia politically, economically and culturally.”

There are no regulations regarding burning garbage in Bali.  This is a common scene.

As shown above, Java is “the most populous island on Earth” which is the reason we have no interest in taking the ferry across the bay to see it. We hear the traffic is worse than on this island.  That’s just too many people for us!

As a result, the wifi signal coming across the ocean from Java is impeded by distance and also by the necessity of traveling across the sea. We just have to live with it. 

We only expect it to get worse when other guests are arriving to the villa next doors in a few days and when again we return in September when both villas will be fully occupied during those two months.

Kids are heading to school wearing required uniforms, required for all age groups.

Otherwise, we had a pleasant Sunday with clear weather at 92C, 33C, a fascinating high tide and more interesting action on the beach. We were able to complete the online application for the visa for Cambodia and now must wait five business days (beginning tomorrow, Monday in the US) to receive the actual visas via email.

Other than the necessity of booking our favorite hotel today in Sydney, Holiday Inn Old Sydney the Rocks, for our next cruise, a “back-to-back” (two cruises, one after the other) for 33 days departing on October 31st, we anticipate another quiet and low stress day in paradise.

Driving over a river on the road to Negara.

This cruise will commence on the exact date of our four year anniversary of beginning our worldwide travels. It will be a day to celebrate as we embark on our longest cruise to date.

Sure, the wifi issues are annoying and cumbersome. But, it appears there’s nothing we can do about it. We’re locked in for our return and refuse to let the issues prevent us from further enjoying our otherwise ideal time in Bali.

We hope no annoyances prevent YOU from enjoying your day!  Be well.


Photo from one year ago today, June 6, 2015:

There was no post one year ago on this date due the fact that while we went to bed before midnight it was June 5, 2015. At midnight, it became June 6, 2015.  At 2:00 am, we crossed the International Dateline and it became June 7, 2015.  We slept through the two hours it was June 6, 2015. Funny, eh? 

Here’s the post from two years ago with two fun videos while in Madeira, Portugal when we purchase fresh caught tuna from the traveling fish guy. Oddly, this morning, the two Ketuts brought home fresh caught tuna for tonight’s dinner. Another coincidence!

Another excellent capture by Tom!…A video worth checking out!…A day in this life in Bali…

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Last night as we exited the bedroom to make our cheese plate, we spotted this huge Nursery Web Spider. Although their bite may be painful apparently its not life threatening.Tom was able to scoot it outside with the broom.  No screaming.  Just photos.

“Sightings on the Beach in Bali”

Tom’s video taken yesterday at high tide. It’s hard to believe how close the water comes to the villa.

Lounging in the comfy chaises facing the ocean, watching the activity on the beach is rather entertaining. Who knew there would be so much to see? 

We have dozens of photos backed up for future “Sightings on the Beach in Bali,” the heading we’ve been posting since three days after arriving in Bali. One might say, “Don’t they have anything better to do?” 

There’s not a whole lot more we need to do to entertain ourselves when several times a day our mouths are agape in awe of a new sighting, unlike others we’ve observed on beaches in the past.  Then again, maybe we didn’t pay as much attention as we do now.

Elaborate temple near the beach.

Our first beachfront location was in Belize (in Central America, formerly known as British Honduras) beginning in February 2013 when we spent over two months at the Laru Beya Beach Resort in Placencia, a peninsula village that required yet another harrowing four-hour drive from the capital city of Belize City.

There, we spent most of our days outdoors as we do now. By 7:00 am each morning, sometimes earlier, we’re situated in the chaise lounges facing the beach while I begin to sort through photos for the day’s post while Tom starts his day checking through Facebook and his email.

A mosque in the village.

Rarely, do I ever respond to emails or engage in “pleasure browsing” until after I’ve completed the day’s post. It’s so easy to get sidetracked. Instead, I focus on the post most often able to have it uploaded by 11:00 am. Then, for the next hour, I read and reply to dozens of email messages from readers, friends, and family.

By noon, having stayed undercover in the shade all morning, we’re both ready to tackle an hour working out in the pool. After the pool, we each spend no more than 20 minutes in the sun. Oddly, with this short period of sunning each day, we’re both as tan as we’ve ever been. 

South of the equator by eight degrees the sun is a scorcher in Bali. We prefer not to use sunscreen based on its awful chemical structure instead, staying in full shade for the remainder of the day.  We get a huge dose of Vitamin D in those paltry 20 minutes, a nice bit of a tan with the pleasure of being outdoors most of the day.

Entrance to Bali’s largest water park.

After drying off it’s time to get some work done, most recently booking flights and preparing applications for the four visas we’ll need over the next few months. We’re almost done with this tedious work, but with yesterday’s poor wifi signal we’re left to complete the online Cambodia visa today.

By 3:0 or 4:00 pm, we head in to shower and dress for dinner as skimpily as possible, again wearing swimsuits. Tom always wears a tee-shirt while dining which I’ve always considered thoughtful. Why is that?

Entrance to unknown compound.

The two swimsuits I’ve been wearing are fast losing their elasticity although ideal when no one but the staff is around. Tom pulls up the back of my suit several times a day while I do my share of tugging and rearranging. I only have two relatively unused swimsuits left which I’m saving for upcoming cruises. 

I may have to order a few more swimsuits when these two soon become threadbare. I’d prefer not to have to purchase swimsuits online without trying them on but that’s necessary for this life. Sometime over the next four or five months, we’ll order a new shipment for which we’re now making the list which will include swimsuits and a few other clothing items we’ll need by that time.

Lifeboat used for training exercises in Negara.

Tom has five swim trunks he alternates which are holding up fairly well. Since guys don’t have much elasticity in their suits they seem to last longer. He’ll also need to replace a few pairs of swim trunks by the end of our second stay in Bali beginning in September. 

Unless we’re on an outing or a walk, we don’t wear street clothes or shoes. In Bali, shoes aren’t worn inside the house, a tradition we’ve always favored in our old lives. 

With only one load of laundry each week we only need to hand wash the swimsuits using laundry soap which, when purchased in Bali, comes in a stiff plastic bag to avoid the use of more plastic.  The bag is a bit tricky to handle, but the concept makes it worth the effort. Few grocery items in Bali are contained in typical plastic containers.

The owner’s residence next door also used as a vacation property which is similar to our villa but has three bedrooms as opposed to our four bedrooms and has a smaller pool. 

After we’ve finished dinner by 6:00 pm, discussed and planned the next day’s meal with the two Ketuts, we give them money in Indonesian rupiah for the necessary groceries, we head to our bedroom, turn on the AC and blissfully relax in cool comfort. By 7:00 pm, we’re ready to watch a few downloaded shows or a movie. 

By 10:00 pm, I’m drifting off while Tom’s busy checking the NYSE (stock market) which opens at 9:30 pm here and closes at 4:00 am, Tuesday through Saturday.  ‘m easily able to sleep while he’s busy clicking on his computer usually until 11:00 or midnight.

Restaurant on the beach.

It’s a simple existence, albeit the tasks we must accomplish in the process for future travels. While anticipating non-stop action for the upcoming two months when we leave here in three weeks, we’re quite content to lounge now.

Today, the staff is off. We have most of tonight’s dinner prepared and ready to be reheated. Other than the salad I’ve yet to toss with homemade dressing, there’s little food prep. Tom keeps our mugs filled with iced tea and we both keep our hearts filled with the joys of the moment and the joys that are yet to come.

May you find joy on a simple day!

Photo from one year ago today, June 5, 2015:

Tom, at the miniature golf course on the ship.  He won, much to my dismay. For photos of Bora Bora, please click here.

Tripping up a trip…Staying calm and cool…

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An elaborate Hindu temple at the beach.

“Sightings on the Beach in Bali”

Yesterday’s walk on the beach.

A year ago while living in Trinity Beach, Australia we booked a Viking Mekong River Cruise for July 8th upcoming in a little over one month. Over these past years with 13 cruises behind us and with 10 more pending, we’ve had tremendous success and satisfaction with Vacations to Go.  

Unfortunately, we weren’t able to go through our regular cruise rep when river cruises are handled by another department. The river rep we received didn’t seem as knowledgeable as our regular cruise rep, but we didn’t complain and forged ahead.

Tourists walk along the beach area to shop at the many reasonably priced shops.

Cruise documents from Viking are not sent by email whereby other cruise lines readily make all necessary documents available online. As we’ve mentioned in the past, we haven’t been bringing paper documents to check in on cruises for the past few years when we discovered that only our passports and the reservation number are required to check-in at the port. 

When we discovered the river cruise rep has been out on medical leave off and on over these past few months, with nothing specific required until now, we hadn’t requested another rep. Now, only one month from the sail date, a new rep has taken over handling our booking.

Motorbikes line every road and highway, mostly owned by locals with some rented by tourists.

We’d asked many times via email and phone that the cruise documents NOT be snail-mailed to us to our mailing service in Nevada, USA. Alas, based on a Skype call we received from VTC during the night, the documents have been mailed to us in Nevada. What will we do with them? Pay to have them shipped overnight internationally for huge fees? That makes no sense.

Actually, the only reason we wanted the documents sent to us via email was for the confirmation for one flight included in the cruise fare. We’ll need proof of an airline ticket for the Vietnam flight when we apply for the visa in Singapore when we arrive in 24 days. Most immigration offices require proof that the visitor has a prepaid “way out of their country.” 

These little umbrellas are often used in decorating worship areas. Here, they are, outside a little restaurant at the beach.

Today, with a new contact person at VTC, we hope we’re on track to receive a document we can use when applying for the Vietnam visa. Once we have this, we’ll rest easy. In the worst case, we can have the mailing service scan and email copies of the itinerary but there again, we’ll have to pay for the scans as required by the mailing service.

Yesterday, we completed the documents for the three visas for which we’ll apply in Singapore.  Today, we’ll apply online for Cambodia which doesn’t require that we mail in our passports.

Hamburger night!  Tom had homemade burgers with cheese, fries, veggies, coleslaw while I had everything minus the fries. We’ve noticed he coughs from acid reflux at night after eating fries. No fries? No cough. Humm…what does that tell him?

This may all seem very confusing and we apologize to our readers for the redundancy and perhaps unclear representation. If you find yourself in such a pickle, please feel free to email us with questions. We’ll do our best to answer them clearly based on our experience and/or point you in the right direction for assistance.

Dolphin statue at the beach.

A dear friend wrote to me a few days ago saying, “most people would give up with all of the challenges you often face n continuing to travel the world.” That may be true for some. But, for us and perhaps others, it’s better than mowing the lawn, raking leaves, or shoveling the snow in the winter.

The beach in Lovina.

Our attention, our interest, and our enthusiasm remain constant as long as we have each other, good health, and the love and support of those who follow us along the way.  Thanks to all of you for that!

Photo from one year ago today, June 4, 2015:
“The International Date Line (IDL) explained:
The International Date Line (IDL) is an imaginary line of longitude on the Earth’s surface located at about 180 degrees east (or west) of the Greenwich Meridian.

Illustration image
One year ago, as we crossed the International dateline, we posted this map illustrating where this imaginary line is located.  For more details as we made the crossing, please click here.

Tom’s amazing photo for “Sightings on the Beach in Bali”…Impressive macro skills!…Small things…

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This is a common site on the road, a motorbike loaded with vegetation for the local’s cows and buffalo, which they harvest at no cost from the forests including designated locations in the national parks.

“Sightings on the Beach in Bali”

This praying mantis actually looked at Tom while he took this photo. Good shot, Honey!  He was as big as the palm of my hand.

When life is so simple that we spent the better part of a day watching and taking photos of the interaction between a female and a male praying mantis positioned on the infinity edge of the pool, we know we’re in paradise.

As I spent my usual 35 minutes exercising in the pool, it was hard not to notice the two good-sized creatures seeming to be keeping an eye on one another over a period of hours, long after we got out of the pool and our short stints in the sun to take cover under the cabana.

The vegetation in Bali is breathtaking staying lush and green with fairly consistent short bursts of rain. We haven’t experienced one entirely cloudy day in over a month.

As they waded in the water on the stone edge of the infinity pool I made my way as close as possible. The larger of the two which I assumed was the male, seemed to look me in the eyes, totally unafraid of this huge being in his presence. 

While in the pool I asked Tom to get the camera and take a photo of the praying mantis from the ocean side of the pool, never expecting it would come out so well.  When he got this great shot, I couldn’t stop smiling.  h, nature. Even in its most primitive form of insects, there’s magic to behold.

It’s common to see these archways upon leaving a town or village. Selamat jalan means “have a good journey” in Indonesian.

In my old life, if I’d seen anything crawling, walking, or flying in my close proximity, I’d have screamed and run for cover. Now, in this life, I can’t grab the camera quickly enough to take a photo, whether it’s an ugly scorpion as shown in this photo I took in the bathroom or a butterfly we attempt to capture near the blooming flowers.

This scorpion was in the master bath, very close to the hanging bath towels. Since that time, we have been shaking out our towels and clothing before use.

No, we’ll never have the skills of a professional photographer using the relatively inexpensive lightweight cameras we replace every 18 months or less due to humid conditions. But, taking photos nonetheless provides us with some pretty wonderful memories we delight in sharing with our readers.

Yesterday morning when Gede stopped at a few choice spots on the trip to Negara. In this short period since our arrival, he’s come to understands how much we love taking photos of the simple aspects of life in Bali as opposed to the typical tourist locations.

On yesterday’s trip to Negara, Gede stopped so I could take this photos of workers planted rice for the new season.

Of course, we’re far from many of the typical tourist locations which for us isn’t disappointing. We still have hundreds of photos we’ve yet to share as we continue to explore a few times a week whether on a road trip or a walk in the neighborhood, both of which are equally interesting.

Yesterday as planned, we completed the paperwork for one more of our required embassy visits while in Singapore, the 60-day extension for our second trip to Bali beginning on September 1st.  As required by the Indonesian immigration department, we must provide proof of our flights both in and out of the country during that period.

The rice paddies are meticulously designed for perfect crops.

After completion of the necessary applications and printing them on the villa’s printer, we got to work on the flights we’d yet to book. September may seem like a long time from now but time flies quickly this needed to get accomplished before we depart at the end of this month.

Finding good flight times is always tricky when neither of us likes flying in the middle of the night. We don’t sleep well on a flight making the following day challenging while we’re in a state of sheer
exhaustion. 

Note the scarecrow in another area where the workers were planting rice for the new season.

As we’ve aged staying up all night isn’t as easy as it used to be in our youth.  On several occasions, we’ve traveled overnight which after one good night’s sleep we return to feeling well and energized.

Tomorrow, we’ll share the details of our required early departures, losing a few days of prepaid rent in order to accommodate our itinerary. We don’t expect or ask property owners to credit us for a day or two early departure (or late arrival). This isn’t always a scenario we can easily anticipate a year or two in advance when booking vacation rentals and flights much later.

Calamari and prawns over a bed of stir-fried vegetables, a wonderful meal made by the two cooks that we both enjoy.

Today, we’ll prepare yet another batch of “paperwork” for the third of our four required visa
applications. We can’t wait to be done with this stuff to be able to go back to our previous level of
mindless drivel as we continue to search our surroundings for more “small things” photo ops.

May your day present you with “small things” you find interesting.

Photo from one year ago today, June 3, 2015:

The waterfall in a park in Tahiti we visited with our friends, a popular tourist attraction. For more Tahiti photos, please click here.

Movin’ right along…First one done!…More new photos…

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After reading the menu at this quaint restaurant on the beach in Lovina, it made us wish the drive wasn’t quite so far from the villa. For us, a meal doesn’t warrant a four hour round trip.

“Sightings on the Beach in Bali”

 A large fishing boat from quite a distance.

As it turned out there was an issue with the villa’s printer. We’d completed the online visa application for Vietnam, converted it into a PDF and tried to print the required two copies on the older Epson printer.

A quiet, pristine beach in the town of Lovina, a two hour drive from the villa.

The black ink had run out. The two Ketuts had no idea what to do. With the language barrier they ran to get Ribud, the lawn guy who’s also a “master of all trades” who was working at Egon’s house next door.

Looking over the old printer, Ribud, who also speaks little English took off to return 10 minutes later with another guy who’s name I didn’t know and didn’t ask. 

More views of the beach in Lovina.

As far from a bigger city as we are (the four hour harrowing drive), I didn’t expect a resolution. We assumed we’d have to wait until arriving in Singapore to print the entire litany of documents we’ll need for the visas. We dreaded the idea of taking even more time when we’d already have to accomplish getting the three visas during the one week stay.

Another interesting looking restaurant on the beach in Lovina.

The two guys left the house for about 10 minutes, returning with a wide mouth bottle of black printer ink. We were impressed they had this on hand. But, how in the world would they pour from this wide mouth bottle into the tiny opening in the printer’s black ink reservoir? 

Leave it to these resourceful Balinese workers. They made a funnel from a piece of cardboard and gingerly poured the required amount of ink into the printer. I’d gone rummaging through the kitchen cupboards looking for a funnel with no success. 

Many small boats dock at the harbor in Lovina.

They left after we expressed considerable gratitude in both words and the traditional Balinese “hands held together with a gentle bow”. In no time at all we had both sets of visa applications for Vietnam printed and ready for the new photos we had taken weeks ago to be attached to the forms. One done, three more to go.

A short pier in Lovina.

Why three more when in yesterday’s post and above, I said we only needed to do three visas? I failed to mention we’ve yet to apply for a fourth visa for Cambodia which we’ll do through a US visa service online over the next few days.

The shoreline at the beach.

Why stretch this process over days as opposed to completing it all in one day? The WiFi is slow, making the process painstaking. In our minds, it’s less confusing and cumbersome doing one such task each day when we still have plenty of time at this point.

This morning at 9 am I went to Negara with Gede, without Tom. Wanting to purchase cheese for an after dinner snack and a few other grocery items there was no reason for Tom to make the harrowing 30 minute drive (each way) when Gede and I did fine on our own. Tom enjoyed having the villa to himself for a few hours.

Fishing boats in the harbor in Lovina.

Making today’s post short enabled me to get it uploaded quickly upon my return. I leave you with more photos from our recent trip to Lovina and look forward to “seeing” you with more tomorrow.

Happy day to all!

Photo from one year ago today, June 2, 2015:

We were in Tahiti one year ago today, overlooking the sea from a bridge. We toured the city of Papeete with our new friends Rene and Geoff with whom we’ve stayed in touch over this past year.  For more Tahiti photos, please click here.

Planning for the future…Back to work…

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Houses along the river in the village of Malaya.

“Sightings on the Beach in Bali”

Low tide at the beach on a cloudy day.

Today, we need to get “back to work.” Enough of this lazy lifestyle we’ve had this past month in Bali. With all of our record keeping and expenses logged and up to date, including the cost of last night’s dinner, it’s now time to look toward the future.

With the necessity of getting three visas while in Singapore for Vietnam, Thailand and Bali’s second visit in September, we have some paperwork to prepare before we arrive. After all, our one week in Singapore begins in 27 days. We’d better get moving.

A small shop next door to the ATM we use in the nearest village.

Each of these country’s visa applications requires proof of airline or cruise tickets showing our departure dates.  These countries want to ensure we high tail out as planned. No lingering illegals allowed.

Luckily, there’s an old printer here (soon running out of ink) that I’ve been able to use with my laptop. I can’t recall the last time we needed to print something other than the documents for last week’s visa extension, now completed.

Watermelon growing in a field, covered to protect it from the heat of the sun.

Travelers often perceive they need paper copies of tickets, boarding passes and cruise documents. We no longer keep any of these in our possession, instead keeping copies on my phone of online documents we’ve either scanned or photographed. 

Ensuring the photos include clear and easy-to-read reservation numbers, we’ve never had a problem with this. On a few isolated  occasions we’ve been asked for paper copies to which we shrug explaining we haven’t had access to a printer which in most cases, we haven’t. This is only the second vacation property where we’ve had access to a printer.

Muddy river we crossed in Malaya.

Isn’t printing becoming somewhat obsolete these days? Isn’t it mostly lawyers who continue to shuffle around hundreds of pages of documents in front of their clients? Oh, yes, and government agencies throughout the world always require paper as we’ve experienced thus far, many still using obsolete operating systems.

This is the reason we’ll need to bring printed papers with us to Singapore when we visit three embassies during our short stay. For each location for which we require a visa, we have an email with a list of the required documents. Ugh, this reminds me of my old working life, always bogged down with paperwork. We’ll be happy when we’re done.

As old as much of the architecture is in Bali, it maintains a style befitting its rich Hindu history.

Also, we need to begin looking for an RV to rent for next summer’s (2017) visit to the US. We’re hoping to pin down a suitable vehicle in Seattle, driving it across the northern part of the US to Minnesota. 

Having an RV prevents us from imposing on family members during the extended visit to Minnesota. Our kid’s bedrooms are full in their homes and with all of our luggage it would be a huge inconvenience to stay with others for six weeks. 

Tiny bananas for sale at a local farmers market.

Nor would we want to impose upon any of Tom’s siblings or our friends who may have available space. Six weeks is a long time. My way of eating, in itself, would be a gross inconvenience for which we’d never expect anyone to prepare. 

Nor would I want to be shopping and cooking meals trying to figure out how to cook for everyone since as a house guest, I wouldn’t feel right cooking only for ourselves. (I’m an awful house guest, feeling as if I need to “earn my keep” by cooking and cleaning. As a result, its more work for me to be a house guest than one can imagine, all by my own design, of course).

We spotted these sardines in the early morning for sale at the local farmers market that most likely had been caught that morning. They weren’t on ice and could spoil quickly in the heat.

We’ll be eating lots of gluten-free cooked chickens from Costco, preparing basic meals in the RV and dining out a few times a week. We’d considered a vacation home or hotel in the metro area but prices were beyond the cost of an RV.  With a small RV we’ll be mobile, can see everyone, go camping with the family and park wherever we can find a suitable spot. 

We plan to keep the RV during the six weeks in Minnesota, dropping it off before flying to Nevada for the last two weeks of our US visit before heading to Costa Rica and then…back to our world journey.

Minnows for sale at the farmers market.

Yesterday afternoon and last night it rained for hours. Surprisingly, the flies aren’t as prevalent today as they’ve been after other periods of rain. I’m trying not to use the repellent as often as during this past month which doesn’t seem to keep the flies off of me anyway. 

We’re feeling well, feeling grateful and ready to get to work. We hope you’re feeling well and grateful, too!


Photo from one year ago today, June 1, 2015:

This is the interior of a lifeboat which tendered us to the pier in Moorea, one year ago today. For more photos and details, please click here.

Part 2…A wild and fascinating cultural experience…All new photos….Do YOU have a story to tell?

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We’ve often seen balloon guys hauling these big batches on their motorbikes.

“Sightings on the Beach in Bali”

These boys fished for several hours in the heat of the sun.

Often, we share an experience in more than one post. With wifi limitations preventing the posting of too many photos and our desire to maintain a reasonable length of any daily post, a particular story or event may require multiple days of posting. Today’s continuing photos from yesterday’s post clearly illustrate this fact.

Buffaloes were lining up for their turn at the races.

Yesterday, was our 1400th post since the date of our first story in March 2012. At the onset, we posted a few photos and posted a few times a week, having no idea how many readers, we’d acquire other than friends and family over these years.

A young “jockey” in position for the upcoming race.

Much to our surprise, as our readership grew. Readers came from all over the world and began sharing our posts with their friends, relatives, and neighbors. In the stats in Blogger which we can review at any time, we’ve watched the list of countries from entries into our site grow and change over the years.

Flower petals and burning incense are lined along the road providing prayers and good fortune for the race.

This has been exciting for us. Our enthusiasm over this growth has never lost its magical charm in motivating us to continue with the telling of our ongoing story and our daily lives, albeit at times mundane existence.

The smell of the incense burning was pleasant among all the other smells.

In March 2013, one year after we started our first post (on March 15, 2012), we began posting daily as opposed to a few times each week. This feature manifested from the discovery that often our experiences couldn’t be told on a Saturday to be continued two or three days later and maintain their flow and significance.

Many of the elaborate costumes are handmade.

For many of our readers, it was comparable to reading chapters in a book. One doesn’t want to have to put it down and wait three days to read again. As an avid reader, I’ve become impatient waiting a day for the next part of a story, although each night I do so when sleepiness befalls me and I turn off my phone.

Any of our lives are a continuing story. Although our story may not seem interesting enough for any of us to share, we may surprise ourselves how we can find a way to extrapolate tidbits of our daily existence worthy of note by others. 

Off they go down the narrow racecourse, lined with spectators on both sides.

Our thoughts, our dreams, and our hopes all encompass a story to be told that is easily illustrated in Facebook whether its a new bloom in your garden, a smile on your grandchild’s face, or a lopsided cake you’ve baked in your kitchen, it all holds a certain appeal most of us find interesting enough to give it a “like.”

The buffaloes stayed relatively calm until the race began.

When looking through the timeline of any FB participant in our list of “friends” we can easily formulate a story of their lives as they’ve progressed over the years with events big and small, powerful and insignificant. At times, our stories are profound and at other times, outrageously humorous.

This is the queue where race participants awaited their turn.

We all have a story to tell. Years ago, Tom’s mother, Mary Lyman, narrated a book about her life and her family which was penned by an author who’d done this for many others with a desire to document their life story and family history in the written word to be bound into a book upon completion.

The buffalo’s horns were covered in these “socks” adding to the wide array of decorations.

Once completed, every family member was given a copy, a gift from Mary. Although blind, her memory was keen and her head was filled with stories that held significance to each family member in one way or another. What a gift to bestow upon one’s family! Mary lived until 98, only four months from her 99th birthday. 

Somehow we made our way through the crowds to find a decent viewing spot.

The content in Mary’s book wasn’t for the mass audience but the treasures of the stories she told will remain in the hearts and minds of her family for generations to come. 

The air was thick with cigarette smoke. It appears many Balinese men smoke although we’ve seen few women doing so.

Perhaps, there’s a story inside of you to share. It’s relatively quick and painless to start a blog. If the concept is intimidating, perhaps a savvy grandchild or friend can set it up for you. 

You need not worry about spelling, punctuation, or grammar. The flow of your words will be what matters to those who love you and those who will be blessed to read your words in years to come.

Pretty little flowers blooming along the entrance road.

And for us, these average everyday people who we are, we remain in awe of our readership that continues to grow each and every year. We thank all of you for “traveling along with us” as we tell our stories…however trivial or meaningful they may be, however repetitive or fresh they may appear, knowing we’re never alone with each of you at our side.

Tell your story!  We’d love to read it!

Photo from one year ago today, May 31, 2015:

Vacation/holiday huts set into the side of the mountain on the island of Moorea, photo taken while on a dolphin tour.  We saw many dolphins but the sea was too rough for any good photos. For more, please see here.

A wild and fascinating cultural experience in Bali…Buffalo races!…Video and photos!

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Our video from yesterday morning’s buffalo race.  Two carts took off at a time while the others awaited their turns.

“Sightings on the Beach in Bali”

This morning we spotted this large fishing boat close to the beach.  It was surprising to see how many people were on board.
Moments later they were hauling this little blue boat on board. 

Buffalo racing is a popular sport in Bali. Two highly decorated buffaloes are hitched to plowing type carts, modified and also elaborately decorated for racing, the “jockey” sits in the cart, reins in hand, knees bent, holding a leather whip, not unlike one would find with horse racing.

After our first steps out of the car, we could tell the path ahead would be congested.

Yes, there are many animal cruelty activists that are adamantly opposed to buffalo racing and we understand their intentions. But, we’re not here to judge a centuries-old tradition. 

As all of our readers well know, we love animals and are also vehemently opposed to animal cruelty.  ut, we aren’t here to espouse our personal beliefs over worldwide racing of a variety of animals,  nor are we taking a stance on such a position in this post.

We arrived well before the start of the race with many of the buffaloes still in the trucks.

We’re here to describe this unusual experience we’d yet to see in our world travels as a way of life for many Balinese and others throughout the world. Their passion, enthusiasm, and dedication to the sport arenot unlike the dedication one finds for football and soccer worldwide where humans are the target of considerably rough encounters centered around much hoopla and wild celebration.

Buffaloes aren’t intended as “runners.” Their bulky physiques and ungainly gate make them poor candidates for such a sport. But, boy or boy, can they run and it didn’t appear it take much encouragement to get them on the move.

The buffaloes were being dressed in their elaborate costumes.

Yesterday morning at 7 am, Butu, our alternate driver for the villas, picked us up for the 20 minutes drive through unbelievable traffic early on a Sunday morning.  It wasn’t as if everyone was heading to church and brunch in Bali. 

Most of the population adheres to Hinduism, with approximately 14% Muslim, 3.5% Christian, and .5% Buddhism who don’t necessarily worship on Sundays. 

It appeared that the bulk of the traffic resulted from trucks hauling buffaloes to the races and other trucks hauling various goods to the island. 

Many hands were involved in prepping the buffalo.

Weaving in and out of traffic while constantly passing other vehicles on the narrow two-lane roads is a harrowing event in itself, not intended for the squeamish. 

If such traffic scenarios are an issue for you, Bali wouldn’t be a good vacation/holiday spot for you, unless you parked yourself at a resort for a few weeks to enjoy the balmy weather and beautiful beaches. In reality, driving in Bali is not unlike the buffalo races, one wild ride, for sure!

It was equally interesting watching the prep required as the buffaloes were “dressed” for the event.

Once we arrived at the race track, we discovered a somewhat unusual aspect to racing on this particular course in Malaya.  Wherever we stood near the track, there wasn’t a good vantage point in which to see the race other than for the first 100 yards. Once the buffaloes were on their way, the vegetation and distant areas of the track only allowed us to see the bobbing flags on the carts at a distance. 

From what Butu explained as best as he could with our language differences, the race of each buffalo cart is timed, determining the winner(s) who’d go on to the bigger races for the finals in several months. 

It was the look on the mouth of the buffalo on the right that inspired me to get a close-up of his teeth. Please see the photo below for details.

Here’s more information from this site further describing these events:

“Makepung is the name of a major grand prix in Jembrana, West Bali, which features racing buffalo races. Hundreds of pairs of buffaloes are teamed up together with their jockeys riding the traditional wooden ploughs that are slightly modified for the competition.

The racer buffaloes, called kerbau pepadu, compete in various open race circuits in assorted heats around the district of Melaya, leading up to the finals, or what has come to be known as the Jembrana Regent’s Cup, and the Governor’s Cup, held annually.

Makepung is derived from the base word of kepung, meaning ‘chase’, similar to the expression ‘steeplechase’. Makepung is one of the unique traditions stemmed from the agrarian life scene of the island, and is a widely enjoyed event in the regency of Jembrana, west Bali.

The grand-scale events inspired by such a simple, traditional pastime preserve the unique traditions of this part of the island, as well as to promote tourism to this far-flung western location. The competitions also provide a positive impact on other local sectors such as agriculture and farming.

The tradition has partly prevented the shift of land for farming use, and it has also encouraged the people to improve the quality of animal husbandry, raising winning buffaloes for the yearly events.”

Once we entered the grounds for the race we walked along with a narrow path weaving in and out of the rows of buffaloes. I could tell Tom was a bit concerned we’d be kicked or stepped on by the huge beasts, but I was so busy taking photos I never gave it a thought. 

This is how close we were to the buffaloes when we were able to get this close-up of his teeth. Even munching on all that vegetation causes tarter of the teeth. 

Being up close and personal was “right up my alley” and I couldn’t have been more thrilled to look in the eyes of these amazing animals, admiring their individual expressions and elaborate decorations that the Balinese people design with considerable care and attention to detail.

At no point did we see any of the buffaloes handled with any rough treatment other than the first moments “out of the gate” when their tough hides were swatted to get the show on the road. Often, while they waited for their turns, we noticed the owners and handlers petting them in a revered and appreciative manner.

Many of the costumes worn by the buffaloes were elaborate.

Now, we get it…the buffalo on the beach every day being walked to the river for a cooling soak.  For all we know, they too participate in the races. Apparently, the buffalo races have contributed to tourism in this more remote part of the island, four hours from the capital city of Denpasar.

We had to walk quite a way to get to a spot on the sidelines in order to see the beginning of each racing cart, most often starting two at a time. The walk was somewhat tedious over rough, slippery terrain with room for only one person at a time. Gingerly, we made our way to a good place to stand on the sidelines only a few feet (meters) from the track with no fence or guardrail to protect the spectators in the event of a mishap.

We ended up walking down this uneven grassy area on the right finally staying put close to the official’s tower on the left. 

We positioned ourselves a reasonable distance from the starting line when we noticed the helter-skelter nature as the buffaloes and carts took off. An official yelled something in Balinese in a loud and intimidating voice that immediately triggered the buffaloes into action. You can hear this in our above video.

After quite a while and with all the photos we wanted, we decided to head out before the end of the race since we couldn’t tell who was winning anyway. With the lines of vehicles, participants, spectators, buffaloes and carts it was evident it could have taken two to three hours to get back out to the highway.

The buffaloes were adorned and ready for the races to begin.  In a perfect world animals (including humans) wouldn’t be subject to these types of sporting events and customs.

We’d hoped to make a stop at the grocery store on the way back to the villa but Butu misunderstood taking us to a farmers market with mostly fruit, some veg, clothing, and trinkets, none of which we needed to purchase.  The two Ketuts purchase all of the vegetables, eggs, chicken, and fish each morning for the day’s meal. Next time we go out with Gede we’ll make the stop.

At the moment, we’re outdoors on the chaise lounges on a dark and somewhat dreary day. We can’t see across the ocean to Java, the Indonesian mainland, as on most sunny days. We’ve already had our coffee and are showered and in our swimsuits as always. 

The buffaloes are being led to the starting gate.  More photos will follow tomorrow.

Regardless of the weather, we’ll stay outdoors all day and swim in the pool even if it rains. The cabana provides good cover from the rain and will have slightly fewer flies than inside the house. There’s no way we can describe how bad the flies are, especially after it rains, especially during dinner. But, like everything else, we’ll manage just fine, flies and all.

One month from today, we’ll already be in Singapore. It’s hard to believe we’ve been in Bali for over a month.  How the time flies when you’re having fun!

May your weekend be enjoyable and meaningful.

Photo from one year ago today, May 30, 2015:

Rough seas aboard the ship one year ago had resulted in the closing of the swimming pool. Walking about the ship had been tricky for 24 hours as the rough seas increased.  Luckily, neither of us suffers from seasickness. For more photos and details, please click here.