Terrorist fears for Bali, our next stay in our travels…

Posted by worldwide-admin on with 0 Comment
The sun was peeking through the clouds casting this glow at the beach. Of course, the scene would have been more impressive had it not been so late in the evening.

We’re scheduled to arrive in Bali at the Denpasar Airport on April 30th, a mere 53 days from today.  Yesterday, Tom noticed a change in ports of call for the Celebrity Solstice, a ship on which we’ve sailed twice when he was reading travel concerns at cruisecritic.com. 

Here’s yesterday’s cruisecritics.com news article which in part, stated as follows:
“(11:47 p.m. AEST) — Celebrity Solstice canceled its scheduled stop in Bali today due to the “potential for terrorist attacks” in Indonesia.

In a letter distributed to passengers over the weekend, shared with the Celebrity Cruises board by Cruise Critic member NorbertsNiece , the ship’s master, Captain Yannis Berdos, said the situation had been closely monitored since sailing from Fremantle, Western Australia. 
 
“The most recent information in the past few days, indicate that the possibility of an incident in Bali has increased. Also, the Balinese New Year is March 9 and recent past advisories have named this date as one that could be targeted by terrorists,” Captain Berdos wrote.”

The beach at Opunake slightly before dark, when we visited a few nights ago.

Immediately, we got to work checking news stories, researching the map, and reading as much as we could find about the imminent risk.  In reviewing the map the only area where we’ll be concerned is upon arrival in the Denpasar area, one of the high-risk areas listed in the threat.

A news story from an Australian media source stated:

“BALI police are investigating a threatening letter that claimed Islamic State militants were ready to bomb the island.

The letter has also prompted police to tighten security across Bali’s seaport, airport, and crowded areas that are popular with tourists.

The note was delivered to a government office in northern Bali just days after the Jakarta attacks that left eight people dead, including four civilians and four terrorists.  According to reports, the note stated: “Our members are currently present in Denpasar and Singaraja” and threatened “to blow up these cities in the name of Allah.”

“Our members are currently present in Denpasar and Singaraja,” it said. The letter also warned they would “attack shopping centers, offices and tourism destinations.”

When driving along the coast, we often try to make our way to these scenes of sun peeking through dense clouds. 

The property we’re renting in Bali is 120 km, 75 miles, from Denpasar Airport.  Yesterday, we arranged a private luxury van to transport us from the airport to the villa.  We’d read a few reviews that past guests had arranged a car to transport them, suffering uncomfortably in an old vehicle without AC during the long, almost four-hour drive on rough roads. 

For a mere NZ $18, US $12 more than the cost of the car without AC, we could arrange the luxury van. At this point, we don’t know the degree of luxury in that van but we can only hope for some degree of comfort. If not, so be it. 

We’ll be relieved once we get off the plane, collect our luggage, go through immigration and hightail out of that airport and be on our way to the property. Unquestionably, we’ll be avoiding any popular tourist venues while in Bali based on the high degree of risk in heavily populated areas.

Our new camera is able to zoom in further for this distant cloudy evening shot.

Did we consider changing our plans?  Not at this point. We’ll continue to monitor the news, checking travel warnings at the US Department of State, which as of this morning hasn’t posted any travel warnings for Bali.  Then again, on their homepage, they’re still highlighting 2015 weather conditions. This source may no longer be a reliable for our use.

Are we frightened?  We try not to be frightened instead taking every measure possible to ensure our safety in high-risk areas as we’ve done in the past.  Having traveled extensively in other high-risk areas, the most logical decision is to steer clear of nightclubs, coffee shops, popular tourist restaurants, and tourist attractions. 

There’s no guaranty that the small village where we’ll live is free from risk but then, no place in the world is entirely free from danger, nor is any airport, pier, public places, or even private property.

The coastline in Opunake is jagged, rocky with many steep cliffs, hard to see this late in the day.

At this point, we watch and wait. We’ll keep our readers updated as this short period winds down. On April 16th we’ll board Royal Caribbean Voyager of the Seas for a 14-day cruise which is not scheduled to go to Bali. The cruise ends in Singapore where on the same day we’ll board our “already booked” flight to Bali.

We can only pray for safety and good health in our travels and for each of you in your travels and daily life as well.


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

One year ago we posted a few photos of us as we celebrated our 20th wedding anniversary which was March 7th in Hawaii (March 8th here today…confusing).  I took this photo of Tom while we were visiting Mount Kilauea on the Big Island with the lava spewing in the background.  For more photos, please click here.

An add-on to the itinerary…What could we possibly add to two years of bookings?…

Posted by worldwide-admin on with 0 Comment
“Got any treats?” he asks.  Sorry, we no longer carry pellets in our pockets. With little wildlife on the island we were excited to spot these geese hanging out at a wildlife area we stumbled upon while on a drive.

We both thought that we were done with booking cruises and vacation homes for awhile. We were both satisfied with the point that we could sit back content with our choices.

This unusual palm tree was worth a photo.

Alas, the wanderlust bug, rampant for the past month as we researched like crazy, hit us once again as both of us started rethinking the house in Bali, the Negara Villa. 

The geese seemed to enjoy hanging out by this tree.

With strict immigration laws allowing a maximum of 60 days in Indonesia at a time which we’ll apply for in advance when one receives a 30 days visa in the country at the airport, our short time at the gorgeous property was making us think we wished we’d had more time in Bali.

These two came running toward us as soon as we arrived. Although cautious, they were looking for food other than picking at the grass.

After considerable conversation and online research, we decided that if we left the country during the owner’s more expensive high season and returned when the low season began again, perhaps the kindly owner would provide us with the same excellent price.

Curious about us as we watched them, some moved close in.

This would mean that we had to find a place to park ourselves outside of Indonesia for 67 days to return to the house in Bali for another 59 days. This accomplishes three things, as shown below:

We had no idea as to the type of birds we saw in the wildlife area.

1.  We have the opportunity to return to the Bali house which we know we are certain that we’ll love.
2.  While still in the South Pacific we’ll have an opportunity to visit yet another nearby country.
3.  We’ll save money traveling when the round trip airfare from Bali to Malaysia, for example, is only US $331, EU $243.24 round trip per person. Plus living in Malaysia for 67 days will be very affordable.

This goose refused to stand still for a photo.

The tricky part, so we thought, was asking the owner if we could return for the same price we agreed upon for the first 59 days. As it turns out, last night we’d paid the second 10% deposit and have a new rental agreement in hand for September 1, 2016, to October 30, 2016. We couldn’t be more thrilled.

This goose is pigeon-toed.  Oops, wrong bird.

At some point, we’ll need to fill the above-mentioned gap in our itinerary from June 26, 2016, to September 1, 2016. Based on our research so far, Malaysia does in fact look like our best option. We’ve noted our calendar for this upcoming September, to make a proposal on a particular house we found. 

The local children must have decorated these tree trunks in Ribeira Brava.

Once we get that wrapped up or another, if that doesn’t work, we then can sit back and relax that our upcoming bookings are in order and we can breeze through the next year enjoying ourselves. A year from now, when we’ll be in Trinity Beach, Australia we’ll begin the process again.

Several tree trunks were decorated for a special occasion.

Tom and I both agree that we’d rather work for a year at a time, over a short period as opposed to always looking to add on one at a time. It frees up our time and our thoughts to relax and enjoy the moment.

Tom insisted I stand in front of this tree for a photo.  Always camera shy, I don’t enjoy posing for photos.

Plus, we lock in prices that could easily increase if we waited too long due to inflation. Also, waiting could result in a lack of availability. The rationale that one gets a better deal by waiting until the last minute is foolhardy.  There are no “deals” to be had on vacation homes or cruises that are already sold out.

Photo from one year ago today, July 13, 2013:

Not our photo.  There were no photos posted on this date a year ago.  This photo is from the next day, the 14th, illustrating types of insects found in Tuscany during the summer. For details of our story and rental car issues, without photos. on July 13, 2013, please click here.

Exciting new location!…An exquisite private villa, exclusively for our pleasure!…Welcome to Post #700!..

Posted by worldwide-admin on with 0 Comment
This is a view of the pool and the sea at the exquisite private home, we’ll be renting in 2016.

It’s hard for us to believe that today’s post is #700.  In some ways, it seems as if this should be #7000. We’ve experienced so much since our first post on March 14, 2012.  Click here to read, post #1 which is one of our favorites.

In the early days, we posted a few photos when we’d yet to own a good camera or know how to take a post-worthy photo. As time marched on after we left Minnesota on October 31, 2012, and later left the US on January 3, 2013, gradually we came to realize that photos were a vital part of this form of communication.

View of the house from the water.

It took a while for us to finally post each day and to include at least a few photos in each post. Now, we never miss a day or a day with photos unless it’s a travel day without Internet access, a rarity in this world.

The infinity pool.  Note the cabanas at the far side of the pool.  Perfect for after-sun relaxing.

Speaking of photos, today we’re excited to share the photos of our latest booking which may prove to be the last booking for a while when we’re set for the upcoming almost two years. 

Facing the house from the lawn. We’re unable to see the pool in this photo due to its infinity edge.

We’re going to Bali! We’ve rented a four-bedroom, four and a half bath villa, obviously more room than we’ll need but, without a doubt, we’ll treasure every moment while we’re there.

The only people I’ve ever known who have gone to Bali are ambitious newlyweds, young people with the patience and stamina for the long trip from the US, the costly airfare averaging at US $2000 per person, EU $1465.31, taking from 27 to 42 hours with two to four layovers, plus the cost of a hotel, meals, tips, rental car, and incidentals. 

There are multiple areas for lounging by the pool.

However, we’ll already be in Perth, Australia at the end of our cruise on April 28, 2016, and the round trip cost for us will be US $463 per person at three hours and 40 minutes, non-stop. How could we not go to Bali? When will it ever be this easily accessible?

The challenge was in finding an affordable place to live. In addition, we had to face the reality of getting a visa for Bali which is tricky. At most, we can get 60 days at immigration at the airport. However, if we hire a visa agent in advance, we may be able to get a retiree’s visa for a longer period. It’s too soon to apply for that now so we’ll wait until we’re closer to the time of our visit. 

Each day, we’ll have to decide where we’d like to lounge with many options by the pool.

Bali is an island in Indonesia with strict immigration laws. There’s no way we’d be interested in flying to Jakarta to extend our visas. Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia is overcrowded with some of the worst traffic in the world.  No thanks.

The dining table set for eight with beautiful dinnerware.

Unsure about being able to extend our visas at this point, we booked the Bali house shown here today for 59 days. If we’d known that we could have stayed longer, we’d have booked it for many more nights. 

The main floor lounge, one of two living rooms in the villa.

The glorious property, owned by a lovely couple who don’t permanently live in Bali, was one of those that kept me awake at night anxious to hear back if our rental terms were acceptable. When the owner didn’t receive my message accepting the terms, we thought all was lost when we didn’t hear back with a request for a deposit through PayPal. 

The main floor living room.

(Here’s the link to the Bali house listing from which we “borrowed” today’s photos).

One of three master bedrooms, all with king-sized beds, en suite bathrooms, and air conditioning.

Almost a day passed with no word. In my persistence, I wrote back again to later discover she never received the message. We were experiencing Internet issues as Portugal’s part in the World Cup was in full bloom with locals most likely online more frequently.

Bedroom two with another king bed.

Finally, we settled on mutually satisfactory terms. We were giddy. Once again, we’ll have a full household staff as we did in Morocco. However, we’ll be able to cook our own meals with the staff helping with all of the chopping and dicing if we so choose. Tom won’t have to do the dishes!

Bedroom three with another king bed. How will we decide which one we’ll choose? Here again, I’ll have a separate bedroom for showering and dressing so I don’t awaken Tom on the rare occasion he sleeps in.

However, in Bali with the pool and ocean at our door, we won’t feel trapped inside as we did in Morocco, unable to leave the riad unless we were ready to tackle the crowds in the souks. This will be very different. Walks on the beach, dining poolside, or at a cozy beachside bistro, shopping in quaint farmer’s markets will be the order of the day.  We couldn’t be more thrilled.

Bedroom four with twin beds.

No, we’re certainly not young newlyweds reveling in an exquisite South Pacific experience. But, us old-timers, may just settle back and pretend for a while that we are, from April 28, 2016, to June 26, 2016, in Bali, Indonesia.

                                             Photo from one year ago today, July 10, 2013:

Whether it’s mountains, hills, lakes, or sea, we love to have a great view from the veranda of our vacation homes, as was the case in Boveglio, Italy one year ago today. For details for that date, please click here.