First Trip South of the Equator... Bali Bound!!

I must admit that when I threw out the idea that we travel to Bali, I had just finished watching the movie Eat, Pray, Love.  I pictured sleeping in an open aired room, quiet time, and getting some writing in… perhaps update my blog and do some serious reading.  While there was potentially a lot of time for this… The family adventures as usual took precedence…  In the end I found love much differently then Julia Roberts did in the movie.

Bali is a land that seems to have a magnet at its very heart. Maybe its Bali’s beauty, maybe the friendly people, or maybe even the influence from spirits that seem to be present throughout this country...   

Bali is a small island in Indonesia located 8 degrees south of the Equator.  It is 140 km long and 80 km wide.  There are three primary languages spoken, Indonesian, Balinese & English.   More then 80 percent of the island is Hindu.

Some people call Bali the “Island of the Gods.” 

Bali Banten 

One of the most striking things about Bali is the daily preparation of small, colorful gifts for the Hindu pantheon called banten.  Banten’s are usually made from woven young coconut leaves as container and the contents are fruits, flowers, leaves, betel vine, cakes, coins and some incense sticks.The flowers symbolize love and sincerity.  Water signifies purity for the body and soul.   The Banten are gifts to the gods (and the demons). They provide good karma to those involved in their preparation. The Balinese Hindu’s consider Banten as the means to get connected with their Gods. Offerings are a means of giving something back (The offerings to the demons are a request to stay or go away).   It was really neat to get up in the morning for my run and smell the flowers and incense at the house.  You couldn’t help but be at peace with whatever lies ahead.  Worshipping is very ritualistic but informal.  It is amazing how they dropped what they were doing and reflected on life.  There were various statues along the side of the road…  I can see where they find their peace.  

When we first arrived in China… our kids would immediately grab our hands when we left our house and hold tight.  While there are many challenges when living in a foreign country, we are very grateful for the cultural diversity our children are learning.  They have quickly stopped grabbing our hands and now look to explore when we are traveling.   It is not uncommon that the kids will bring over their new friend they have met… quickly realizing that they do not speak english.  But it doesn’t matter… they just seem to figure it out.  

When preparing for this trip, we knew that Bali was known for a lot of things, but we didn’t realize it was known for it’s surfing.  Our first trip to the beach was a bit eye opening.  We quickly realized that we wouldn’t be sitting in our chairs sipping margaritas.  We had to keep track and keep count… constantly.   The waves were huge and the pull was strong.   It is no wonder the surfers flock there.   

While the surf was rough, we were able to find some “quieter” spots and get up on some waves...  Jordan took surfing lessons with some locals and had a great time really getting the hang of it.  Chris on the other hand decided to go it on his own and admittedly “took a beating” from the surf.  The kids seem so at home in the water and in Bali it was no different.  For all of the traveling we have been able to do in Asia… the beaches no matter where they are, bring out the same in everyone.   Pure happiness!   It helps us to feel more at home with our “sand roots.” 

Our villa was truly amazing and hard to leave…    With its full time staff and amazing dinners, we were lucky to get out as often as we did.  

Much like China, the roads were littered with too many cars and scooters.  It was a bit awkward getting use to the steering wheels being on the right and the driving on the opposite side of the road…  it certainly made my morning runs eventful and had the kids a bit confused when crossing the streets.  

Vodka was a bit of a different color south of the equator…  not worth drinking… this is actually the way they sell their gasoline!! What a way to recycle! 

Our first trip south of the Equator was truly a memorable one and a nice break from the Big City life of Shanghai.  We spent the week in a Villa we shared with some great Shanghai friends.  A total of 4 families and 16 people in one place made for a great time.  Each day brought beautiful weather, great food and the chance to explore a new land.  The kids did great even though the travel schedule was tough, 6 hours to Jakarta and another 2 on to Bali.  I forgot to mention the most classic of all.  Wine is very expensive in Bali due to the taxes so we brought some with us.  When we realized that we had more than allowed going through customs we filled Jordan’s backpack with wine and sent her on through.  The poor kid could barely keep upright as she went through security.  Does this make us bad parents?