07.26.08: We left Medewi and went back to Seminyak for our last 5 days in Bali. Since we loved it so much, we stayed at the villa that we stayed at before. I was looking forward to spending more time on the beach in Seminyak since we were either on the road or at the villa last time we were there.
Our first night, the fridge was still empty. So, we headed over to the local “see and be seen” bar, Ku De Ta, for sunset drinks and a snack. My foot cut-up was pretty tender and the first margarita (or hard alcohol) I’ve had in over 5 months seemed to make it feel better. One thing led to another and we ended up staying later than expected. Finally, Sean dragged me from the crowd I had befriended and we finally went home. It was also a much more expensive night than expected, so we made it a point to avoid that place in the future.
Still, our first day was consumed with renting a scooter, getting spelt pancakes for breakfast at a really nice health food restaurant, Earth Cafe, stocking up on groceries and a ride into Kuta to pick up sweatshirts and a cheap board rental. All the Oz’s we talked to in Medewi scared us with how cold it was over there, and all we had were shorts, flip flops, t-shirts and tank tops. We ended up with the sweatshirts, but no board.
The next day, we finally charged it right over to the beach for a pretty fun session in the waves and sand. I tried to avoid walking on sand as much as possible, but couldn’t avoid jumping on a board (that was rented at a premium on that beach) and playing in the waves for a while. When we got back to the villa, Dr. Sean had another good wound-cleaning session on my foot. Later that night, we went into Kuta to see Tom Curren play at the Hard Rock, along with the release of a new surf movie, Walking on Water, produced by a philanthropic group of surfers. Tom played a few songs, but we skipped out on the movie because it was getting late and Kailani needed dinner fast. As we sat in the Hard Rock Café, it felt like we were back in The States, but not in the right way. We probably would have preferred Indonesian food again, but this location was convenient. Oh well!
There was supposed to be a big Rip Curl competition in Padang Padang on the 28th and we hired a driver to take us there. When we got there, we found that Rip Curl delayed the competition until the next swell, which would be the day we leave. Seems that we just keep missing swells everywhere expect to have surf. It was still fun to see the beach and area. Later that afternoon, we decided to start taking advantage of the inexpensive 100,000 Rp ($10 USD) massages while we can. John, the owner of our villas, hooked us up with his masseuse, Putu, who came to the villa while Kailani napped and put us in bliss for an hour each.
Later that night, we got a visit from Banker and Celine from SF, who we met in Medewi. It was great to spend the evening with them again, even though we weren’t very prepared to have them at our villa and basically had to “ration” the pasta I made that night. Sorry guys!
The next morning, we ended up back at Earth Café, where we found Celine and Banker again unexpectedly. This time, we shared what I call “good pancakes” rather than the “bad pancake” we shared in Medewi. It’s so nice to hang with others who feel the same way about healthy living as I do! We were also honored to take with us a copy of Banker’s movie, which we look forward to watching on our flight to Sydney. Unfortunately that day, the waves in Seminyak beach were really flat. So again, we didn’t spend as much time there as we would have liked. At least, we had a great pool at our villa to play in. Again, we had Putu come for another hour each of massage bliss. She did a great job working out my calf, as it got all knotted up from hobbling around on my tore up foot!
As we prepare to depart this beautiful island that we’ve fallen in love with, we look forward to being in Australia and most of all, seeing some familiar family faces, especially Caitlin’s. But, we are also sad to be leaving this place so soon. We would have loved to spend more time here….ALOT more time here! Our last night here, we were drooling over this completely restored 1951 vehicle from Russia (looked kind of like an old topless Landcruiser) when we ran into it’s owners, Tish and Ocho, a Javanese couple that are developing some property in Seminyak. Tish was right when she said Bali has everything: rich culture, beautiful scenery (especially the rice paddies), beaches, great surf, EXTREMELY friendly people, and an inexpensive cost of living (with a little bit of effort). We just hope to be returning as soon as we can! Terimah kasih for the wonderful experiences and Selamat tinggal Bali!
Our first night, the fridge was still empty. So, we headed over to the local “see and be seen” bar, Ku De Ta, for sunset drinks and a snack. My foot cut-up was pretty tender and the first margarita (or hard alcohol) I’ve had in over 5 months seemed to make it feel better. One thing led to another and we ended up staying later than expected. Finally, Sean dragged me from the crowd I had befriended and we finally went home. It was also a much more expensive night than expected, so we made it a point to avoid that place in the future.
Still, our first day was consumed with renting a scooter, getting spelt pancakes for breakfast at a really nice health food restaurant, Earth Cafe, stocking up on groceries and a ride into Kuta to pick up sweatshirts and a cheap board rental. All the Oz’s we talked to in Medewi scared us with how cold it was over there, and all we had were shorts, flip flops, t-shirts and tank tops. We ended up with the sweatshirts, but no board.
The next day, we finally charged it right over to the beach for a pretty fun session in the waves and sand. I tried to avoid walking on sand as much as possible, but couldn’t avoid jumping on a board (that was rented at a premium on that beach) and playing in the waves for a while. When we got back to the villa, Dr. Sean had another good wound-cleaning session on my foot. Later that night, we went into Kuta to see Tom Curren play at the Hard Rock, along with the release of a new surf movie, Walking on Water, produced by a philanthropic group of surfers. Tom played a few songs, but we skipped out on the movie because it was getting late and Kailani needed dinner fast. As we sat in the Hard Rock Café, it felt like we were back in The States, but not in the right way. We probably would have preferred Indonesian food again, but this location was convenient. Oh well!
There was supposed to be a big Rip Curl competition in Padang Padang on the 28th and we hired a driver to take us there. When we got there, we found that Rip Curl delayed the competition until the next swell, which would be the day we leave. Seems that we just keep missing swells everywhere expect to have surf. It was still fun to see the beach and area. Later that afternoon, we decided to start taking advantage of the inexpensive 100,000 Rp ($10 USD) massages while we can. John, the owner of our villas, hooked us up with his masseuse, Putu, who came to the villa while Kailani napped and put us in bliss for an hour each.
Later that night, we got a visit from Banker and Celine from SF, who we met in Medewi. It was great to spend the evening with them again, even though we weren’t very prepared to have them at our villa and basically had to “ration” the pasta I made that night. Sorry guys!
The next morning, we ended up back at Earth Café, where we found Celine and Banker again unexpectedly. This time, we shared what I call “good pancakes” rather than the “bad pancake” we shared in Medewi. It’s so nice to hang with others who feel the same way about healthy living as I do! We were also honored to take with us a copy of Banker’s movie, which we look forward to watching on our flight to Sydney. Unfortunately that day, the waves in Seminyak beach were really flat. So again, we didn’t spend as much time there as we would have liked. At least, we had a great pool at our villa to play in. Again, we had Putu come for another hour each of massage bliss. She did a great job working out my calf, as it got all knotted up from hobbling around on my tore up foot!
As we prepare to depart this beautiful island that we’ve fallen in love with, we look forward to being in Australia and most of all, seeing some familiar family faces, especially Caitlin’s. But, we are also sad to be leaving this place so soon. We would have loved to spend more time here….ALOT more time here! Our last night here, we were drooling over this completely restored 1951 vehicle from Russia (looked kind of like an old topless Landcruiser) when we ran into it’s owners, Tish and Ocho, a Javanese couple that are developing some property in Seminyak. Tish was right when she said Bali has everything: rich culture, beautiful scenery (especially the rice paddies), beaches, great surf, EXTREMELY friendly people, and an inexpensive cost of living (with a little bit of effort). We just hope to be returning as soon as we can! Terimah kasih for the wonderful experiences and Selamat tinggal Bali!
4 comments:
kai... is so big!! She looks so happy. We miss you guys! I hope your foot heals... xoxoxo Love, The Pitts
Truly amazing! Kai is growing up so fast, I can't believe how big she is!!! Have a great time in Australia, I know Caitlin will be so glad to see you guys.
we love you guys,
J&J
Hey you guys,
Miss you and love reading about your travels. Amazing trip! You probably don't know how changed your life is yet... :) but this trip has got to change your life... Anyways, looking forward to reading more, and seeing more pictures... yes, I agree Kai is so big already. Wow, she grows fast. Take care Riolas.
Cheri and Mike
What a fabulous adventure you guys! Stories and pics are absolutely wonderful!
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