Day 33 - 40

Ummm ….we have missed a few days but perhaps that is an indication that our trip was either really crazy and we had limited time or that we are finding a nice groove.  We are happy to write that it is has been a bit of both. 

We flew into Krabi International Airport on December 13 and even as we flew North West we both felt like the next leg was going to be good.  Rich and I both felt that there was  a nice energy about this place.  When we landed Sydney was in her glory to see “kids!  Mommy, I see kids!!” The two boys were burning off energy and running around the customs area so we figured ‘when in Thailand…” We let her go and she went for the gusto.  It was nice to see her running and playing with two other kids. 

Eventually we made it through customs; this time we took our sweet time and asked a few questions, made sure we were in the clear and eventually came out dead last, our luggage was being tagged and there was no one around ---fantastic! 

Of course the kicker was we had NO FREAKIN idea where we going to stay…not one single idea.  We walked out into the heat and right away bartered for a private cab to Ao Nang went from 600 baht to 450 baht.  The poor driver had no idea what he was getting himself into.  We drove and drove and drove and went to a few places. After some desperation we began to sweat a bit wondering where exactly we were going to stay.  I ended up walking and lugging Sydney down an old path that I once went on to search out a place.  Long story short we paid way to much for a complete dive.  The rain started and we both wondered “what the hell…” Rich went on a business trip…d-e-t-e-r-m-i-n-e-d …I stayed with two kids in a small dump of a room but hell, it came with a balcony. We went onto the balcony which faced a few other apartments.  To which I soon discovered had pools and were charging way, way…way less.  Piss me off.

Rich came back, told me to pack up and we were outta there.  I have never packed so fast in my life.

Rich found us a wee bit of paradise at the Queens Pavillion.  Amazing view of the limestone cliffs and three beautiful serenity pools.  A steal of deal because we have discovered that Ao Nang, thee place to be for holiday makers is very slow! 

Rich and I settled into our posh little place and madly got to work looking for a home base.  Three days later we found a three bedroom brand new home 1 k from the beach.  We rented a scooter and are calling this home until February 11 - we have a spare bedroom not being used but have found one taker for several days - Marc and Maria previously planned on coming to Thailand with Maria's sister - chances are they will stay with us for a few days before heading out to discover Thailand.  

For anyone daring enough - we have a spare room - cold beer is waiting for you in the fridge...

Day 30, 31 & 32

We arrived at KL Airport and started our one hour drive to city centre where the Concorde Hotel is located.  Jeff Colbert, someone who I knew in Jr High School, kindly offered to arrange for us to stay there.  He indicated he could get us a corporate rate at a fantastic hotel.  On our drive to KL we noticed all the beautiful palm tree fields.  This, as it turned out, was the only thing of beauty we noticed in Malaysia.  In fact, it was so bad in KL, we cut our Malaysia trip short after only 2 days and booked a flight to Krabi.  The people of KL are not what I would describe as a friendly bunch.  They are rude – as we discovered in the hotel on numerous occasions where we would be speaking to staff and someone would interrupt us in mid conversation. 

They are pushy – we visited the mall by the towers and were left waiting for an elevator after being first in line.  How, did we go from first to last?? Lets just say that the polite Canadians learned being polite in Malaysia gets you no where – don’t wait for the people to get off the elevator otherwise you won’t get on.

After finally reaching our destination at the food court via elevator our experience didn’t get much better. Sydney decided this was a perfect time not to listen and wouldn’t eat anything.  Sean knocked over a few food and drink items on the table with a good stiff right punch.  Tara and I didn’t fare much better as we continued our streak of dropping things (we are starting to feel we are ‘off’ somehow and that someone somewhere is trying to tell us something). This was one of the first times Tara and I felt we were on display for everyone to see how poorly North Americans raise their children.  We didn’t disappoint. 

The next day we took the monorail – a truly Tylenol time.  On the loud (LOUD) speakers inside the cab a constant message, in two languages, was read aloud: Watch the doors, watch your belongings, next stop, beep, beep, f****** beep.  All this in the loudest most obnoxious recorded statement man has ever heard. Get me the **** off this thing...and GOODBYE KL...

Day 27, 28 & 29

Gypsy and Ann swung by for our first and only date night.  So…one might ask, what did you do?? We had adult conversation with Richard & Richard, a same sex couple from Quebec who are in Indonesia working at the clinic Tara visited the week prior.  After getting out later than desired (the kids didn’t get dinner till later, etc) we took a cab to their place which was south of our location around the Monkey Forest.  Once we arrived at their place we realized how screwed we really got with Villa Rasa Sayang.  They paid $700/month for a 2 story Western style house which had 2 king size beds and 2 outdoor modern bathrooms located on the edge of a rice paddy field – to say the least, it was paradise.  Richard, the chef, made us a wonderful dinner while we spoke to Richard the Forester.  These 2 were wonderful to speak to and committed to helping others.  Tara and I on the other hand are barely capable of looking after our 2 charity cases.  For the night tho – we had freedom from the bonds of parenthood - ahhhhhhhhhh, nice.

Day 25 & 26

On day 25 we had a kind offer from Wayan to meet his family at his house approximately 30 minutes from Ubud.  His brother Oka picked us up and after driving around for 45 minutes (apparently he was filling in time as Wayan was cooking for everyone) we arrived at his house where we met his wife, 2 children (Agus and Dinny) and his mother.  The house was very modest with pencil markings on the inside wall.  One of the doors had a small hole in it.  The complex consisted of a small temple where the dead family members can come and visit.  Hence the offerings commonly seen at these locations.  The uncle also lived in a house that appeared to be in better condition.  Apart from the humble material items, we found richness in the relationships between the family members that was also extended towards us.  The food was good – tuna satay skewers, nasi goring, mixed vegetables and fish soup.  This family definitely put a spread on for us and I didn’t dissapoint them with my large appetite. After swearing I’d only eat small portions for the rest of the trip I fattened up a little more (who the hell am I kidding anyway).  So, like a fat kid on a smartie I had 3 huge helpings (guess they’re not having leftovers) and then consumed every piece of fresh mango they put in front of me.  Gluttony is alive and well within me and if I could pick a third given name for myself it would be Glutton - hey, that name would suit me like OJ’s glove did – nice and tight around the spare tire.

Wayan has a long life story and he seems to be wiser beyond his years. Oka and I discussed real estate (god bless him) and potential export ventures.  Real estate around his town is cheap and costs approximately 10-15 million Rupiah per square meter ($100).  Oka filled me in on his past travels while working with Carnival.  All in all a pleasant day with a generous local family.

Day 23 & 24

What I love about this place:

The mangos…unlike home, are best eaten when green.  These mangos are so incredibly juicy and dense that it almost tastes somewhat pungent.  It is truly nector from the nature.

The $4.00 massages from Sara’s Spa by Deeta.  One of us has been going every night at 8:00 p.m. for one hour and it is the best way to just completely relax.  The outdoor shower is magical too.

The small pancakes with different flavors on top …about a dozen for 70 cents—yummy!

The swimming pool, sorry to rub it in..but man it is sure great to have a swim or two or three a day to cool off (in November no doubt).

The thunder and rain—unlike any storm I have ever experienced.

The Bali Vanilla -finally made the splurge today and opened up the purse strings; for a whopping 4 bucks I purchased about 25 vanilla sticks…still sticky and moist and smelling of nothing but pure vanilla. Sydney couldn’t get enough of the smell. Though I think I might just have to mail these suckers on to a certain someone who just always makes us the best food (SJ). 

We had a nice play date today with Eka’s and his wife and 1.5 year old daughter named Putrie.  Eka, is a waiter that we have made friends with at the Barbekue restaurant located in front of our villa.  Putrie was so cute and it was nice to just chill out with another kid by the pool.  Putri had never been in a pool before so she really just took it easy by only putting her feet in. 

 

Shortly after this visit, I went with Gyspy to a not for profit birthing centre to have a tour and drop off some baby clothes, supplies and donations.  This place is called the Yayasan Bumi Sehat “Gentle Births for a Peaceful Future”  I am not too sure where to start or what to say about this experience.  It is an amazing, grassroots, truly magical place that sadly, is desperately needed. 

The centre provides pre/post pregnancy care to women and families who have little or no money. Let’s be blunt…by our standards they are poor.  The care is pretty holistic with volunteers from around the world that come as midwives, nurses, and doctors as well as teachers, massage therapists, acupuncturists and alternative care providers.  One day a week the clinic is open for pediatrics, the next day it is open for stress management/meditation/acupuncture and it is always open for labor and deliveries.  They also have a youth centre ..ahh right up my alley.. in which volunteers can teach english and computer skills to youth. 

This centre is humble and yet so incredible.  It was interesting to note that the maternal mortality ration on Bali is the highest among the ASEAN group.  Sitting at 718 deaths per 100000 live births.  This is largely due to the malnutrition caused by the introduction of Green Revolution rice in the 1960’s.  Overnight the staple of food of the people stopped providing pregnant women with the full rainbow of colors that rice once had, which in turn was necessary to sustain healthy pregnancies and birth outcomes. . . Apparently red, blue and black rice are incredibly important to both the mother and the fetus. 

 

During this visit I was invited to go into the birthing room where I was so blessed to see a 12 hour old baby boy sleeping on the bed with his mother and father looking on.  I am not the most emotional type, but that just got to me.  The universal look of love was on the mother’s face and the father looks so proud.  Don’t we all just start out so pure…

This little baby was beautiful!   I was also lucky enough to be allowed to take the mothers picture after the umbiillical cord was cut—I could get into the very important significance of this and the placenta and etc but it may just be best to say that this is VERY important to the Balinese people.  

 

I then ran into one of our two Richards that we met when we got here.  These two guys are in their forties (maybe 50’s) and are from Canada.  They are volunteering with this centre for 6 months.  One of them is a well known chef in Eastern Canada, they both have an organic hobby farm (the other Richard is a forester by trade) and they are so excited to be helping out.  Richard, the chef, is going to teach the youth how to cook and then he hopes to set up a restaurant in which the kids will cook and make the money.  I think he is going to make a success of it as he just eludes that kind of ‘can do’ vibe.  The other Richard is going to teach English.

 

I received their wish list of supplies that they would love to have and have told my Rich what I want for Christmas is on that list.   For anyone who is following along and for my own future reference the web site is www.bumisehatbali.org 

I guess I just need to end this rather long blurb by saying that I feel so blessed and so lucky to have healthy children and that I am thinking of my pregnant friends back home today and missing them.  It would not surprise me to guess that Moira had her baby today, as it seems to be a baby kind of day and Rich and I are both thinking of her daily. 

Day 20-22

Ketut, our taxi driver, jammed on us on a preplanned trip to Hardy’s grocery store.  Although he is a nice man, we are learning this is business after all and we were passed over for a bigger fare (so I lowballed him, whaddya expect).  We hung around the pool and watched some Soprano’s before heading for a nice dinner at Wayans behind the football field.

The following day Ketut took us to Kuta and discovery mall.  Nothing to note – just another mall that just happened to back onto a white sandy beach.  Prices were high (your trying to sell me things for over $1 - rubbish) and other than having a little feeling of home we left without having any wow factor.

We then traveled to Punta Lot, a temple on a small island with fantastic sunsets.  All four of us received a blessing (read $6 – hey, kinda like the silver plate thingy at Catholic mass) and had rice grains put on our head.  The weather cooperated and a memorable sunset was displayed.

Sydney found a little Korean friend and followed her everywhere.  She played in the sand and jumped in the puddles and had a fantastic time until we departed well past her bedtime.  Needless to say she screamed murder in the car for 10 minutes until she fell asleep exhausted.  Tara and I discussed the importance of routine in a very casual way (read WW III).  In all, the most scenic place we have visited to date...

Day 18 & 19

After Sean's fever broke he was left with a nasty heat rash that we feared was measles.  Lucky enough it turned out it was just a heat rash and on the first day of good health we returned to the Monkey Forest.  This time other people were around.  One little monkey decided he would try to steal Sydneys backpack while it was sitting beside Tara who was feeding Sean.  I ran over and attempted to persuade the little bastard he was not taking my daughters $5 pink carrier.  I waved my arms frantically and yelled some gibberish which made the monkey turn and say ‘are you kidding me buddy’.  He didn’t run off – in fact, he tried three times to carry the satchel away.  Lucky little Sydney has turned into a human form of a Saint Bernard and carries my beer in her backpack  (hey, she has to pull her load – okay, kidding, she only carries all of her gear). Anyways, I screamed shoo again from 6 feet away and hoped he wouldn’t kick my pansy civilized ass in front of the kids.  All turned out well as the monkey found another tourist to bother and reached into his pocket for some goodies.  Not sure if he got anything but he made me realize Sydneys potential for income earning in our family :)

While walking away from the monkeys shenanigans I dutifully watched Sydney running around pointing and laughing at the other monkeys.  I was wearing my own backpack while walking down the path when I felt a tug on my back.  Shit, I thought, the little bastard has come back to see if I’m so tough up close.   Plans of action ran thru my head as I thought of ditching my pack and running for the road.  ABANDON SHIP I thought, the kids can look after there own ungrateful ass…and hey…Tara can take care of herself…I had visions of Planet of the Apes when I spun around and faced my worst fear.  The monkey tugging at my back was the monkey the kids call mom…yes…Tara was laughing her randy ass off at me and continued to laugh till she cried. 

Payback, my dear, is a $*&@#.

Day 15, 16, and 17

Sean, the poor little traveler, woke up in the middle of the night with a nasty fever.  Maxine provided a thermometer and to our horror we discovered Sean had a temp of 40 degrees Celsius.  After spending the first day worrying about him and hoping the fever would break, Tara took him the following day to the Ubud clinic.  The nice doctor there prescribed some probiotics and other medicine.  Potentially roto-virus we were told.  We should note en route to the clinic Sean decided he would provide his own form of artwork on Ketuts shirt via stomach fluids.  As another aside Tara went to the ATM and attempted to withdraw 3 million Rupiahs.  After an incoherent message was displayed and her card was spit back, we noted the following day online our bank showed 3 million Rupiah withdrawn.  The problem – no cash was given.  The gods are not smiling with us these days.

We stayed close to home for the next few days and watched over Sean as he slept and whimpered away.  We were very, very worried about the little bugger and again we doubted our trip.

On the plus side, Sydney and Tara had some fantastic moments in the pool.  Syd decided to throw her shirt at Tara in the pool and would run off cackling away.  Tara pitched the mop back at her with some good success.  This game lasted for a half hour before Syd ended up in the pool.

Two sisters from Taiwan, Grace and Jessica, arrived at the villas and fell in love with Sydney.  When they left three days later they gave Sydney a necklace and bracelet.

We also met a nice couple from Scotland with a little boy named Felix.  Sydney and Felix met the next day at Ghandras.  It was nice for Sydney to have a little play friend but no spark was ignited and we left after about a half hour.  The day before I had suckling pig with Sydney at Ghandras – yummy and spicy.

Tara discovered Magnum icecream bars for $1.  We are making it a daily habit as I am for smoking clove cigarettes.  I could easily become addicted and turn into my father for the next 30 years.  Hopefully this habit will end when the no smoking sign is illuminated enroute to KL.

Day 14

Day 14

 

Today we traveled with Ketut to White Beach on the outside of Candidasa. White beach is at the end of a very bumpy path that should not be considered a road.  We had about one hour there before the monsoon rains hit us AGAIN.  Sydney loved the waves  - Tara is convinced she is a beach bum at heart. 

 

While traveling to Candidasa, we stopped at a Sorong store where they were made in the back shop area.  We didn’t buy any…I was convinced our driver stopped there only because nature was calling.  The cheapest sarong went for approx $17…to rich for my blood – I’m sure we can get them for half the price at the market – and really…when else am I going to wear one of these other than here??

After the sarong store we traveled to a local market where all fresh produce and spices were sold.  We could tell we were not in the tourist area anymore because no one spoke English – the universal language of a smile seemed to work well, especially for Sean, little guy makes for finding friends easy…

After the market we traveled to Padangbai where we stopped for lunch.  Padangbai is an seaside town where the hagglers try to sell you fishing tours, etc, etc.  Lunch was overpriced and Sydney decided she wanted to test the nerve of both parents. I’m not going to listen to either one of you and I’m going to do what I want when I want – sounds like me after a few beer…after a brief timeout and a discussion on listening everything went fine..until Sean had to be changed in the back of the van…

 

One must understand what stage Sean is at to get a clear picture of what I was facing…Sean likes to twist and turn whilst the filter is being changed.  To add to my pleasure was the natural tilt in the seat causing a further leaning towards facing the backrest versus lying horizontal.  Now, the details here become a bit fuzzy…Tara handed me the Vaseline after the wipe stage…and I thought I handed her back the Vaseline…apparently my definition of handing includes launching the said Vaseline towards her head…well…lets just say that a cool Calgary breeze was felt in the van for several minutes afterward while I apologized profusely for my strength and vigor.  Hey, no stain, no sorrow – van change rules….mine anyway…

 

Returning to our visit to White Beach, after Tara, Ketut, and Sydney went in the Indian Ocean, Sean and I drank coconut juice straight from the coconut. The taste was slightly sweet and very watery.  Tara had previously described the taste as milky – guess I had a bum coconut as I couldn’t taste anything close to ‘milky’.  After sucking back the remainder of the juice (why waste it??) it started to rain, and I mean monsoon rain.  Ketut told us we have to get out of there right away otherwise the road may become washed out.  After an uneventful bumpy ride back up to the road we made the long two hour trek back to Ubud with a quick stop at Hardy’s for some necessities, yogurt, milk, cheese, (gee, can you tell that part of this family is Dutch) and some great little pasteries that Tara just loves… as well as these delicious cheap little pancakes that are sprinkled with different toppings and cut in half (about one dozen for 70 cents)…amazing.  We made it home went for pizza and we put or feet up and chillaxed with two big beers it was so nice.  Sydney watched her I-crack (eye-crack) err I mean Ipod and we just sat …so nice.

Rich had his heavenly four dollar massage for one hour.  We had both decided to do this on a twice a week basis….life everyone…is all good.  

Day 10 & 11

Day 10

Very routine.

Walk down the street

Grab a popsicle for Syd the kid

Nap for Sean

Etc….

 

Day 11

Again…ummm what did we do? 

Imagine this ….

Monkey Forest Road is one of the few roads blessed with sidewalks; we gave up on the stroller about five days ago.  Sydney is finding her own ‘travel legs’ and she is determined as ever to not hold hands and run onwards.  Problem:  Scooters and motorcycles drive wherever they please (which also include the sidewalk if need be), so I am constantly on guard and I very much feel like a mother goose chasing her young, nipping her in the butt to herd her here and there. . .

I also have to mention that while this street is one of the few with sidewalks—I have never seen such a helter-skelter set up.  There is no uniformity to them and I am not being a princess when I say that the sidewalks can be just as treacherous to walk then the road…complete ups and downs, construction supplies piles wherever, scooter as mentioned.  I need to get a picture of this…

Anyway, on with the story.

Rich and I and the kids are walking on one side of the road (on the sidewalk); Sydney is running and trips, lands on her knees and hands and the crying begins.

Another father is walking by on the other side of the busy street carrying his two year old.  He stops to see our ‘scene’, we notice him for some reason watching us.  We all seem to share a moment of “WTF” are these sidewalks all about.  He yells across…”You should sue…You should sue” with humour in his voice. 

We  yell across, “What, are you from the States?”

He yells back, “ya,  you must be from Canada.”

And we moved on. . . that was it…no other talking just a shared moment.

Rich and I looked at each other and wondered out loud, how did he know we were from Canada?? 

Not sure we want the answer  :)

Why no photo's you ask?????

Well, the story is the WiFi here is very, and I mean VERY, slow.  I have waited up to five minutes (a feat in and of itself for a self professed ADD individual) for an image to upload.  I have tried e-mailing people pictures with the hope uploads would be more efficient via e-mail (yes, not logical, desperation calls for trying ANYTHING).  Soooo...I will keep trying and hopefully I will find a business capable of uploading some images... 

Day 8 & 9

Lets be frank….Rich has been adjusting a wee bit easier than Tara (surprise, surprise). . . I on the other hand  typed my sister a rather shitty note about shitty ants, shitty gecko poop and in general slightly on  the edge of  a rather shitty attitude.  But enough with the crap.  Sometimes a girls just gotta vent and though I feel blessed and so lucky to be here, I have had my moments.  Blame it on the heat or the humidity or the ??? 

 

On other home away from home news… we are discovering that the economy here is hitting the tank a bit; while this is crappy news for locals it is proving to be a bit of a blessing for us as we are getting about 10000 rh per buck so this translates into having a good pizza and a beer for about 2.75 to 3.50 or nasi goring for .75.  We are asking ourselves if it can really be cheaper in Thailand.  

 

While walking on the street we have seen a bit of the darker side of life here (and we  now that we have not touched the surface).  But , it seems that one tribe on the outskirts of town will send in mothers with their wee babies to beg for money.  Geez…. So sad, but if you give them anything they will follow you around.  This is nothing compared to some things that we have heard of. . . .

 

Yesterday (day 8) was a rather quiet day for me and the kids.  We had intentions of making about 10 blocks down the road to the monkey forest, but truthfully, if you don’t get your ass out of the door by 7:30 it seriously gets so hot that you barely make it 4 blocks down before you are dripping with sweat and craving a dip in the pool—which is exactly what happened—but not before I FINALLY got a hat (or three) and a popsicle for Syd the kid.   We did a few pit stops and saw some incredible wood art as the pictures would indicate.  Incredible. 

 

The kids and I had a slumber and Rich took of by foot to walk for two hours to the rice patties as well as being picked up the way back. 

We ended our night with a roof top dinner. 

All in all it was a rather routine like day and this was good as it got me into the groove that believe it or not folks I crave…yep …me…. Ahh the learnings. 

 

I did go out last night for a beer with a few women that I know; their kids are all grown up and they come out here year after year.  I just couldn’t keep up and after one beer and a forceful reggae dance I had to leave.  Having kids just so makes me appreciate going to bed early.  There is a place down the road that plays live soft easy jazz on Mondays, now that is my kind of place. 

Day 6 & 7

Day 6 & 7

Not too much to report really.  We went to the monkey forest early in the morning when no one else was around. The good news – we didn’t have to pay.  The bad news – we were seriously outnumbered by monkeys.  I’m not talking like a couple dozen monkeys…I’m talking hundreds.  They were crawling around the tree’s, on the ground and on the sidewalk.  The sidewalk was the interesting part.  Tara and I weren’t sure what to expect in terms of how they would react to us passing by them.  Are the territorial?  Are they so accustomed to humans they will jump on you?  We were forewarned not to bring food or sunglasses as they might steal both off your person.  Needless to say the warnings only intensified our fears.  So, you may ask, what did you do Richie Rich, oh fearless one?  Did you push thru onwards past the little monkeys?  Did you explore the beautiful tropical forest and awe at it’s natural beauty?  Did you scoff at the warnings for the weary????  Well, hate to say it but…no…me McScradey cat…and Tara, might I add, was not arguing in favour of staying.  We left after traveling all of 200 meters thru the forest.  In case anyone is wandering, Sydney loved looking at the monkeys and didn’t understand why we were leaving.  I assured her the monkeys needed some family time and wanted us to come back later.  I am not looking forward to the day she looks at me and calls me for my BS…

 

Oh, one last thing, no pictures were taken, we didn’t want to offend the monkeys (okay, okay…we thought the monkeys might steal the camera).

 

Later that evening I went out with Maxine and a few of her friends to the Reggae bar.  After consuming several large Bintangs I still refused to get up and dance.  Maxine was none to impressed with me.  She, likes to dance and so did her friends.  Looking back I realize I probably looked more foolish sitting at the table by myself versus making an ass outta myself dancing.  Then again, I can picture myself dancing to reggae…probably made the wise choice.

 

Day 7 we walked down and found a typical ex-pat coffee shop called Mocha House.  I say typical because the price was inflated and all the customers were European.  Nothing special about the event, I went and visited the ATM for the first time.  Syd watched her Dora and Diego on the laptop and Tara read the paper as Sean played with his makeshift rattler.  All in all, a nice morning…

 

Lunch was made for us at Gandra’s – pumpkin tofu curry on a bed of steamed rice.  Different curry then we are used to at home – not as spicy or flavorful but still tasty.  The pumpkin tasted exactly like potato.  Maxine took me to the market after and we picked up a couple of shirts for Tara and I for $6 total.  After leaving we met Aussie’s who suggested we see the volcano on the island – something I think is a fantastic idea and we will plan on doing sometime this week.

 

We are now in the initial planning stages of our next to Thailand.  Should we be going to north Thailand first or head to the south for the Christmas season.  My sister is thinking of joining us for a few weeks as are our good friends Marc and Marie.  We think everyone is more inclined to see the south as that’s where the bulk of tourist activity takes place.  More research to be completed before the final decision is made…stay tuned.

Day Five

Day Five, November 17, 2008

Highlight of the day:

Knowing that Sean is feeling better

Rice fields

Swimming during the down pour of rain with the kids

Tea Time by the pool

Watching Sydney talk to the Gecko’s before her bedtime

Supermarket exploration

 

We made it past Monkey Forest Road today!  Thanks to Maxine (aka Gypsy—long time camp friend) we headed north for about one hour and had lunch at the Rice Field Restaurant.  We drove past many, many artist shops along the route.  Amazing trinkets and home décor stuff…hmmm now I know where Pier One might be gathering some of their stuff.  We didn’t buy anything …yet.

The rice fields are beautiful.  It is, however, a different game with kids.  We are all seeing things for the first time and while Rich and I take a moment to look at the amazing sights Sydney is on the ground looking at rocks, checking out the “huge” steps and commenting on the sounds.  This in itself is pretty “cool”.  We don’t linger long but we get a two for one bang out of this. 

It is hot and it is humid and we are oh so grateful for a pool. 

 

This morning we were up at the crack of dawn and heading to the market (local) where after some supermarket exploration I discovered that I am slightly getting ripped of.  But, where else does one go at 5:00 am with a two year old….

 

I am having a few “significant moments” as Theresa would say.  I spent at least one hour with my head lamp on giving my kids a foot massage and talking on our bed.  How cool …

I am also starting to feel the need for methodical planning and, for the first time in a long time, the idea of just taking a moment to really realize patience… that things just take time and it is what it is. . .

How cool… 

Day four

Day Four

We found a great place to eat yesterday.  I had Nasi Goreng for $1.  For those unfamiliar with the local dish it’s spicy fried rice with veggies, chicken, and a fried egg.  Tara had curry chicken avocado for $3.  We are having our large meal at around 2 PM as the kids are hitting the sack by 4ish.  Tara went for an hour and a half massage last night while the kids were sleeping – cost 80,000 Rup - $10.  I’ll let her comment on how it went but lets just say she looked totally relaxed afterward.  I bought a new movie (Own the Night) for $1.75 from the local market and watched it on the apple. I think Tara was shown the location of a book store by Maxine that we can go to later today to pick up some books – better to read than watch TV all the time.  Although, I did see season 1-5 of the Sopranos for $6/season…hmmm.

 

We think Sydney is slowly getting her travel legs.  She slept from 4 PM until 5 AM last night without waking up.  Not so lucky with Sean.  He is waking up 2-3X/night.  The good news is his fever is down and his appetite is back.  After visiting the clinic on day 2 and obtaining some meds he is getting better.  The Doctor barely spoke a word of English and all meds were Indonesian – i.e. we couldn’t read a word on the label or the directions.  Before giving him anything Tara did some research on the Internet and spoke to anyone who was bilingual. The good news - He is returning to his old, easy going, always happy self.  He is a little trooper in every sense of the word…our little smiling Buddha in Asia.

 

Tara went to the supermarket today with Maxine – a 15-20 min taxi ride.  On the list were the necessities of traveling with kids – diapers, wipes, etc.  Also on the list were the necessities for parents – BEER, Beer, and beer.  The local quickie markets sell beer in Ubud for 19,000 Rup ($2.45) for a large bottle.  I’m hoping Tara can score large bottles at the big market for 10,000 Rupiahs. It ain’t easy being fiscally responsible all the time (some of you may refer to me being cheap…I, for the record, prefer my term).   

 

We are starting to see routine in our day that is good for the kids and for us.  This is not the type of travel Tara and I are used to.  No hiking up mountains, living for just today or not worrying about tomorrow.  This experience is all about making the kids comfortable and happy.  Once we accomplish this we can start to plan some excursions.  We are hoping by next week (Day 11) we will hire a taxi for the afternoon to show us around the island.  I’m hoping to see Gunung 

Day Three - Tara Update

“I don’t think we’re in Kansas anymore Toto’

I remember at camp we always use to say that it was the staff that grew the most in a summer experience. WELL…that has nothing compared to the learning that I am going to have about myself in the next six months!

Here are some lessons that I have learnt in only THREE days:

1. Organization is going to become a way of life; not just the typical-pick-up-later Tara anymore….
2. With two kids and one small villa the mantra of “everything has a place and everything in its place” runs through my mind every hour
3. Waking up at 4:00 am every day is not such a bad thing…we have hit the local market three days in a row.  Sydney and I are getting good at being the only non-locals on site and bartering over bunches of bananas and lychees. 
4. Going to bed at 4:00 might not be that bad either
5. It is going to be the small stuff that creates the wonderment of this trip.  Looking at rocks in a sidewalk or fish in a pond or ants crawling up our bed. . . 

 

So, for those who may have thought that we would be touring everywhere...here is the news…we are getting acclimatized in every sense of the word (weather, money, family dynamics, individual new likes and not so much likes, culture).  We have yet to make it off of Monkey Forest Road (which is about 5 blocks long).  We now are just starting to learn  the priorities….good, cheap bottled water, popsicles for 25c., market bartering,  and benefits of swimming in the pool at least twice a day.  Rice paddies and temples can wait and the beach may be a distance third.  Yoga and meditation??? …damn, how about sleep?  Maybe, just maybe, tonight...

 

And so it Begins

We are here - we made it - lots of tears and lots of milk...so...here is the story;

We drove to Vancouver from Penticton on Monday November 9th.  Stopped briefly for a McDonald's coffee and kids pack (sad, but true) arriving at approximately 1600 hrs at Lee's place.  My sister went above and beyond the call of duty to make us comfortable, cooking us a thai chicken dinner and making Sydney a special bed in the computer room.  I, as the last blog indicated, couldn't sleep and felt absolutely bagged the following morning.

After waking up and a brief mad scramble to get ready, we arrived at the airport and bid adieu to my sister who asked if we might want to consider staying longer the next pass.

Our plane was a 747 with Japan Airlines.  We knew, almost instantly, we packed to much for stowaway and carry on.  We were the last to get on the plane and the last to de-plane.  In between was filled with fantastic service (highly recommend flying with Japan Airlines) and more tears of exhaustion.  Syd slept for only a few hours of a 9.5 hour flight, Sean, on the other hand, slept in a bassinet for half the trip.  

We arrived in Narita at 3 pm local time.  EVERYONE was tired, hungry, and looking forward to a good sleep.  We stayed at the Holiday Inn and realized right away we were in a different land when room service could only offer powered milk.  Everything was massively overpriced.  Thank goodness we packed oatmeal, etc, for the kids.  

We took a taxi into the town of Narita the next morning after Syd woke up at 3 AM local time.  She was recharged and ready to go. We were not so fortunate.  However, she rules the roost. After fours hours of entertainment we took a taxi ($50 Canadian) and found the most beautiful Japanese temple.  The grounds were immaculate and everyone stared at Sydney, our little blond bombshell.  We ate some local cuisine from a quickie mart and found a new all time favourite - ready to go salmon or tuna rice wraps...Smarty...you would have loved these....  :)

We then departed Narita at 4 pm and both kids slept well on the plane as did Tara.  She grabbed an empty back row and slept for 3-4 hours.  I monitored the brood for any moments of insanity.  Believe it or not...nothing but well behaved kids...they certainly take after their mother...

We arrived at Densappar at 11 pm and the customs guy sold me 4 - 30 day visas for 1.35 million Rupiahs (as I later found out he over charged me by about 35,000 rupiahs - $9 extra - welcome to Bali).  We drove for another 30 minutes and experienced the mayhem of Bali highways; scooter vs taxi - rider beware.  At approximately 1230 AM we arrived at the Villa Rasa Sayang.  The room was not as described...stay tuned...it's only beginning...

Insomniac or anxious dad

I have fooled myself into thinking I would sleep well the night before the big departure but alas here I am at 0239 hours Pacific time writing away.  I wrote in the previous post a thank you to Lee who allowed us to sleep at her place in North Vancouver.  She has a wonderful condo overlooking the Ocean and a comfy king size bed.  Tara, is sleeping well...as is the brood.

Some thoughts that keep me awake follow...

I wanted to take this chance to thank my Grand ol Pappy, Opa, and Oma.  For the record, my folks looked after their granddaughter for several weeks as Tara packed the house in preparation for move date.  Sydney had a fantastic time being spoiled by Oma who couldn't get enough of her.  The little blond bombshell had her significantly wrapped around her tiny finger buy the time we left yesterday.  Oma held it together as we drove off into the valley towards the coast.  Sydney, and Sean, are lucky to have such kind souls watching over them.  Thank you Dad and Theresa very much for your support...

T minus 24 hours

We are in Vancouver at Lee's (thank you O'Riley) and less than 24 hours away.  My sister is taking care of us for the evening before the big trip.  She is sending us off with a belly of Thai chicken.  Our next post will be from Bali which will include an update on how the 2 flights over went.  We, yes, have bought a bottle of brandy for the trip over.  Not for the kids of course but for Tara and I  :)

Our life is enclosed in 3 bags.  Tara gave up more belongings than any women I know.  I, on the other hand, have my brandy.

See you next Spring Canada - Asia, git ready...

Get ready kid--Your passport is your shelter...

Well, it's my turn for this attempt at posting on a blog. I can't believe that I am BLOGGING! This might just be one way of keeping it straight for the record (if need be). Here's the latest in our walk up to the starting line. We are leaving in five days--for the record-- and I am counting...I am counting and loosing sleep. We fly out on November 11 from Vancouver to arrive in Naraita, Japan for our 24 hour layover at the Holiday Inn (voted #1 by Trip Advisor-if you can believe that). Quite frankly, I don't care what it is voted or even how clean the beds are--I care about "Can I Sleep, is it even possible?"
I am relieved that we have a landing pad as we don't yet in Bali-Ubud. This may seem riduculous but it is proving harder to get a place by the week or month then we thought! If only SOMEONE would email us back or even pick up their phone.
We are also under pressure to pack the neccessities for our journey. In the past (as in pre-kids--P.K) this was easy. Now, I am not so sure. Gone are the days of having a beer with Karina, just throwing some stuff into a backpack with a few mesh baggies and going. The top priorites are infant tylenol (both kids are teething) and extra large diapers (syd the kid--hey we are working on it). The Balinese however have us beat as it seems that their little anak-anak's (children) are toilet trained a heck of a lot earlier then ours. I have also looked up UHT milk as that also seems to be the type of milk that we can find over there--all looks good on that front. I have had the quick 101 on UHT milk.
Although I haven't left Canadian soil yet I am missing my neighbourhood friends and their children. Sydney keeps asking, "where are the kids?" at the quiet playground in Naramata. She has also figured out how to punch an emotional button or two with me by her daily chant of "mommy, I am ready to go home"...ha...what home!? :) Get ready kid, your passport is your shelter and Bali is your playground!

House sold - moved out - getting closer to D day

Well - we are out of our house, everything except the bare essentials is in storage. Syd is already complaining of wanting to go home - she apparently wants her toys...time to load her up on gravol :)

Tara and the kids are in Naramata - I will be headed out next Tues or Wed. Apparantly the highway is still closed between Peachland and Summerland meaning my drive from Calgary will take longer than usual.

Hope this message finds everyone well...

Rich... good luck.

Dan

Holy cow batman...what's a blog...

This is our first attempt at setting up a travel blog for those that want to follow our trip online.  Tara and I have no idea what we are doing...both with the computer and with this trip...does anyone know of ANY medication which can settle those souls which are restless...save our children from us PLEASE...seriously...call SOMEONE...ANYONE  :)