Into Indo... Happy Nyepi!

Hello friends and family...

Tim and I have been in Ubud (Bali) for 2 days and are LOVING the beauty and kindness this country has to offer. I am having difficulties uploading photos, so I can only offer a few - when I get to the next reliable connection, I promise to share more.

Breakfast on the beach in Seminyak

We arrived in Denpasar on Wednesday, just in time to celebrate Bali's New Year celebration. We didn't know that this coincided with our travel here, so we felt lucky to be a part of it. Our hired driver, Sukarena, picked us up at the airport and told us all about the history and rules related to the Hindu celebration. The following day, Sukarena drove us to a beautiful temple on the coast. We laughed at the monkeys and enjoyed watching people prepare for the holiday. That night, there were ceremonies and parades in the streets across all of Bali to celebrate thisand on Nyepi, ALL of Bali is closed down. They put a tarp up across the entrance to our hotel and we were not allowed to go anywhere. The hotels still served food and offered electricty (gotta cater to the tourists), but the locals stayed at home and did not cook, work, or turn on any lights. It was a nice break from the hustle of the tourist circuit in Kuta.

Tim and our driver, Sukarena in Seminyak

On Friday, Sukarena gave us a ride to North Bali with his family and we saw more beautiful countryside, temples and monkeys... the monkeys are the only "pickpockets" we've seen in Bali - they will steal your hat or purse if you aren't careful! We Stayed in Lovina that night and got up very early to take a boat our to see the dolphins. We thought this might be a bit of a hoax, but we saw A LOT of dolphins. I was willing one to jump over the stern of the boat, but they didn't get close enough to touch. After a couple hour drive south, Sukarena dropped us off in Ubud and we said our goodbyes. Ubud is known as the artist community in Bali and I tell you, it's been difficult to refrain from shopping. I very much like Asian art, so this place is right up my alley. We found a great little reggae bar last night and managed to coax Tim onto the dance floor (photos to come soon). We also found a room for $6 a night, so we are happy to see our dollars going a little farther. we've enjoyed Ubud very much.

Tomorrow, we take a bus to the coast and then a ferry over to The Gili Islands. The plan is to kick it on the beach for a few days - perhaps do some snorkeling or diving, but not a whole lot more than that. After the islands, we will go to the mainland in Lombok and try to find some hiking. After Lombok, we will go to Java and Sumatra before heading up to Malaysia, so 4 islands in one month... phew.

We will report back after our island stay. We miss you (as always) and a very happy Daylight Savings Time to you all! We are now 15 hours ahead of you, so please don't be mad if we accidentally call you at 2:30 in the morning!

Love, love, love,
Jen

Tim and Jen at the coast

Into Indo... Happy Nyepi!

Ubud, Indonesia