Happy Holidays everyone! Liza here - Mark is in the guesthouse reading and napping. We usually write the blog together, but I thought I would do it before we head out to a very very tiny island tomorrow (not sure if we will have Internet access).
Our time in Sanur is coming to an end, and I think Mark would agree with me that it has been really great here! We didn't do to much, frolicked at the beach, went shopping, treated ourselves to a authentic Italian dinner for Christmas, and challenged ourselves to eat as cheaply (cost wise)as possible! Mark found a great food stall that serves nasi goreng for 50 cents. Needless to say, we have be eating there frequently and spending the rest of our money on self care.
In Ubud, Mark and I treated ourselves to a full body Balinese massage and a facial. We were there for a good two hours, and it was heavenly. Mark also got his hair cut .... he is now completely buzzed off, and he shaved. It took a while getting used to, but now I love it and he looks like he should be in "American History X" (ha ha, no it's not that ghetto!). Mark's haircut, the two facials and massages, plus two very generous tips cost us $30!! Needless to say, Mark loved the massage and facial and has since stated that he would like to try one of each in each country we go to. I see a metrosexual in the horizon ....
Yesterday we went and had reflexology foot massages. $3 each. Seriously. I loved my hour of pure foot bliss, Mark on the other hand didn't seem to enjoy it all that much. Apparently his reflexologist was pressing to hard. I just think he has sensitive feet :)
Tomorrow we go to a place called Jungutbatu. It is a tiny island off the island of Nusa Lembongan (off the island of Bali). We will do a night dive there and spend more time on the beach. Last night there was a HUGE storm --- which was spectacular, but I hope doesn't come back for a repeat performance while we are on the island. I imagine it would be super scary on a tiny piece of land.
So, other than that, nothing really exciting going on. Mark and I still make friends with every stray dog and cat we meet, and really do spend a lot of time watching geckos, insects and snails! We are going to try and post some pictures (as soon as we get a good computer) so that we can show you what we have been up to!
Hope everyone is well and sharing their extra holiday time with loved ones,
Love and hugs,
Liza
Monday, December 29, 2008
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Back to the Beach
MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We hope you all have a wonderful day with friends and family and of course, that Santa had you on his 'nice' list.
Our time in Ubud was great. We found a gorgeous room in a family compound for $20/night, complete with pool, breakfast on our porch, and hot water AND a bath! Luxury. The simple things matter! We took a wrong exit on our way into town, and ended up walking through a Monkey Forest Sanctuary. Usually there is a fee for this, but we just stumbled upon it and sauntered our way around it. The monkeys were quite evil. Kleptomaniacs. Mischievous laughs. Adorable. Hilarious.
We were able to feast on delicious meals at a tiny restaurant (4 tables) for super cheap -- Liza got mie goreng (fried noodles) for 80 cents!! Mark opted for nasi goreng special (fried rice with egg) for $1 !!! Oh yeah, living large!! We did find a lovely little cafe with a lovely friendly waiter and we went there a few times for some healthy drinks (and maybe a brownie, apple cake, and milkshake) including wheatgrass!! It was good -- we joined the fan club at the cafe!!
On our second last night there, we went to see some Ketchuk dancers (google it). It was pretty amazing that every person in the village that 'hosted' the performance, had contributed to the dance in some way. From 60+ men providing the music with their voices, to the elaborate costumes, to the actual set up of the dance, they were beaming with pride. They were so happy to show us some of their traditions and it really made for a special evening.
One of the biggest highlights was that we actually had some down time. We both read 1-2 entire books during our stay there; however, this down time also proved quite difficult ---- Liza was itching to do more, see more, and the thought of having to stay there another 1.5 weeks was almost unbearable. Clearly, it is hard for Liza to relax. Mark on the other hand .....
Needless to say, we left Ubud this morning for Sanur. This is a 5 km resort area with a great beach. We feel quite out of place, as there are no travellers here, only vacationers. Most are seniors staying in swanky hotels and having more than their fair share of bintangs (bali beer).
We are planning on staying here for 5 days, then taking a boat to a smaller island for some scuba diving (Steve, this is where the night dive comes into play ...... the challenge is on!!) and new years.
It doesn't feel like Christmas and Mark is sad about that. He would prefer to have the 'Christmas spirit' present in him. Liza, on the other hand, is quite pleased that it doesn't feel like C-mas at all, as she would feel homesick if it did (first c-mas away from her family). We are sure that there is snow falling, carols being sung, and merriment (lots and lots of merriment), and we hope that you have a wonderful Christmas day!!!!!!!!!!
Love and Hugs,
Liza and Mark
Our time in Ubud was great. We found a gorgeous room in a family compound for $20/night, complete with pool, breakfast on our porch, and hot water AND a bath! Luxury. The simple things matter! We took a wrong exit on our way into town, and ended up walking through a Monkey Forest Sanctuary. Usually there is a fee for this, but we just stumbled upon it and sauntered our way around it. The monkeys were quite evil. Kleptomaniacs. Mischievous laughs. Adorable. Hilarious.
We were able to feast on delicious meals at a tiny restaurant (4 tables) for super cheap -- Liza got mie goreng (fried noodles) for 80 cents!! Mark opted for nasi goreng special (fried rice with egg) for $1 !!! Oh yeah, living large!! We did find a lovely little cafe with a lovely friendly waiter and we went there a few times for some healthy drinks (and maybe a brownie, apple cake, and milkshake) including wheatgrass!! It was good -- we joined the fan club at the cafe!!
On our second last night there, we went to see some Ketchuk dancers (google it). It was pretty amazing that every person in the village that 'hosted' the performance, had contributed to the dance in some way. From 60+ men providing the music with their voices, to the elaborate costumes, to the actual set up of the dance, they were beaming with pride. They were so happy to show us some of their traditions and it really made for a special evening.
One of the biggest highlights was that we actually had some down time. We both read 1-2 entire books during our stay there; however, this down time also proved quite difficult ---- Liza was itching to do more, see more, and the thought of having to stay there another 1.5 weeks was almost unbearable. Clearly, it is hard for Liza to relax. Mark on the other hand .....
Needless to say, we left Ubud this morning for Sanur. This is a 5 km resort area with a great beach. We feel quite out of place, as there are no travellers here, only vacationers. Most are seniors staying in swanky hotels and having more than their fair share of bintangs (bali beer).
We are planning on staying here for 5 days, then taking a boat to a smaller island for some scuba diving (Steve, this is where the night dive comes into play ...... the challenge is on!!) and new years.
It doesn't feel like Christmas and Mark is sad about that. He would prefer to have the 'Christmas spirit' present in him. Liza, on the other hand, is quite pleased that it doesn't feel like C-mas at all, as she would feel homesick if it did (first c-mas away from her family). We are sure that there is snow falling, carols being sung, and merriment (lots and lots of merriment), and we hope that you have a wonderful Christmas day!!!!!!!!!!
Love and Hugs,
Liza and Mark
Friday, December 19, 2008
We're having the dive of our lives
Our time in Lovina has come and gone. We were able to take that cooking class we wrote about and in the span of 3 hours, learned 6 delicious meals! We learned how to make homemade curry paste from scratch (with a mortal and pestal) as well as coconut milk. Let's just say we haven't lost any weight yet on this trip :) After watching the class, we ate dinner with the teacher and her family. Their generousity was overwhelming, and the evening really special. We sat on the floor and had a delicious meal with the kiddies, and then cracked jokes about Bali and Canada competing in the World Cup finals. I guess having two shotty teams is something we could bond over - ha ha!
Yesterday we took another scuba dive trip to an island called Menjangan. We did two dives -- one was a really beautiful coral reef, that made us feel like we were swimming in an aquarium. Another was an amazing HUGE coral wall --- we felt like astronauts in the water! We have really become addicted to the scuba diving, and already have plans to do more in Malaysia Borneo - apparently the place we are going is one of the top 5 in the world! Yahoo!!!
We just arrived in Ubud today. As some of you know, Liza read "Eat Pray Love" and 1/3 of the book takes place here. Needless to say, excitement is abound. If you haven't read the book DO IT. We will be staying here until Dec 30th -- going to try and take in as much culture and history as we can, before heading to another beach for some more scuba diving!
Mark feels it is important to mention that for lunch today he had babi guling (sucking pig).
It doesn't feel like Christmas, with no snow and no carols, and the day will probaby come and go without much ado. Hope you are all well and keep those comments coming!!!
Love and Hugs,
Mark and Liza
Yesterday we took another scuba dive trip to an island called Menjangan. We did two dives -- one was a really beautiful coral reef, that made us feel like we were swimming in an aquarium. Another was an amazing HUGE coral wall --- we felt like astronauts in the water! We have really become addicted to the scuba diving, and already have plans to do more in Malaysia Borneo - apparently the place we are going is one of the top 5 in the world! Yahoo!!!
We just arrived in Ubud today. As some of you know, Liza read "Eat Pray Love" and 1/3 of the book takes place here. Needless to say, excitement is abound. If you haven't read the book DO IT. We will be staying here until Dec 30th -- going to try and take in as much culture and history as we can, before heading to another beach for some more scuba diving!
Mark feels it is important to mention that for lunch today he had babi guling (sucking pig).
It doesn't feel like Christmas, with no snow and no carols, and the day will probaby come and go without much ado. Hope you are all well and keep those comments coming!!!
Love and Hugs,
Mark and Liza
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Animal Magnetism
Well it's been a busy few days. We attempted to update this blog sooner, but were unable to find an internet connection that didn't take longer than 4 minutes to load a page!! So here we are, at 3 minutes :)
After our first night in Gili Air, we changed our sleeping accommadations to another bungalow further along the beach. This place had a pool and a better fan (VERY important). We immediately became friends with the cats that were having *relations* under our bungalow. We found ourselves located beside a tradition home, and quickly became used to the baby crying, the 330 am rooster calls, and the 430 am muslin prayer chanting. We explored the beach every morning and found lots of interesting shells, starfish, fish, and coral. We also got sufficiently sun burned.
We had a wonderful time at the pizzeria. We decided against the 'special' drink and 'special pizza' after finding out that magic mushrooms were the special ingredient. No need to lose our heads here. Literally.
We went snorkeling on all three Gili Islands, and were fortunate enough to see and touch sea turtles! We took a boat back to the main island of Bali and, despite Liza being sick, and cruising through a storm, we survived. Seeing several pods of dolphins made the ride worthwhile.
At each meal, all the local pregnant cats would saunter their way to our table/hut. One evening we had freshly caught black snapper - ALL the local cats showed up for the feast! Mark advised that cats tend to give their owners gifts. Well, the next morning on our porch step, we found a fish carcass!! Thanks guys.
Interesting to note, is that everyone talks to Mark, even when Liza asks the question. We were politely informed that in Indonesia the man 'owns his wife.' Mark so graciously replied, 'not here man,' and everyone laughed! Liza has decided to use this custom to her advantage, and let Mark deal with all the hustlers and touts --- as Mark prefers Liza to deal with them, this is proving to be quite amusing.
One afternoon Mark returned to the bungalow and stated that he was almost eaten by a Komodo dragon. After speaking with the locals, what actually happened was that a hundred pound lizard was eating out of a garbage can and jumped out when Mark approached it. It was vegetarian.
And harmless.
After Gili Air we went to Tulamben, Bali. We stayed for one night (last night). Not much to do in that down except SCUBA DIVE!!!! We dove this morning to a sunken ship -- the US Ship 'Liberty' which sank in 1942 during WW2. It was amazing - the best dive yet. We saw a sting ray, thousands of jackfish circling around us, and over all just thousands of fish! The wreck was huge and we did our deepest dive yet - 75 feet. We are feeling more confident with each dive and now really have the itch to do more.
We arrived this afternoon at a place called Lovina. There is a dive site on a little island about 1 hour away from here that we will likely check out in a few days. We are staying in a beautiful hotel ($13/night) complete with a pool and a quick stroll to the beach. We are hoping to take a Balinese cooking class here, as well as drink a Bintang (beer) while getting a facial!
One of the most interesting and fun things about traveling has been our ability to plan an adventure one day, and quickly change it around the next. With that being said, we have decided to not spend two months in Thailand, but rather one in Thailand and one in India (before you get too worried mom, India is HUGE, we are not going to Mumbai, and we will stay abreast to the local news). We are planning to go there in February, before it gets too hot.
And that leads us to today.....
Liza and Mark
PS. On the right you can 'follow us.' We would love for you all to join and follow us on this journey!!!
After our first night in Gili Air, we changed our sleeping accommadations to another bungalow further along the beach. This place had a pool and a better fan (VERY important). We immediately became friends with the cats that were having *relations* under our bungalow. We found ourselves located beside a tradition home, and quickly became used to the baby crying, the 330 am rooster calls, and the 430 am muslin prayer chanting. We explored the beach every morning and found lots of interesting shells, starfish, fish, and coral. We also got sufficiently sun burned.
We had a wonderful time at the pizzeria. We decided against the 'special' drink and 'special pizza' after finding out that magic mushrooms were the special ingredient. No need to lose our heads here. Literally.
We went snorkeling on all three Gili Islands, and were fortunate enough to see and touch sea turtles! We took a boat back to the main island of Bali and, despite Liza being sick, and cruising through a storm, we survived. Seeing several pods of dolphins made the ride worthwhile.
At each meal, all the local pregnant cats would saunter their way to our table/hut. One evening we had freshly caught black snapper - ALL the local cats showed up for the feast! Mark advised that cats tend to give their owners gifts. Well, the next morning on our porch step, we found a fish carcass!! Thanks guys.
Interesting to note, is that everyone talks to Mark, even when Liza asks the question. We were politely informed that in Indonesia the man 'owns his wife.' Mark so graciously replied, 'not here man,' and everyone laughed! Liza has decided to use this custom to her advantage, and let Mark deal with all the hustlers and touts --- as Mark prefers Liza to deal with them, this is proving to be quite amusing.
One afternoon Mark returned to the bungalow and stated that he was almost eaten by a Komodo dragon. After speaking with the locals, what actually happened was that a hundred pound lizard was eating out of a garbage can and jumped out when Mark approached it. It was vegetarian.
And harmless.
After Gili Air we went to Tulamben, Bali. We stayed for one night (last night). Not much to do in that down except SCUBA DIVE!!!! We dove this morning to a sunken ship -- the US Ship 'Liberty' which sank in 1942 during WW2. It was amazing - the best dive yet. We saw a sting ray, thousands of jackfish circling around us, and over all just thousands of fish! The wreck was huge and we did our deepest dive yet - 75 feet. We are feeling more confident with each dive and now really have the itch to do more.
We arrived this afternoon at a place called Lovina. There is a dive site on a little island about 1 hour away from here that we will likely check out in a few days. We are staying in a beautiful hotel ($13/night) complete with a pool and a quick stroll to the beach. We are hoping to take a Balinese cooking class here, as well as drink a Bintang (beer) while getting a facial!
One of the most interesting and fun things about traveling has been our ability to plan an adventure one day, and quickly change it around the next. With that being said, we have decided to not spend two months in Thailand, but rather one in Thailand and one in India (before you get too worried mom, India is HUGE, we are not going to Mumbai, and we will stay abreast to the local news). We are planning to go there in February, before it gets too hot.
And that leads us to today.....
Liza and Mark
PS. On the right you can 'follow us.' We would love for you all to join and follow us on this journey!!!
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
The Great Escape
Hong Kong was AMAZING. Truely a magnificant city that beautifully balances modern living with traditional chinese philosophy. Mark has a friend that lives there, so we met up with him and his girlfriend for dinner. Taking the subway was sooooo simple and so ... quiet. We met up with Wai Yip and Erin at a place called the China Club. This is a members only club (ooooo) that was truely spectacular. Wai treated us to one of the most amazing meals we have ever had. The restaurant was like an old school 1920's dinner club .... complete with entertainment. Watching a chef make your noodles in front of you like playing cat's cradle is pretty amazing!!
And, have to say it, but i LOVE LOVE LOVE snake soup. Seriously. I am having cravings.
HIGHLIGHT - seeing posters and signs saying "zero tolerance for corporal punishment"
NOT SO HIGHLIGHT - sitting on the subway and having the man standing in front of me fart in my face ('i ate it!')
The next day we hoped a plane to Bali and got to Kuta. Found a hostel to stay in that was 100, 000 Rp ($10.00) a night. Kuta is definately a tourist trap catered to young rich 20 year olds(Cereena - think of that hostel in hawaii and multiply by 100!!) . We made our escape first thing in the morning to the Gili islands. 3 hr. bus ride and 4.5 hr. boat ride and here we are. On the boat we saw dolphins and flying fish as well as a very exhausted and nautious Liza.
We got a two story bungalow on the beach (15 dollars a night ... includes breakfast!!) and on an island that we can walk around in an hour. Go figure, two people that left big cities for whitehorse, leave the island of bali for a super quite and secluded one! We have made friends with the island dog, and he is waiting for us outside this internet cafe. We won't keep him waiting much longer ....
And, have to say it, but i LOVE LOVE LOVE snake soup. Seriously. I am having cravings.
HIGHLIGHT - seeing posters and signs saying "zero tolerance for corporal punishment"
NOT SO HIGHLIGHT - sitting on the subway and having the man standing in front of me fart in my face ('i ate it!')
The next day we hoped a plane to Bali and got to Kuta. Found a hostel to stay in that was 100, 000 Rp ($10.00) a night. Kuta is definately a tourist trap catered to young rich 20 year olds(Cereena - think of that hostel in hawaii and multiply by 100!!) . We made our escape first thing in the morning to the Gili islands. 3 hr. bus ride and 4.5 hr. boat ride and here we are. On the boat we saw dolphins and flying fish as well as a very exhausted and nautious Liza.
We got a two story bungalow on the beach (15 dollars a night ... includes breakfast!!) and on an island that we can walk around in an hour. Go figure, two people that left big cities for whitehorse, leave the island of bali for a super quite and secluded one! We have made friends with the island dog, and he is waiting for us outside this internet cafe. We won't keep him waiting much longer ....
Sunday, December 7, 2008
Oh what a flight
So Trying to leave Whitehorse, our flight got cancelled after an hour on the plane and 2 attempts to take off. The ice fog was so bad that it kept jamming up the engine. We stayed the night at the High Country Inn and left the next day. Sorry Brad and Antonia, but we didn't want to have you come all the way back into town only to have to drop us off for 5:30 am. 15 hour flight to Hong Kong not as bad as expected but still pretty rough. There is no way to get comfy in those seats. Arrived in Hong Kong at 9:30 pm HK time and 5:30am Yukon time. The hotel is one of the nicest rooms we have ever stayed in (contemporary wise). Looking forward to having dinner with an old high school friend, and then off to Bali first thing in the morning to really begin the adventure...
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
The New Sched
Well, the adventure has already started and we haven't even left Whitehorse. It's been a busy couple of days. Given that the protests in Thailand appeared to be increasing, we decided that it would be a good idea to see what our options were. After a total of over 3 hours being on hold with Cathay Pacific, being disconnected once we finally talked to a travel rep, and being told of complicated and expensive options, we decided to cancel our flight to Thailand. Just as we came up with a brilliant plan, and finally started to speak to the travel rep, we heard on the radio,"The government of Thailand has stepped down and the protests are finally over." Since our flight to bangkok would have been delayed by at least 4 days and the flight uncomfortably packed, we stuck with the new plan (the new plan is better anyways). So here it is: We go to Bali and hang out for a month (spending C-mas and New Years on the beach), then to Jakarta to catch a flight to Kota Kinabalu (Malaysian Borneo). Ater a couple of weeks there we go to Kuala Lumpur > Singapore (for Chinese New Year) > Thailand > Cambodia > Vietnam > Laos and back into Thailand (wow that's almost like a Phish set list). This route takes us to Borneo which wasn't previously on our list, so it's better. We also get 2 days in Hong Kong, as opposed to 1 hour. The excitement is really starting to set in now!!!!
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