Anyway.... Because we didn't go back to the US for the holidays, we took an "exotic" vacation to Bali and Bangkok. We were fortunate to use frequent flier points for most of the journey, so we had kind of a bargain vacation. I have always wanted to go to Bali, even before Elizabeth Gilbert and Julia Roberts made it more popular. And United Airlines flies to Bangkok, so I thought it would be fun to go there on the way home.
We left the evening of December 24th, so Santa Claus came one day early to our house. Did you know that he makes early trips if you need him? Yeah, he's pretty flexible with his schedule. Joseph and Gracie got all their presents, and then we packed up and left for the airport. I should have had Santa arrive after we got back because Joseph asked about his new toys the whole time we were away (I didn't pack them). Note to self: NEVER do that again.
We arrived in Singapore around 1 am, and then we stayed a a hotel right in the airport terminal. While this hotel was really comfortable, the problem was that our luggage was not available. It was waiting for our next flight to Bali. It's kind of confusing, but we'd have to leave the terminal to get the baggage...And with customs and immigration, it's just too much of a hassle. I didn't want to get caned. Caning
Finally, the next morning we board our short flight to Bali. Everything is uneventful, except that when we arrive in Indonesia, we are required to pay about $25 for a visa. Why don't they just call this a tax?
When you first arrive in Bali, the first thing you'll notice is about 20 little offices for currency exchange. They are exactly the same. And employees in each of these offices call out to you. It's sad, really. I wanted to give them business, but it's such a waste.
The next thing you notice is the sheer number of motorcycles. Unfortunately, these are not Harleys (or else Christian would be a rich dude). They are all mini-motorcycles. And they carry families of four. (note that the parents often wear helmets but the kids do not!!!!)
We take a Club Med bus to the resort and settle in.
The Club Med Bali is a nice resort, but it lacked a bit compared with our Club Med experience in Okinawa. Balinese people (and especially those at the Club Med) love kids, so once again, Joseph and Gracie were superstars.
Unfortunately, December is the rainy season in Bali. As a result, it rained a bit every day while we were there. The resort is set up such that you can walk anywhere while staying under cover. But man, that rain was intense! Once the sun popped out, though, we hit the pool and went swimming.
We hired a car and a driver and took two excursions. The first was to Ubud, the kind of artsy area of Bali. This is the place where Julia Roberts spent most of her time. There are rice paddies all over the place, temples....really, it's just a very beautiful landscape. Because the island is predominantly Hindu, there are temples at practically every home. It was a very peaceful place.
On this same journey, we stopped at a monkey forest. A tour operator at our resort thought that we might not like it because the monkeys will often grab things out of your hands, take your hat off ... you get the picture. However, once we mentioned seeing monkeys to Joseph, all bets were off - we had to go. I, however, was scared sh!tless while walking around this place. I don't know why, but monkeys running around make me very nervous. Of course, Joseph was having a great time. I made Christian take care of Joseph!
On our way back to the resort, Christian asked our driver, Ketut, if there was a place where he could buy good coffee. You see, the "main" island of Indonesia (where Jakarta is) is called Java. So there's good coffee in Indonesia. Anyway, Ketut said there was a really good place called Cafe Luwak. So Christian buys some coffee and off we go. However, when looking at the receipt, Christian thought he was really ripped off. Approximately $30 for 3 cups' worth? Ketut then asked Christian if he knew how this coffee was processed. And here is a quote from the package. "Luwak coffee is made out of coffee cherries which have been eaten by and passed through the digestive tract of the Asian palm civet. After being collected, the coffee beans are hygienically processed and perfectly roasted for keeping the complex distinctive flavors." So, folks, it's like poop coffee. Christian did say that it tasted great. Ha!
Here is a photo of Joseph with some guys who were working at Cafe Luwak.
Our next excursion was to a town called Jimbaran. This area had a very large sea-side temple. In addition, there is a big dance festival every night.
Here is a photo of me, just to show you how humid it was in Bali. And crowded.
One sobering thing we saw was the memorial to those 200+ people who died in a terrorist attack in 2002.
Finally, here is our driver, Ketut, with Joseph. Joseph really liked him, and would always ask, "where's Kedoot?" (misspelling intentional) Kind of like, "where's the beef?" It was cute. One thing I will mention here is that Bali is poor. For example, professional babysitters at the resort make only about $2 an hour. Hiring this minivan and Ketut cost us about $50 for 5 hours. The resort organized it, there's some transportation middleman, and then there's Ketut. I hate to think what he makes per hour. :(
After 5 nights in Bali, we headed to Bangkok. Christian had loaded some videos onto his iPad for Joseph to watch on this 4-hour flight. Unfortunately, the iPad did not make it on the plane with us. Someone in Bali is enjoying it right now!
Once we arrived in Bangkok, it was obvious that while Balinese people really loved children, Thai people REALLY, REALLY love children. When we were in line for customs in Bangkok, we were pulled aside and brought to a very short line. And then all airport employees were just googling at Joseph and Gracie.
When we got to our hotel, it was the same thing -- red carpet treatment, all because we had kids!
My first impressions of Bangkok are the following: it's a dirty city, things are really cheap, and the red light district was not as obvious as I thought it would be. After going to Bangkok, I am super impressed with how clean things are in Tokyo.
Anyway, one of the first things we did in Bangkok was take a river boat tour on one of these "longboats."
And this is what the boat "captain" is doing -- handling this huge engine on the back of the boat.
We took this circle route along the river and some canals. It was interesting to see Bangkok and its architecture. And then there's a lot of poverty, too. Really, really heartbreaking.
Here's a picture of a pretty large road in Bangkok. Nothing too special, but it'll give you a sense for what it looks like. I kept thinking it looked like New Orleans with the gates/terraces on the second floor of all those buildings.
On our last day in Bangkok, we headed to this MASSIVE market. I mean, we got lost walking around this place. And this market sells everything. You want a kitchen sink? Come here! It's just stall after stall after stall. And sadly, there were lots of signs all over this place warning you about pickpockets. Again, it makes me think about how safe things are in Tokyo.
The other thing that I had on my mind was how Bangkok becomes this destination for the sex trade. I really didn't see too much. However, you would see the occasional FUGLY old white guy hanging out with some very young Thai woman. And you think...this union would probably not occur in any other place. Well, I guess they were consenting adults. But yuck.
So that's our travel update. Again, I can see why people don't take too many trips with young kids. We (Christian and I) were pooped at the end of it all. However, you can't live in Asia and NOT visit these places.
