Our Trip to Bali, Indonesia

We just got back from our vacation to Indonesia, and we had a fantastic time. This was Taelyn's first trip with us as well, and she did well too. We started the trip at Legian Beach where we stayed in a beautiful hotel not far from the beach. Taelyn had her first swim in the pool at the hotel. The water was a little too cold, so she wasn't quite sure about it. She made some pretty funny faces at first, but once her body adjusted to the temperature, she seemed to have a good time. Then later that day, we took her to the ocean. Unfortunately, she was fast asleep the entire time. Although the waves came crashing in on her little body and moved her legs around while I held her chest, she was out cold, so she had no idea that she went in to the ocean! We spent the rest of our time in Legian shopping the local stands for souveniors and clothing and eating some great dishes.

Next, we took a small boat to a nearby island, Lembongan. We stayed at a quaint lodge that was connected to a scuba diving company. Justin and I both went diving the first day and saw beautiful coral and a couple of very large fish. The visibility wasn't great, but it was nice to see a new area of sea life. That night, we had an amazing local experience eating a local dinner by a woman from the village on the island. As we walked to her place, we saw locals driving by on motorbikes with cargo balanced on their heads, we saw people partaking in an intense volleyball game which seems to be quite popular with the villagers, people were farming and drying seaweed - the main source of income on the island, young children came running out to see us and touch the baby, and we saw a beautiful sunset. When we arrived at the dinner site, we found ourselves in the middle of a 6 year-old's birthday party. She played the hostess for all of the children at the party and served them small presents and slices of cake. She then handed all of us visitors some cake. It was such an experience to hang out and interact with the children. We found out that the birthday girl recently lost her mother and had no one to care for her, so she just stayed on the island by herself. It was a very sad story but also touching to see her so happy on her birthday. After the birthday party was over, a woman prepared our meal. She made rice and vegetables inside the concrete-slabbed hut while her husband cooked fish over an open fire pit. The meal was delicious!

The next day, we decided to travel around the island like the locals do; the three of us all climbed on to a motorbike, and Justin drove us through paved pathways of the island. Here we witnessed gorgeous beaches, thick forests, seaweed farms and the farmers at work, and buildings that looked like ancient ruins in which the local people still live in.

After our trip to Lembongan, we took the small boat back to Bali and landed in Kuta Beach. This time we stayed in a bungalow overlooking a pool and just down the street from the beach. Again, the lodging was beautiful! At Kuta, we enjoyed full body massages, more shopping and great food, and spent time with Taelyn in the pool. The water was much warmer in this pool, and she loved it! Justin took her all around the pool on her tummy and on her back. The best part of our time in Kuta, though, was when we learned to surf. Justin and I took turns on the surf board and both had two very different experiences. Justin was quite a natural at the sport and was able to balance on the board right away. I did not have as much luck, though. I spent a good deal of time falling, but I had so much fun! We both were really happy that we tried it out.

Indonesia has a lot to offer with its white sand beaches, but we found that the best sites to see were away from the beach and immersed in the culture. We are so fortunate to have gained all of the great experiences from this trip.

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