BALI BALI BALI

In case you thought you'd had enough of the Asian countries, I have one more for you, Indonesia. We arrived in Bali on Wednesday (12/23) just in time for the rush of holiday travelers. Most of the the tourists that come to Bali are from Australia, so many people were surprised to hear that we came all the way from America to Bali for Christmas. hehe. Since Beth and I had been coming off a long travel day/night in Malaysia, we checked into our hotel, napped, then went to dinner. We had a reservation for the next 2 days at a very nice Resort for Christmas and wanted to rest up for the occasion.



For Christmas Eve and Day we spent most of our time enjoying the amenities of our resort (Rama Beach and Villas). We ate like kings and loved the holiday Balinese performances at the Christmas Eve Gala dinner. Relaxation and comfort is exactly what we needed before continuing on the rest of our trip.

Merry Christmas!

A pool view on Christmas Eve.

On Saturday (12/26) we made our way to the Bukit peninsula. Particularly known for its big waves, this place attracts surfers from all over the world. We came to see two things: wave riding and Uluwatu, a temple on the side of the cliffs that line coast. Beth had reserved a room at a place called Chocky's. This was one of the only places left to stay in the area due to the massive influx of holiday travelers. We took a long cab ride towards Uluwatu and had a very difficult time finding Chocky's. After many failed attempts with asking the locals where this beach side "hotel" was, we finally got ahold of the owner by phone and he gave us directions. The hotel is literally sitting on the beach and the access to the main road is about 1/2 a mile straight up a cliff. Oh well, nice leg work out. We were apparently the only ones staying at the place and when we arrived the owner gave us the loft that sits right over the beach. The room itself was not one to admire as it was very much open for critters, guess the mosquito net would have to do.

After settling in, we asked the owner to take us to the Uluwatu temple. Every night at 7 pm there is a show called the Kecak dance, which is a spiritual Balinese dance with many men formed in a circle, making all sorts of silly noises. Half the time they look like they are goofing off making these noises, and the other half looks they the are dance fighting.

A view from our room at Chockys.

At the Uluwatu Temple. Sarongs and sashes were required to enter. Notice Beth HAS her sunglasses in this picture.

HAHA. This monkey stole Beth's sunglasses (as you can see). If Beth had only listened to the guard at the front gate who said, "don't wear sunglasses, the monkey will steal them from you."

I love this picture. I snapped this while walking to the Kecak dance. I didn't realize how chill this guy looked until review my pics later. So cool.

The Kecak dance. The noises the make sounds like someone saying "kechack"

over and over again really fast.

Another mischevious monkey at sunset. This time he got some girls scrunchie.

Upon return to our hotel we were informed the power would be out half the night. Beth was NOT happy. After a couple cocktails using our headlights to watch out for critters the power came back on and enabled our fan to work - thank goodness.

The next morning we were very happy to be alive and were excited about our trip to Ubud, the culture capital of Bali. We hit the road around 9am and arrived just before noon. We were staying at a place called "T houses" which were basically a bunch of Balinese style houses that were rented out. Everything about this place was amazing. We had our own house, kitchen, outdoor shower, and swimming pool for 45 Us Dollars a night. Also included in the price was a few pets consisting of frogs in the kitchen and foot long geckos in the bedrooms, and breakfast (a maid came into to cook banana pancakes and eggs, right in front of us, at our place).

Our outdoor seating area at our house in Ubud.

Beth doing some sort of Yoga pose, I think.

A sunset view from our back yard.

We had three full days in Ubud and spent most of them relaxing and exploring the nearby towns by motorbike. One day we went to the acclaimed monkey forest where there are literally thousands of monkeys. They are all well trained and will do just about anything for a piece of food, or your water bottle. The following day we took the motorbike about an hour north to Mt. Batur to see the crater of the volcano. You can certainly see all of the solidified lava flows. Three days was definitely plenty of time on the bike. We were looking forward to tomorrow, our departure to Australia. We capped of the evening with a visit to a spa, a fish spa. What were we thinking. Our friend Adam said this was something we HAD to do. Hmm, not so much.

At Monkey Forrest in Ubud. I loved this little fella's hawk.

Beth found a huge Komodo Dragon.

At the Rice Terraces.

Another one. I found these baskets of grass quite heavy for this little man. Well, that could be because I am withering away and have zero muscle.

A night at the Fish Spa. Hundreds of tiny fish snack on the skin of your feet. The first 15 minutes were complete hell. This is not for people with really sensitive, tickelish feet, like me.

The Philippines

As I sat on our dock at our hotel's restaurant overlooking the ocean with 80's music in the background, I realized that the Philippines is the best kept secret from most of the world. Most people cross the Philippines off of their travel list because of the constant turmoil of the southern-most islands. Our only motivation for stopping in the area were the cheap flights offered out of Osaka. We both knew very little about travel there but bought our lonely planet guide and got to work.

The landscape of the Philippines consists of giant rock karsts breaking through the clear blue water in all directions, bright white sandy beaches, and thousands of secluded islands. This is definitely a paradise suited for patient travelers that don't mind spending days in transit to see a new island or city. The country has remained off the beaten track for most backpackers, which has allowed the country to feel more cultural and less touristy.

Typical sunset in Boracay. We could definitely watch these daily.

Upon our long awaited arrival in Boracay on December 11 (we slept in the Manila airport the night before) we knew the next few weeks would be fantastic. Boracay is not much to look at when you first arrive. There is lots of pollution and no beach in site. Our tricycle driver let us off on a dirt road that lead us to our hotel, Frendz. We had a little cottage that was fairly simple, no air conditioning or hot water, but would do just fine for the next three nights. Boracay was beautiful. All restaurants and bars are built directly on the white sandy beach. It was a regular occurrence to eat meals with your toes in the sand. Our time in Boracay consisted of visiting Puka beach, eating fantastic (and very cheap) food, chatting with our hotel owner, watching a cock fight, listening to acoustic music on the beach, meeting other travelers, watching sunsets and drinking lots of free rum and cokes (compliments of the owner Steve).

We thought we would spare you guys the gory details of the actual cock fight. The precious little boy makes for a much better photo.

Chilling with some people we met in Boracay. We were enjoying drinks at a restaurant called The Hobbit House, and yes it's run by "little people".

On December 14th we packed our things to head for another island, Palawan. This island is a little bit more rustic with less tourists and not very many forms of transportation throughout the island. We arrive in Peurto Princessa, the capital, and settle into Peurto Pension. There is not much to this city. It's fairly quiet at night so we took full advantage of the aircon and tv in our room.

The following day we took a 2 hr van ride to Sabang to see the subterranean river (the largest underground river system in the world). It was a great day trip and we finished it up with the best dinner (and cheapest) we have had on our trip.

Preparing to explore the subterranean river.
We were told numerous times to keep our mouths shut while in the cave. Apparently many guests have accidentally swallowed bat poop.

The following day we began our hellish journey from Peurto Princessa to El Nido, the northern tip of Palawan. Twelve of us piled into an eight person van and began our unforgettable journey. Only about 1/4 of the journey is paved. The rest is all gravel. Our driver was apparently in a race that we hadn't been informed of. Our "8 hour" journey was over in 5 hours and arrived with a van full of people scared for their lives.

At least the the trip was worth it. I think the following pictures will do our next three days justice at the Greenview Resort.

Enjoying the amazing sunset from our hotel.

Snorkeling in one of the many reefs nearby El Nido.

Me making the climb into a hidden cave in the small lagoon.

Our tour on day two of some secret beaches and hidden caves.
This beach's only access is by a swim-through hole in the side of a karst. We swam through as the tide was coming in causing a wave to crash against the rocks nearly drowning Eric while he video documented the entire experience.

Relaxing on the steps into the ocean on Shrine Beach.

Eric and I enjoying Hidden Beach. A few minutes after this photo was taken a baby shark swam past us. Apparently the beach isn't as hidden as we had thought.

After a few days in paradise we climbed aboard "the fast boat" that is supposed to get you from El Nido to Busuanga in 4 hours but guarantees the trip in 8 hrs. So, as expected, we arrived on Busuanga island exactly 8 hours later.

This is also a small island with nothing much to it. We came here so that Eric could dive because they have the best wreck diving in the world. A bunch of WWII ships sunk in the nearby waters. While Eric dove I joined another tour group to island hop. Our first stop was a pretty lake on Coron island that is ranked the cleanest in the world. After the lake we convinced our captain to be a little more adventuresome and take us to the island's tribe. This was a great experience, although we understood why he was hesitant with our request, the waters were very rough and the tribe hadn't seen visitors in nearly 6 months. They welcomed us into their town and showed us around. We climbed a huge wooded mountain to view their homes and had great views. We concluded our days journey with a trip to another lake and lagoon.

Our first night in Busuanga enjoying the salt water hot springs. We were the only white people here out of about 50 Philippinos.

Eric enjoying his deep dive at the wreck site that was located two hours away from Busuanga. Many battleships were sunk here during WWII.


Visiting the Tagbanua Calamian tribe on Coron Island.
There was a little hut that the village people lived in at the top of this mountain.
The long hike up was definatly rewarding.

A scenic stop on the way to Kayangan lake.

Our final stop in the Philippines was to explore Manila. Between the traffic, trashy streets, crowds of people, and our sub-par hostel Eric and I couldn't get out of the city fast enough. We still aren't sure if we were just in the wrong parts of the city or it was just way too different from our past week of calmness. Leaving the next morning before sunrise was not a sad event, in fact my highlight of Manila was the empty, spacious and quiet bus ride to the airport.

Eric finally getting a clean shave after much convincing. This straight razor shave cost him $1.75.

Eric enjoying the souvenir shop in Manila.

We left the Philippines and arrived in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. We only had the evening to explore the city before heading back to the airport for our flight to Bali on December 23rd.


The city lived up to the high standards we had heard and read about. The city is very clean and easy to navigate. We went to china town for some shopping and then made a pit stop at the KL Tower for an aerial view of the Petronas Towers and the surrounding city. After that we went to the mall and happily settled into a table at Chili's for some yummy American cuisine. After dinner we went to the midnight showing of Avatar (which was quite entertaining) and then headed back to the airport around 3am for a quick nap. Short but sweet trip through Kuala Lumpur complete.

Enjoying the Petronas Towers under the stars.

Now on to Bali for our Christmas vacation from our vacation. We hope that everyone has a very Merry Christmas and happy holidays. We miss everyone from back home!

Turning Japanese, I really think so

Let me just kick this one off by saying Japan is a fabulous country. Japan is tied with Vietnam for first place in my opinion... so far.

We arrived on Tuesday Dec. 1st around 1:30 pm. My friend Miki, a former player on the UGA Women`s Lacrosse Team as a foreign exchange student, lives in Japan and met us at the airport. Miki certainly helped out because arriving in Tokyo can be a bit overwhelming, especially with the spider webs of train routes everywhere. After about an hour and a half of train rides into downtown Tokyo we arrived at the Sakura Hostel. We went out for some Japanese Ramen, a beer, and then strolled through the nearby market.

The next day Beth and I met up with Miki and her boyfriend Junpei to do some sightseeing around the Shinjuku area of town. We went into some massive shopping malls and electronics stores, then went to the top of some government building for an excellent 360 view of Tokyo. Afterwards we jetted back to the hostel to get there before our friend Jason arrived from Atlanta. Jason was going to be with us through out the rest of Japan. He got in around 7 pm and we immediately went out for some Sushi.

Jason and I at the Sushi restaurant. As you can see, the sushi is rotating on a belt behind our table. All the plates are color coded. The lighter the colored plates, the cheaper it is. After you are done they count the number of plates you had and hand you your bill. The servers don`t count themselves, each plate has and RFID chip in it and all the server does is scan the stack of plates with a hand-held device, and out comes you bill. We felt like we were in the future.

Thursday was spent in the rain doing more sightseeing, and train riding. Friday was absolutely gorgeous out so we took full advantage. We visited the Meiji-Jingu Shrine in the middle of Yoyogi park. This is similar to central park in New York, from what I hear (since I have never been). After a great day we started planning for an even greater night. The agenda consisted of: Okonomiyaki for dinner (this is where you cook your dinner at your table on a hot iron skillet), meeting up with Miki, Junpei, and a bunch of cool folks from the hostel, heading to Roppongi (Tokyo`s party district), then staying out till 4:30 am and heading to the Sukiji fish market to sample the freshest fish in town, right off the boats. Well... everything went according to plan, except when we finally arrived at Sukiji around 5:30 am, it was cold, a little rainy, and we were not in the mood for fish. We road the long train back to our hostel and got a nap before checking out and heading to Kyoto via the BULLET train!!!

Pretty sure we were evenly matched.

Okonomiyaki for dinner in the Asakusa district.

Riding on one of hundreds of trains. It was Friday night and we were on our way to meet up with Miki and Junpei. From left to right we have Jimmy from LA, Beth and Jason from the wonderful Atlanta, Kim from Soule, and Tim from Australia. We had a great time with everyone on this long night out.

Junpei, Miki and I.

A stunning view of Tokyo and the Statue of Liberty... Wait, what!? Yep, its there alright.

Kyoto, is a city about 300 Km south west of Tokyo and is known as the most traditional city in Japan. We were excited to get a good taste of the real Japanese culture. To make things even more special, we booked a room at a traditional Ryokan style guest house. This is a place where the doors are all paper thin, you sleep on a small mattress on the floor, and there are no shoes allowed anywhere inside the house. We all loved this place the most.

In our bedroom at the Ryokan style guest house. They give you robes and slippers to wear around the house.

Entrance to our room.

The sightseeing in Kyoto was amazing. Temples and Shrines every quarter mile or so, geisha dressed in kimonos, and food that will blow your mind. On Saturday we toured the city by bus, and covered as much ground as we could. Sunday, we headed for Nara, a town about 30 minutes from Kyoto know for its temples and parks that are filled with VERY VERY tame deer. On our way back from Nara we stopped at the Fushimi Inari-Tiasha Shrine. We showed up just before dusk and thought we had missed everything to see. We were certainly wrong. There is a walk way leading up into the hills that is 4 km long with red shrine gates all the way up. Following each gate up the hillside in the dark was an experience not to be forgotten. This was truly something special. The next day we hung around Kyoto again and went to the Bamboo forest and attempted to go feed monkeys but the park closed before we could get there. Kyoto is a great hub for travel in central Japan.

A typical Geisha in the streets of Kyoto.

A view of one of the hundreds of temples and shrines in the Kyoto area.

Moments after Beth bought some Deer Cookies.

Beth and Jason at the Fushimi Inari-Tiasha Shrine.

There were thousands of these gates lining the mountain in a maze of trails.

Jason snapping shots in the bamboo forest.

Beth, cold as usual in Japan.

The last two days were spent in and around Osaka. Before we actually checked out the city, we had priorities to take care of, Kobe beef in Kobe. I had been looking forward to this for the last 25 years. After many different recommendations and run arounds for the best, well priced steak houses, we finally found the place. I had never experienced Kobe Beef before, and Jason had only eaten it once. The chef had a very specific process and many procedures for preparing the beef. We loved watching him cook the steak right in front of us, but it almost seemed like he was teasing us as our mouths watered. Moments later, I placed the first bite into my mouth and savored it for about 5 minutes. The steak was so tender, so juicy, and fatty, without seeming fatty. AMAZING. Although, VERY expensive, it was worth every penny.

OOOOH...AHHHH. KOBE

Just drooled again.

Most people don't have many good things to say about Osaka, but the downtown area is actually quite cool. There are more street lights and billboard sized ads on each building than anywhere I have seen. Somewhat like Las Vegas and Times Square put together. We enjoyed our last night out in Japan by toasting a few more glasses of sake and filling our bellies with sushi.

Today is Thursday and we head to the airport at 4pm to hop on a 4 hour journey to Manila, Philippines. I'm very excited to return to the warm weather but VERY sad to say goodbye to Japan (although I plan on coming back in the future).

Stay tuned...