My latest adventure was one that took me from the mountains of Oman, to the beaches of Bali, to the glamor of Dubai all in a matter of two weeks! I traveled to Oman for work to do a site visit for a program called Outward Bound Oman. We are planning to take 25 students to the mountains of Oman in May to spend 4 days and 3 nights hiking and camping through the wilderness to work on their leadership skills and teamwork. During my visit I camped in freezing weather at the top of a mountain, spent more social time with Omanis in 4 days than I have with Qataris in over a year, Couchsurfed on a floor, wandered aimlessly, swam in an Oasis, and MUCH more. I was amazed at how impactful the trip was to me in just 4 short days but if you want the fully stories you will just have to ask. Because this post isn't about Oman, it's about Bali Bells for Christmas!!!
The last time Kristal and I saw each other was the "Meet the Family Trip" in September. While that was a very special trip in its own ways, we didn't get to spend much quality time with just us. Enter, Christmas. We chose to visit Bali for its remote location, the fact that Kristal had lived there for 4 months, and that we could just get away. We spent our trip in 3 main places; the Gili Islands, Kuta, and Ubud.
We visited during the rainy season and our trip started with just that...rain. Lots of it. Kristal and I arrived in Bali on Christmas Eve and once we did it was off to the races. To be to Gili Meno (where we would be spending Christmas) we needed to take a 90 minute bus to a 90 minute boat to a private boat before reaching our island. Unforunately the rough seas and rain made this especially difficult. On the 90 minute boat 4 people vomited, our private boat barely made it to the island, and when we arrived on the island we had to lug our bags through the mud and pouring rain to find our accomodation. Did I mention there are no cars or roads on the island? But once we finally arrived at our private bungalow, it was alllllll good.
We celebrated Christmas in our own way, bringing TONS of decorations to make it our own. Although it was difficult to remember it was in fact Christmas, we hung lights, exchanged gifts under the tree, wore Santa hats, and watched Christmas movies. Who cares if it was 80 degrees? It was a very relaxing two days and we were surprised to see how many restaurants and bars on the island had decorated for the holiday as well. So Christmas in Bali 2013? Check!
After Bali it was off to Kuta which is basically a touristy beach town. There Kristal had the distinct honor of finally meeting Kevin, from the famous/infamous duo of Kevin & Evan. We spent a full day and night with Kevin before he had to leave for other adventures. For our second day in Kuta we had no idea what to do. We ended up grabbing a cab and visiting a cliff temple, secluded beach, and found our way to the most incredible sunset dinner I have ever had. The sunset dinner was a long strip of beach that perfectly lined to the sunset and was filled with fresh seafood restaurants. Kristal and I sat there for no less than 4 hours taking it all in, being serenaded by the local band, and eating to our heart's content. It was our last night in Kuta so we had one last hoorah before it was off to Ubud for our last stop!
Ubud was the cultural stop on the trip. It is a quiet town more inland from Kuta and had an array of temples, craft shops, traditional performances, and artwork. We walked the streets and markets, went to a traditional Kecak dance, and even made time to visit the monkey forest (it was JUST as awesome as it sounds!). The best part of Ubud though was taking a 15 minute drive outside of it to Bedulu, the village that Kristal lived in for 4 months as part of a study abroad. We got to visit her study abroad center and the home that she lived in. While visiting that home we even ran into her host mom and they were able to catch up after 5 years!!! Amazingly Kristal still knows some basic Indonesian and I was amazed to see her connect with many locals throughout the trip.
Overall Bali was even better than I thought it would be. There is so much to see and do there that you could spend months. I was really happy with the places we (and by we I mean that Kristal) chose to go. It was a great balance of beaches, tourism, culture, and needed time together. Saying goodbye was difficult as we continue this binging relationship of seeing each other every several months. We are not sure exactly what our next meet up point will be but now we get to figure that out!!!
Until then, I am working a leadership program outside of Doha for the next week before Mom, Dad, and Brandon FINALLY come to visit!!! We have some amazing things planned and I just can't wait for them to get here. It was an incredible end to 2013, a year that will always stand out in my life. Now on to 2014 and hoping for no bigger and no better, just more of the same. Happy New Year and always remember Beware Wild Monkeys!!!
The last time Kristal and I saw each other was the "Meet the Family Trip" in September. While that was a very special trip in its own ways, we didn't get to spend much quality time with just us. Enter, Christmas. We chose to visit Bali for its remote location, the fact that Kristal had lived there for 4 months, and that we could just get away. We spent our trip in 3 main places; the Gili Islands, Kuta, and Ubud.
We visited during the rainy season and our trip started with just that...rain. Lots of it. Kristal and I arrived in Bali on Christmas Eve and once we did it was off to the races. To be to Gili Meno (where we would be spending Christmas) we needed to take a 90 minute bus to a 90 minute boat to a private boat before reaching our island. Unforunately the rough seas and rain made this especially difficult. On the 90 minute boat 4 people vomited, our private boat barely made it to the island, and when we arrived on the island we had to lug our bags through the mud and pouring rain to find our accomodation. Did I mention there are no cars or roads on the island? But once we finally arrived at our private bungalow, it was alllllll good.We celebrated Christmas in our own way, bringing TONS of decorations to make it our own. Although it was difficult to remember it was in fact Christmas, we hung lights, exchanged gifts under the tree, wore Santa hats, and watched Christmas movies. Who cares if it was 80 degrees? It was a very relaxing two days and we were surprised to see how many restaurants and bars on the island had decorated for the holiday as well. So Christmas in Bali 2013? Check!
After Bali it was off to Kuta which is basically a touristy beach town. There Kristal had the distinct honor of finally meeting Kevin, from the famous/infamous duo of Kevin & Evan. We spent a full day and night with Kevin before he had to leave for other adventures. For our second day in Kuta we had no idea what to do. We ended up grabbing a cab and visiting a cliff temple, secluded beach, and found our way to the most incredible sunset dinner I have ever had. The sunset dinner was a long strip of beach that perfectly lined to the sunset and was filled with fresh seafood restaurants. Kristal and I sat there for no less than 4 hours taking it all in, being serenaded by the local band, and eating to our heart's content. It was our last night in Kuta so we had one last hoorah before it was off to Ubud for our last stop!
Ubud was the cultural stop on the trip. It is a quiet town more inland from Kuta and had an array of temples, craft shops, traditional performances, and artwork. We walked the streets and markets, went to a traditional Kecak dance, and even made time to visit the monkey forest (it was JUST as awesome as it sounds!). The best part of Ubud though was taking a 15 minute drive outside of it to Bedulu, the village that Kristal lived in for 4 months as part of a study abroad. We got to visit her study abroad center and the home that she lived in. While visiting that home we even ran into her host mom and they were able to catch up after 5 years!!! Amazingly Kristal still knows some basic Indonesian and I was amazed to see her connect with many locals throughout the trip. Overall Bali was even better than I thought it would be. There is so much to see and do there that you could spend months. I was really happy with the places we (and by we I mean that Kristal) chose to go. It was a great balance of beaches, tourism, culture, and needed time together. Saying goodbye was difficult as we continue this binging relationship of seeing each other every several months. We are not sure exactly what our next meet up point will be but now we get to figure that out!!!
Until then, I am working a leadership program outside of Doha for the next week before Mom, Dad, and Brandon FINALLY come to visit!!! We have some amazing things planned and I just can't wait for them to get here. It was an incredible end to 2013, a year that will always stand out in my life. Now on to 2014 and hoping for no bigger and no better, just more of the same. Happy New Year and always remember Beware Wild Monkeys!!!
