This is Putu, he has a backpack like Dora (the explorer) a fountain of knowledge and love of Bali. His wife cooks great food and he has a million stories about all the flora and fauna in the jungles near his home. And he led us on a trek through the rice paddies of Seririt.
35 hours to get to the otherside of the world
LAX>JFK>Doha>Denpasar
It definitely is not the direct route, nor one that made much sense, but when you are making decisions from a place of sheer exhaustion and burnout, it’s possible the sensible choice won’t be the attractive one. Which is how I found myself on a 35 hour route to Bali.
First class on Qatar Airways was my best decision.
Just passing through Doha, on my way to my next 9 hour leg.
Bali
It’s been 15 years since I was last in Bali. The previous time I was a backpacker, fresh from a year of teaching English in Japan, not sure of my next career move, so adventuring thru SouthEast Asia getting lost in hopes of finding direction, seemed like a good idea. (And not surprising, it absolutely was). That time we stayed in Sanur, Ubud and Lovina in guesthouses, homestays, and villa hotels. This time I’m staying in Seririt in a villa on the beach with a group of friends. Instead of aimless wandering, we wake each day with a distinct purpose in mind - to relax and enjoy the moment. Which is easy to do when the staff cooks delicious Balinese food, the drivers take us on daily adventures and the masseuses appear upon call.
Yesterday, we went on a waterfall hike then did some cliff diving and waterfall sliding…which was the perfect reminder of how smart people regularly make dumb choices in foreign lands…but of course it was an absolute blast. Then we had a Valentines dinner at the Spice Beach club, where we witnessed a marriage ceremony, then danced the night away to house band.
Today we visited a hot spring, Buddhist temple then after lunch had massages. A hard day’s work was had by all.
A view from inside the villa.
The A-ling A-ling waterfall, where if you never try, you’ll never know.
Holy Hot Spring!!!
Free Sarong photo with the cost of admission at the Buddhist temple.
Asheville, nc
The best part of traveling for work is getting to hang out in fun cities with your coworkers. Case in point, in January we spent some time in Asheville, NC. We ate delicious food (Chai Pani, The Admiral, Rhubarb, Curate and Huli Sue’s to name a few of my favorites), saw some cool sites (The Grove Park Inn, the sight where Zelda Fitzgerald died (yes, I know it’s morbid), A lot of art galleries and The Biltmore Estate - which is insane!! see photo below) and had an overall awesome time.
Welcome to our Crib!! Just kidding, we can dream though, right?
The Battery Park Book Exchange and Champagne Bar was the most magical place for an afternoon snack. Used books, mixed nuts, trout spread and a champagne cocktail? Yes, please.
Do yourself a favor and make a reservation right now to Chestnut! Then do what we did and order all of their desserts. I’m so glad we did, every single calorie was worth it.