Last day in Bali!

Our last day in Bali was going to be a very long one, so we got a relaxed start, playing in the ocean and at the pool with Max in the morning (and packing of course, but Tonya's a certified professional at that now).  Once again, Wayan was quite late showing up, but we still got to do everything we had planned.

We first headed into Denpasar, to see the fabric shops that the locals buy from.  Tonya was in heaven, and got a pile of beautiful stuff for about 10% of the price we would pay in Canada.  There was also a fairly large market adjacent to the strip of fabric stores, with fruits, vegetables, chickens, fish, other unidentified meat.  The prettiest part was the flower petals, which are sold in bulk for cermonies and offerings.  They also sold pre-made offerings, which apparently most people buy, since it is too much work to make them yourself every day!

I didn't think I'd enjoy a heated toilet seat this much!

We went to the post office for a poster tube for some art we bought, and got a real kick out of the custom cardboard container they made up for us, complete with a hand-stitched cover, all for only $1!  Beats Canada Post hands down, I'm afraid...

We managed to get one geocache in (albeit a virtual).  It was at an old limestone quarry that has been turned into a 'cultural park'.  They are trying to build the largest statue of Vishnu in the world, at a planned height of 150m.  They have a small part done so far, but if they ever find the money, it will be an impressive sight!

Our last 'tourist' stop was the temple at Uluatu, at the southwest tip of Bali, which was populated by lots of monkeys.  We were hoping to catch a sunset, but the clouds made it a no-go.  Still a worthwhile stop, as it is quite a stunning location.

We had a very nice dinner in the middle of a very big thunderstorm, and then headed to the airport, where we had no issues despite a very full plane.  Max allowed us to jump the queue in fact, so we checked in in very little time at all!  Max fell asleep a couple hours before the flight and managed to sleep for more than half of the flight as well, but we are all short a few hours today and slightly 'zombie-like'.  Tokyo has been wonderful so far though.  The Japanese are very gracious, and it has left us feeling that we should come back again for a longer visit, to see more of the country than just a couple days in Tokyo.

Our hotel room is fantastic, likely the best we have ever had.  One of Tonya's first reactions to the bathroom was 'I didn't think I'd enjoy a heated toilet seat this much!'  We toured our local area Shinjuku today, and saw some department stores, train stations, streets etc.  We've got a pretty good feel for the place now - Hong Kong was definitely good preparation, so we're not feeling too much culture shock, even though English is not very widespread.

More later, internet time is running out!