Awwwww Bali

Welcome to Bali. We made it!
see all photos »

Of course, after three months of traveling around the world, we DESERVED a few days of R&R in Bali, Indonesia.  And thanks again to Ede's platinum member status at Starwood (thank you Advisory Board for Ede's gainful employment and busy travel schedule by which she accumulated such status), that's just what we got.

We flew into Denpasar International Airport and were greeted with two fresh bottles of water, a local paper, and a private car to the hotel.  This set the tone for five amazing days of soaking up the poolside sun, scooting around the island on a luxurious, two-seater, royal blue moped, and my making an effort to show the local surf community that I too could shred some of the world's best waves.  While the pool was pleasantly tame, the moped and the surf would prove our only challenges throughout the week.

Ricky Bobby ready for the track.
see all photos »

At 50 mph, Ede drove our little bike like Ricky Bobby (a TalladegaNights reference for those of you scratching your heads), yet at any speed less that 5 mph, forward progress was a bit shaky, literally - starting, stopping, and passing through regular security checkpoints was as terrifying an experience as I have had.  We were also pulled over twice without cause and asked to pay cash fines on the spot.  I fell for the gig once but on the second go-around, Ede put her foot down after he requested $20 and said firmly, "Write us a ticket and we'll see you in court."  He swallowed his tongue and told us to have a nice day.

Our home away from home.
see all photos »

As for the surfing, you can't find it better anywhere else in the world.  Many of Bali's beaches are featured in two of the greatest surfing films of all time, The Endless Summer and The Endless Summer II. With this in mind, I should have assumed that perhaps the surfing be better left to the pros.  But, stubborn as I am, I gave it a shot.  Unfortunately, the surf shot back.  Only twenty minutes into my second session, I was bounced off the coral bottom by a ten foot swell and sent packing (see picture).  Needless to say, I couldn't work up the nerve to try again.

Morgan chasing the dream.
see all photos »

With my tail between my legs, we are headed to Australia, where our next adventures will hopefully include a nice, calm skydive from 15,000 feet.  Wish us luck.