Bali

Who doesn't want to go to Bali? It just sounds idyllic! Jake and I decided to go to Bali for our October vacation. About a month beforehand, evacuations were ordered from the government because Mt. Agung is supposed to erupt at any moment. It was deemed safe as long as you stay outside of this 12 kilometer radius. Still, when we arrived in Ubud, we were quite nervous to see the smoke billowing from the top of Agung, from our pool. It certainly didn't look far enough away to be safe during an eruption. Proximity coupled with the roads in Bali had me a bit worried. I heard they were narrow, terrible roads, but I had to see them to believe it. Incredibly narrow and filled with moving cars, parked cars, motorcycles, carts, animals, pedestrians. It was clear we were not going to get anywhere quickly.

Beautiful sunset in the rice fields

Okay, okay....all that build up for nothing. It didn't erupt! Yet...but it totally will soon. We were definitely nervous, and probably would have rescheduled if we could have gotten a refund on our flights and accommodations. All that being said, Bali was wonderful.

Off and on relationship with the pool

We have been trying to figure out what kind of travelers we are. It seems to be evolving, as we've now got another with us. Bali obviously has nice hotels on the beach with amazing service. I spent hours looking and looking, researching. I just couldn't commit. We usually use Airbnb but haven't had as much luck in SE Asia. Apparently hotels are so cheap in Asia that they are preferred. I kept looking though and ended up finding two that were fantastic. Most places (it seemed) in Bali come with private pools, which is just lovely. I mean, picture 10 month old baby in hotel pool or in a pool at our home. I think the hotel guests as well as ourselves, would agree, that a private pool is a better option. Airbnb also gives us the chance to buy food, store bottles, cook, etc. Two bedrooms allow us our space and Elsie her good sleeps. I am really glad we went with Airbnb for this trip. It just gives us tons of privacy. We don't have to eat with hundreds of people, or even talk to people. Ha ha. We can read, eat, and swim in peace. Thank God for Airbnb.

Elsie loved the Bali eats, too

I've basically summed up what we did all week: read, eat, and swim. We would wake up, head to breakfast. Go back home to put Elsie down for a nap until lunch. Lunch was usually followed with some short activity: beach, pool, shopping. Then another nap until we would head to dinner. By then Elsie was exhausted (I know! Long day, right?!) so we would head home to put her to bed. I realize this probably sounds horrible to most people, but it was honestly pretty perfect for us. We appreciate our space and free time. Elsie's naps give us the opportunity to read, swim, nap, run and get a massage, or run out and do something. And in the evenings, we both seem to like being home and going to bed fairly early. Man...we are cool, let me tell you!

The 3 amigos

Friendly people, incredibly scenery in the rice fields and of the volcanos, and truly delicious eats, were what made this trip. I don't know if I've ever been on a trip where I've consistently experienced such delicious food. Yum. Coconut granita. Fresh orange juice. Smashed avocado toast. Red velvet pancakes. Espresso donut.

Bali was a good time for all.