theFISHBOWL: October 2012

We're gearing up for Halloween, and I have to say this is the most last-minute planning I've ever done for the holiday. If you know me well you'd know this is absolutely my favorite holiday. I love the fantasy of it all - costumes, decorating, change in weather, party planning, and of course it's also my birthday so I'm sure that's another reason I grew up loving this time of year!

It is truly an experience being in Malaysia for Halloween though! They didn't have candy, decor, costumes, etc.. in the stores until 2 weeks ago (IF that!), and it's a really small assortment to say the least. I was starting to get really nervous b/c I'm used to it hitting the shelves around the end of August in the US - tells you how big the US idealizes the holiday I guess. Pumpkins here cost about RM179, which is around $60, for a very small one.. and that's IF you can find one! So we will not be buying a pumpkin this year... plus they rot as soon as you buy them due to the tropical weather. It's okay though b/c Mads & I will be home the first week of November and the pumpkin village at the Dallas Arboretum is still on display until the 21st, so I'm going to take her to see it and take pictures.

Madison wants to be Jake, from "Jake and the Neverland Pirates" for Halloween. (it's a cartoon on the disney channel for all non-parents reading this). I looked for weeks for a pirate costume but couldn't find one and finally a friend told me she had one from last year that her child wore once and I could borrow - perfect! It's great too b/c she gave me 3 different hats and Madison has been wearing them around the house to see which one she likes best.

Since we live in a condo, we have a private elevator to our floor that only works with our keycard, so you can't go trick-or-treating door to door here. Some neighbors have arranged trick-or-treating poolside, which is a cool idea because the grounds here are huge and we have two enormous pools. There's a landed community (which just means a community of bungalow houses) across the street from us and one of my friends is throwing a party on Saturday so we're going over there to trick or treat and bbq - should be fun!

Ryan actually came home from Vietnam last night (Wed) this week, which is def a treat as he usually comes home on Friday nights. But as I type, he's still at the office, and it's midnight.. so not sure it matters that we're in the same city..ha! We have Halloween events planned for Saturday morning (I'm hosting a Halloween party for kids with ibu), Saturday afternoon/evening (cookout), and Sunday - Halloween festivities at an outdoor mall (kind of like a West Village-type area).. so I think we're going to have a very fun weekend full of Halloween festivities!

Pics coming soon...

Saved the best for last! We had just returned from Singapore on Thursday (the 24 hr impromptu trip - what fun!), and re-packed and headed to Bali the next day. I planned this trip a while ago when tickets went on sale, so I took advantage of the amazing flight prices and planned the trip over when my parents are here. It cost $280 for all 4 of us (Ryan met us there) to fly roundtrip to Bali - can't beat that! It's cheap to "country hop" in SEA, but it does take some flexibility and advanced planning to get a deal that good.

I prepared them for the worst flight they could ever imagine (dirty plane, terrible service, a "barn" of an airport, etc..) as this is exactly how my first experience was flying on the discount airline here. But of course we had a seamless checkin at the airport, good service, and a really nice clean plane that was practically empty so dad even had a whole row to himself to sleep on. That figures! But I'm glad it was a good experience for their sake and fingers crossed my first experience was just a bad day.

Landed in Bali and greeted with the most amazing weather - cool and windy! I had no idea it would be nicer than KL, and packed accordingly.. so now I'm mentally going through everything in my suitcase hoping there's warm enough attire for Madison for evenings. Ah well, if not, we'll go shopping :)

THE HOTEL
We stayed in Nusa Dua, at the Laguna Resort & Spa. We arrived at night and were greeted with cool towels & fruity ice teas - so far so good! The next morning we met for breakfast.. a true Asian-style buffet breakfast, with anything you can possibly think of, and so tasty. I think my parents were a bit overwhelmed by all the choices and just had fun exploring all the new, and unique items. Madison was busting at the seems to get to the beach, so made a beeline for the beach and settled in to enjoy the most amazing clear water, and warm sun, for the next few days. However, Ryan was restless by hour 3, so I got to work on organizing "adventures" into our days as well.

mom & tiff getting massages by the beach

THE BEACH @ NUSA DUA

The views are just undescribeable. Calm, clear water, white sandy beach, cool breeze all day... we swam, took naps, went for jogs, laid in the cabanas and listened to the band playing at the bar - it was paradise. I loved all the lanterns they hang from the trees along the beach. At night during the beach bbq dinner (pic below), they shine lights on the beach/water from the trees and you can see about 30 feet out into the sea! I've never seen that before - it was really peaceful and so beautiful. People were lounging in the beach chairs with a bottle of wine at 11pm, and even swimming, and everything just glowed. And for once we could join them b/c we had babysitters! :)

BALI BEACHES

The next day we took a trip over to the southwest side of Bali, to an area called Blue Point Beach in Ulu Watu, where supposedly all the surfers goes to catch the biggest waves and the best views are. It only took about 20 minutes by car, and it was a beautiful winding drive through a few towns then ultimately up to what felt like the top of a mountain, then when you turn the corner - WOW - the most amazing view from atop the cliffs!

hiking down the steep descent to the beach

This particular beach is well known for surfers having to "work" for their waves, as they have to hike down through narrow cliffs and steep stairs, then finally emerge at turquoise bays. The hike was a little dangerous for Madison, so my mom and Mads stayed up top at one of the really cool cafes that literally hang over the cliffs and give unobstructed views of the surfers, while dad, Ryan, and I hiked down for a closer look. Ryan says this is the coolest thing he's ever done, if that sums it up! The current was so strong I was a little scared to get in but dad took a shot and it even threw him around a bit. It's really amazing to sit on the small beach, surrounded by caves all around and behind you, and watch the surfers paddle out.

almost there... just around the corner lies paradise!

ahhh - mazing!

view from my perch under the overhanging cliff

Mom's view of us from above

Dad at Blue Point Beach. It actually starts to get deep here but you can't tell b/c it's so clear

Dad braving the current!

this is what we found on the other side of another cave!

bon appetite!

BALI CUISINE
One night we went into town and visited this restaurant called Bumbu Bali, owned & managed by a local chef, and it was fantastic. It's hard to describe the restaurant b/c it was so unique - you walk through an impressive entryway off the street, but once inside the only thing covered is just the open kitchen, but the rest of the place has big trees growing through it and a pond/waterfall with big frogs that croak during dinner - which Madison loved! The waitresses just followed her around all night and showed her how to poke the frogs with a stick to make them jump and she got so excited. The food was so good my parents wanted to go back every night.

the lady in checkered apron steaming rice in a basket; kitchen in background

dad enjoying the best "bbq" short ribs ever - look at that spread!

Madison poking at the frogs / Waitresses playing with her

fresh ingredients and an open kitchen greet guests at the front door

The people are so sweet in Bali. They are so grateful you're there, and everyone asks you "will you come back to Bali again soon?"They taught Madison how to say thank you and you're welcome in Indonesian.. it's so pretty - and easy to pick up. She was spoiled everywhere she went and loved every second of it.

Other activities we did - glass bottom boat, snorkeling, dinner on the beach in Jimbaran (a neighboring town, known for its sunsets - see family pics below), kite flying on the beach, ocean-front massages, and a little shopping. I loved Bali and can't wait to go back and explore more areas.