Bali and Gili Air

These photos are from December and January - Our last pre-COVID vacation. 

We met my brother and parents in Bali and also spent some time on the nearby island of Gili Air.

Our blog has been neglected recently for a number of reasons. We cancelled trips in the spring to Ireland and to Egypt and expect it might be a bit before we travel again.

Anyway, here is a smattering of photos from that time. Bali is a magical place; we could see why some travelers come and never leave. Some areas are quite touristy.

There is also plenty of opportunity to wander out into the rainforest and rice paddies. 

                  Statue in the Tourist town of Ubud

Cock fighting is one popular activity we did not participate in. Handsome,  well-cared for roosters were on display everywhere - Cata had plenty of opportunity to perfect her rooster crow.

She also had lots of time to enjoy the beach and get buried by Uncle Ben

  We met a local crafter and bee keeper while on a trek though some farm land.

Larry, Ben, and Matt  visited a property with a fishing pond for some pacu and catfish action. It also turned out to be a mushroom farm.

Arcata makes some friends while the adults take a cooking class. Local food, by the way, is pretty awesome in the areas we visited - one of many reasons we hope to return to Indonesia some day.

Roadside stop for a durian snack.

                   Ben and Cata go for a hike through the countryside.

Obviously it is bad form to take photos with a fogged up camera lens. 

In Indonesia, local homes and tourists rentals alike incorporate the outdoors into living spaces. 

In many cases, only the sleeping area is completely closed off. 

A truly enjoyable part of travel here is cooking, eating, and relaxing while taking in the flora and fauna; electrical storms and in this case, the smoking volcano behind Kristi. 

We did notice the pleasant open spaces were not always the most baby safe spaces. Unprotected balconies, insects, and in one case a pit viper were worrying at times.

The Gili Islands a shortish boat trip from eastern Bali when the seas are calm and even closer to the large Indonesian island of Lombok.

These islands are small; horse carts and bicycles are the only way to get around on land. The Gilis are a popular tourist destination, although we hit Gili Air during the low season and found it to be pretty sleepy. A lot of people come here to party, but it is also a great place to dive, enjoy the beach, and cruise around on a bike.

                                          Horned Seastar

Lobster peering out of it's hidey-hole and a little tridacna clam.

                                              Daytime Moray

Coral seems to be in pretty rough shape just about everywhere we go. We saw a decent amount of live coral snorkeling from the beach and some nicer coral gardens on the days we paid to go diving.

                                         Spanish Dancer eggs

Dive Time

Cata wrangles a beach kitty. This one had fleas, but was still seemed healthier then your average stray Kuwaiti cat.

Kristi made a rookie mistake on our first day at the island. This awesome pattern is still vaguely visible on her back 10 months later.