Things I Learned in Bali

Well, Kan and I had some cultural experiences in Bali the last two days we were there and learned a few things. On Saturday night we set out to have dinner outside the hotel, my first outing away from the hotel since we had arrived. Needless to say I was super excited. The hotel had a free shuttle that went to the "Bali Connection," a shopping center and restaurant area for tourists. It was pouring down rain, but we were told it was covered, so we thought "what the heck." The bus was an open bus, meaning the back of the bus was open and did not have a door. Yes, you could look out and see the headlights behind you. Obviously, not child friendly, but what could you do. We arrived at the Bali Connection to find the entrance was covered, but the shopping area was not. We did find an indoor art/flea market and bought a toy for Miyako and a magazine rack for our new home in Tokyo. The rain finally subsided and we were able to walk around, but it was definitely not the connection to Bali we had hoped for. The Russian restaurant had a live band for entertainment. We heard the worst rendition of Bryan Adam's "Summer of '69" that we had ever heard in our lives. If they had been on American Idol, they would have gotten the boot within 30 seconds of singing. We learned that our definition of shopping and eating is quite different from the Indonesian definition.

On Sunday, our last day, we had to check out of the hotel at 2PM but our flight did not leave until 11:50PM. We rented a taxi and went to this famous temple known for wild monkeys wandering around. We bought the appropriate attire to cover our knees so as not to disrupt the Hindu gods, bought our p-nuts to feed the wild monkeys, and were on our way. The view was amazing. We were up high and overlooked the Indian ocean from a cliff. We enjoyed feeding the monkeys and Miyako eventually warmed up to them. As we emptied our p-nut bags we were looking for a trash can to throw the paper away in. Our cab driver, who had walked with us through the temple, told us not to worry and threw it on the ground. We were both quite puzzled by this. He had just explained to us how old this temple is, how much the people respect it, etc, but then he throws the paper bag on the ground. We learned that our idea of respecting God's temple is quite a bit different from the minds of those in Indonesia.

He also told us of the "best, cleanest" restaurant in the area that also provides free pickup from your hotel. We decided to try it since we had lots of time to pass and did not want to just sit in the lobby of our hotel. The restaurant was called Casanova. That should have told us something. It actually was not bad. I tried a traditional Indonesian dish and Kan had his standard combination fried rice. He said the fried rice was a little bit different than our favorite Wah Mei from back home. My meal was actually decent. However, the high chair was not the cleanest I had ever seen nor was it the "best" food I had ever had. But, it was worth the experience. Again, a difference of opinion. As we sat there eating, Kan told me when he first came to America he thought American food was awful, the worst food you could buy, compared to Japanese food. In Bali, he found something that beat his first impressions of American food. I bet if he stayed in Bali long enough, he would learn to like their food like he learned to like our meat and potatoes (or rice with gravy for him:).

Overall, we were both quite sad as we drove through the countryside of Bali. It reminded us both of Mexico. You have nice, fancy resorts and a mile away you have poverty. Very sad. Very dirty. However, the people were super friendly and the views amazing. The people loved Miyako. Everywhere we went people would touch her, get in her face and goo and gaa over her. One Chinese man even took our family photo with his camera. Maybe he thought we were famous. I think he just thought Miyako was cute. We vacationed with lots of foreigners...there were Koreans, Chinese, Russians and other nationalities at our resort. I was very surprised to hear so much Russian. Signs in our hotel were translated in Japanese, English, and Russian. I was proud that I could still read the Russian and understand some of what was spoken around me. Oh, and one other random funny Indonesian custom. They truly value customer service. Everywhere we ate, whether at the hotel or out in a restaurant, the servers walk by your table constantly, asking you if they can take your plate when half of your food is still on it, and then bowing as they leave your table. When Kan and I would finish our breakfast plate, we would take wagers on how quickly the waiter or waitress would come to take away our plate. It was usually no longer than 30 seconds.

We took the Red Eye flight back to Japan. Only one word to describe that...miserable. Miyako at least slept about 6 hours but it sure did make for a long day. Kan and I were not very nice to each other. It is a good thing we are married for other reasons than just how we "feel" about each other. A driver was waiting for us in Tokyo and took us to our temporary apartment. Only one word to describe it...amazing. Our master bedroom is the size of a hotel room. Miyako has her own room with a little crib. The floors can be heated if you want! And I have a washer/dryer, dishwasher, conventional oven, microwave, and made service to come twice a week. Sigh! I better not get too used to it. The cost of this place for one week is what we have budgeted to spend monthly on rent. I will at least enjoy where God has me right now.

We are in the Akasaka area of Tokyo, somewhere I never made it to during our month long adventure in October. So, I am enjoying walking around and seeing some new sights. This afternoon I am headed to the local indoor play area with Miyako! Pictures of Bali to come tomorrow. I need to upload them on the computer and then put them on the blog and facebook. I am also hoping to make my blog cuter. I do not like computers so much so the less time I am on them, the better; however, I love some of these cute blogs and think I should probably make my blog a little more appealing. We will see. I may just watch American Idol on Sling and not worry about a fancy blog. :)