Bicycling Down the Volcano

My son Martin and his girlfriend Katie joined us in Bali over Christmas.  The lack of holiday frenzy was a huge relief.  Christmas Day we went to the beach where I got a massage, ate a fabulous lunch of poached pears, got dizzy, and threw up in my napkin.  a very satisfying day indeed.

Murray posted some of the photos of our bicycle trip, which included a visit to a coffee plantation and the opportunity to drink coffee that was pooped out of a cat like animal, a visit to the rice field, a giant spider crawling on Murray, and a visit to a family compound.  A great day and all for thirty five bucks, which included transportation, breakfast, and lunch.

Vicki
Photos of our bycycle trip

What do these frogs want, anyway?  Loud Bali Frogs

Thanksgiving Thanks

Ever wonder what it would be like to spend the holidays abroad?  Here is one example.  Let's just say it included many, many, many barking dogs and a dark but not stormy night...
Thanksgiving Thanks

Small Island, Big Bugs

Today's feature is brought to you by Karma Cleanser, the new way to clear debris and baggage clogging up your life.  Karma Cleanser, like a carwash for the soul.

     A 2-part lesson arrived last night in a familiar, but otherwise unwelcome form. One part allows me space to be on my own and craft a few days to explore Bali, while my beloved attends a special wedding ceremony in a North Bali village named Sudaji.  The other part is a little weird. I'll explain.

      It started when a terrier sized cockroach, (a.k.a. the C word) crawled over me as it tried to share my pillow during the night. I catapulted out of bed. Needless to say, this was creepy. It took impulse control to refrain from packing up our bags.  Remember Jaws, "we're going to need a bigger boat." Grabbing the can of Raid, I thought, "This? We're going to need a bigger can."  We debriefed the next morning, and Vicki helped me regain sanity, and perspective.  I felt calm. It was time to put down my negative judgments toward cockroaches. I finally put down the Raid. It may be time for a cat.

      Last night, it was time to test my new C paradigm.  While finishing the the video of Cowboys and Aliens, I happened to notice a big C walking up the wall. Perhaps I was mistaken. It could have been a small squirrel.  Hmmm... Keep calm.  Do you have a reservation? How long will you be staying?  

      Anyway, without too much fuss, I gently but firmly served him with eviction papers.  Having selected a proper tool, namely a shoe, I terminated the little rascal. I  He/ she may have been related to the previous intruder as there was a strong family resemblance. Sedatives were not required. My heart rate remained steady.  

     While I continue to evolve spiritually, and hold C's with more compassion, I'm not quite ready to practice a catch and release policy. Until then, we'll have to keep some Raid, and Karma Cleanser on the shelf. Om.