CUTE Alert

Dan finally took Rayce to get a much needed haircut! Oh boy, is this kid handsome!

Bali-Days 7 & 8

So after our long day in the mountains the kids wanted a down day, a day of doing nothing but swimming at the hotel pool, so that's what we did. We spent literally the whole day by the pool. Our hotel was awesome, they had a bunch of activities for the kids throughout the day including a drawing contest. We ordered drinks, food, everything and just stayed put...and I didn't take any pictures, but here are some of the kids at the hotel pool from another day.

So our last day in Bali was a long day. Our flight was leaving at one in the morning so we planned to make it a full day and then head to the airport around 9 pm. We started the day at a turtle conservatory.

The turtle trade is a big deal in Bali, it's illegal now but it went unregulated for a long time to where turtles almost were wiped out. There's no charge to get in, they just ask for donations to continue to try and bring the turtles back.

Some of the volunteers had just returned with some turtle eggs.

They release the ones that are healthy enough back into the wild.

After that we went to the Bali Zoo. We were hesitant to spend so much money at a place we only had time to be at for a couple of hours. I'm so glad we ended up going, it was pricey but one of the more interactive zoo's we've ever been to.

What a great petting zoo they had! They even had wallaby's!

A wallaby! They're a little skittish.

The bird show.

They had an option to buy an elephant ride with the admission ticket but we didn't have time, and it would have been ridiculously expensive. I was so excited though when I saw that we could feed the elephants!

Rayce stepped right up to do it of course but then, he got a little nervous, I mean, an elephant is pretty intimidating!

The employee kept telling him that he could get closer.

Then there was this little guy the kids got to hold, and their visit was complete!

We left the zoo very glad we came. The last thing on our list before we left Bali was the Tanah Lot temple. Another temple that gets a little congested around sunset which is when we wanted to go. Tanah Lot literally means "land (in the) sea". It's dated sometime in the 16th century. Like many of the other temples in Bali you can't actually go inside just walk around the outside, just not during high tide.

The sun was setting so we hiked up the cliff for a better view, and less people.

As the sun set over our last day in Bali, we talked about the neat things we saw and did during the week, the kids took turns telling us about the highlights for them, and I just felt grateful. We had a great week in Bali; and I remind myself often that having the opportunity to live in a foreign country feels like you're on vacation all the time! These past two years have been a dream.

Bali-Day 6

On day 6 again, we had a driver pick us up from our hotel early because we had a good distance to drive. We were heading back inland to go to Bali Treetop Adventure Park, it is a place where you play in the trees! There are climbing walls, ropes, zip lines, and all sorts of obstacles. I had seen this place on Tripadvisor and knew my family would love it!
So we drove two and a half hours! No, the island isn't that big, but traffic can be horrendous. The drive was beautiful, back into the jungle and rice paddies, and the mountains. Bali Treetop is located inside the botanical gardens, so there is a lot to see in this area, and it is picturesque!

All harnessed up and ready to go...well, almost. We had to learn what we were doing, I was a little worried about Avie Jo, but she caught on quick!

There is a small section just off the ground where the employees can make sure you know what you're doing before they let you loose. Danielle had it right off the bat and then we didn't see her much the rest of the time; she was in the trees!

Rayce was also anxious to go and could of stayed here all day; he was bummed out when it was time to leave that he hadn't gone on all the courses!

I was worried about Avie that she would pinch her fingers and that maybe the park was a little too big for her, but she definitely could hang with the big kids.

Dan started off on the hardest course! I was more timid.

After two and a half hours our hands and arms were sore, but we all had a great time. We walked around to check out the botanical gardens.

After, we went to a nearby temple. It's called Ulun Danu Bratan Temple; and it's a classic landmark in Bali. It also appears on the 50,000 rupiah bill.

The gardens surrounding the temple are something else!

What a day! A little culture, a little adventure!