Up bright and early again today (not quite as early though so slowly getting used to the local time) so made the decision to take advantage of it and catch the early shuttle to town to search for furniture. Given how hot it yesterday around 2 o’clock, we figured it made sense to get our wandering around done in the morning and be back by the pool before the temperature got really steamy. In theory a good idea, but in practice I still sweat like a 400 pound man running a marathon.

We did have more luck finding a few places, and Ang got her first taste of a shopping mall (so yes, she had to be dragged back to the hotel under duress), so all in all a reasonably successful outing. We also fit in time for the all important one hour massage. $5 well spent. On the drive back, we passed through a big section of shops that appeared to have what we are looking for, so I think we will head back there one more day before we leave.

Back at the hotel we have switched rooms. Given that occupancy isn’t that high right now, we had the opportunity to upgrade to a one bedroom villa for a small up charge. We made the decision to splurge a little bit and take advantage of the upgrade for 2 days. We’ll take a few pictures and post them while we’re here, but suffice to say it is a little over the top. I’m sure it will come back to haunt me as the more places we stay like this, the harder it gets to check Ang into a Motel 6 when we travel at home.

Tomorrow I think we will stick close to the hotel and take advantage of the new digs. I’m tempted to play a round of golf mostly to just say I did. $40 gets a round, cart and a caddy to run into the bushes and find all the balls I’d spray in there, so who knows.

A less than auspicious start to our journey as our plans for an early, and organized, departure collide head on with an alarm clock that doesn’t go off. Fortunately, we wake up not too far behind schedule and hit the road only 30 minutes late. A few hours later, we safely board in Vancouver for Tokyo. It seems no matter where we go in Asia, we always end up going through Japan, but every time to the connections are the best there, and this is no exception. With only a 90 minute layover, we are quickly on our final leg to Bali. All tolled, flying time is about 18 hours. Add in the time to drive to Vancouver and change planes in Tokyo, and door to door, the trip is literally a full day of travel.

Our first five days in Bali are at the Le Meridien in Tanah Lot, which is about an hour north of the main tourist area and next to one of the most important Hindu temples in Bali. The hotel is spectacular, and as with all the places we have stayed on our travels to Asia, a bargain. The room is like a small apartment, missing only a kitchen, which honestly we wouldn’t use anyway. With my internal clock off kilter from the previous day’s travel, I have the chance to walk the grounds at the crack of dawn, long before things get busy and see just how big the place is.

As the day wears on, it becomes clear just how convenient Bali is to Australia, as the place is quickly crawling with Australians. Where, to me, traveling to Bali seems exotic, for those Down Under, it is just a quick trip on a discount airline. It makes me wonder if right now somewhere in Sydney, people are talking about the adventurous trip they are taking to Cabo San Lucas or Cancun. I’ll have to ask if I get the chance.

We spent a good part of the day just lounging by the pool before working up the energy to venture away from the hotel. Our first stop was the temple next door, where we figured we could find a cab into town for cheaper than the car service the hotel offered. As it is the weekend, the temple is very crowded, which is not lost on the local merchants who have set up a long sting of shops selling pretty much any kind of trinket you could imagine, and quite a few you probably couldn’t. Falling squarely in the latter category are wooden bottle openers, carved in the shape of certain male anatomy. I’m not sure what the theory of these are, perhaps they keep people from stealing your beer because no one wants to use the opener.

After a few pictures and a quick snack, we decide to wait a bit and just take the free hotel shuttle into town (free being just the price I was looking for). Its late in the day, but our goal is to find some furniture shops and a good place to eat. That is not to be as we quickly find ourselves wandering aimlessly through streets of mostly closed stores and very few restaurants. I am sure that somewhere here there is an area similar to the night markets in Phuket, but on this night we don’t find it. Many (and I mean many) blocks later, we come across a restaurant that looks crowded, and decide to jump at the chance. By the time the shuttle gets us back to the hotel, it is just a little after 10 pm. No more than five minutes later, I’m drooling on my pillow.

Well, once again it’s that time. Tomorrow we head off for return trip Southeast Asia. And keeping with our general philosophy of not visiting places we have already seen, this year’s itinerary includes some time in Bali, Cambodia, and Vietnam. While all three are high on our list of places to see (which is why they are all planned stops) there is definitely some concern that we are trying to see too much in too little time. Of course, the counter to that is we never know when we’ll get back to Asia, so best to take advantage of the opportunity while we have it.

Other than some general concept of which countries we want to visit, the only plan we have going in is for the first few nights in Bali. After that, we’ll just roll with it and see where circumstances take us. Over the coming days, we’ll do our best to keep this page current with our whereabouts and share the highlights of our travels.

Many thanks in advance to our parents, who in split shifts make sure our kids are in good hands.