Bye bye Bali

Catching the red eye express tonight and not looking forward to it! 11.15pm flight plus lose 2 hours in time and then drive 4 hours home. Fun.

Hopefully we will be exhausted enough not to notice. We went white water rafting today and it was hell fun! Middle child has found his future vocation - as a white water rafting instructor. You get to have this kinda fun every day!

Bali has alot going for it, there is so much to do - diving, surfing, shopping, eating, rafting, biking and all that stuff. And there are no flies! (mozzies have not been a problem, touch wood) The only problem is the humidity, oh, and the traffic. I won't miss that. And also I am a little sick of nasi goreng and mie goreng and all the other gorengs. But it has been fun...and it will be nice to get home too.

Got lotsa photos but alot are on the other camera and didn't bring the connection... So check out the cheeky monkey from the monkey forest and the Ayung River gorge - Awesome!!

C U soon.
SM

More from Ubud

Went to the Monkey Forest yesterday - those little critters are ferocious when they see a banana! Middle child freaked out with one on his head - it was very funny.

I did a cooking course this morning and we made some amazing food. Husband now has grand expectations about bali food when we return home Small world story - there were only 20 of us in the course but I met someone I know from Wingham with her daughter. We are meeting this afternoon for a drink and swim at an apparently fabulous hotel and amazing pool. Should be fun.

The balinese are such happy people, we have learnt alot about their culture and traditions. I can see why people come here, they have a happy, peaceful aura. We could all learn to slow down and smile like the balinese.

Good to hear from Acturv on the previous posts comment section. I love to hear what the MOB get up to while I'm away. Has Batgirl been out at the Reef? Has Champagnekate moved into the mansion? What about Belbird and her Wave child, are they getting waves? Talk to me.
(Girls - Just sign in with a google account and make a New Post. There are no rules. Post a picture if you like. Have a play.)

SM

Ubud is gorgeous

Had a magic day in the mountains behind Ubud today. We had breakfast overlooking an active volcano (there was steam coming out!) and a beautiful elevated lake layng between volcanoes. Then we cycled down through the villages - 25 km! and then had a gorgeous lunch in the rice paddies.

Two days ago we were in Sanur where Molly and Ned and Bill went out in a boat the the reef and went surfing. After a tour of the reef (there weren't enough boards and after my day of days at Uluwatu I didn't care that I wasn't surfing!) I lay on the beach and had a massage and my nails done. Nice.

Food is fab, the hotel we are in now in Ubud is built into the side of the cliff that overlooks the river. It is truly gorgeous, very old and very balinese.

White water rafting tommorow and maybe some more shopping...

SM
Anyone brave enough to write on the blog?? Someone please tell Franbaby to have a read here because her email keeps bouncing back. Theres more photos but they take too long to download... how do you make em smaller?

Hope you are getting good waves. :)

Ya gotta go there!

Went surfing at Uluwatu yesterday - it was awesome!! It is the most amazing place I have seen so far in Bali. It is off the beaten track a little in the far southern tip of Bali, a mountainous area where the cliff edge drops away into crystal clear water and there are perfect left handers rolling in every moment.

I have never before been up close and personal to such fantastic surfers (except when I have been surfing with the MOB of course). I was alongside these Balinese boys whilst they were inside big barrels and yet I could just paddle a little way out of danger - just like it looks in the surfing films. They would hoot and holler in balinese to each other and were such a physical presence - cutting and thrusting, shooting out spray at anyone who looked like dropping in - that I don't know if it was deliberate to intimidate others (this was after all their break) or if that was just them at play. I have never seen anything like these guys in the surf - they were throwing their boards around like frisbees and shooting 10 feet into the air off the back of the wave when they were finished with it - hooting all the time. And then they grin at you. Cute.

To get to this spot you have to climb down the cliff. There are stairs that take you down through the restaurants that look out over this gorgeous piece of paradise and when you get to the bottom you swim out through a cave and paddle over the reef. Looking back up at the white cliffs is a perspective I was very pleased to have seen. It is quite special. So glad we had Danny and Gillian with us too because they were happy to have a couple of beers in the restaurant with the kids while Husband and I had a surf. And there are guys who take photos and sell them to you -so I had to buy the one of Husband and I on the same wave! What a memory! It was a very special day. When I go to an internet cafe I will try and put it up here.

Now, I would like one of you Mob/Bobsters to get on this blog and post some news of Australia. What is going on over there? Any waves? Come on...tell me.
SM

Greetings from Canguu, Bali

I am sitting in a little thatched roof hut writing this to you and the rain is so heavy that there is a constant drip of rain on my shoulder. Should I be worried? I'll just move a little to the left... Thats better. The modern asian experience huh?

Husband and I went surfing at Canguu twice today. The first time I was a little worried - but managed to act cool under pressure and pulled off a few impressive moves in front of an international crowd...

Actually it was just Husband and I and a pommie guy who was down the way a bit. But the point is - I did it! I surfed Canguu. This afternoon was bigger - 6 to 8 foot and I had a go at a gentler break but spent most of the time testing out the strength of my leg rope as I dived for cover under a couple of large sets. After that I hit the beach for a Bintang and watched Husband surf (the good wifey that I am).

Let me just say at this point that the beaches here at Canguu do not compare with what we have at home for beauty and clean water and white sand. The thing is though, there are fantastic waves everywhere you look! And big! And watching these guys surf is a spectacle in itself. You know how good Champagnekate surfs a right hander off the Rock? Well, these guys are almost that good!!

The food is fantastic and the smell is wafting over to me right now, so I will go eat some yummy indo tucker and get back to you another time.

Hope the surf is good with you.
SM
PS - Cant seem to upload photos... will work on it later.
Later: Nuh. It aint gonna do it. You will just have to imagine.

Surfermums get together

Crowdy Gap was picture perfect this morning - smooth, warm ocean, perfect little left and rights and no-one around for miles. Husband and I outlasted the kids - I love it when the kids are waiting patiently on the beach for the parents to have their fun and get out of the surf! You know all is right with the world when this happens. I hope there were lots of surfermums carving 'em up at Diamond this morning..?

Friday night was a blast! The company was fab but I gotta say I loved my champagne, 1/2 pizza, 1/2 tiramisu and coffee! Girl food huh? And very Italian I think. Twas great to see all nine surfermums there in one spot. That doesn't happen very often these days. And we wish Laura and her mum all the best over the next little while. Mums are very important. More than words can say.

Did you know there is a ripple of disquiet begining over the naming of the MOB. An underground rebel group wants to ditch the Mum title and replace it with Babes...or was it Boobs? Fair enough I say. I'm not in charge of the MOB, I only like to write about them.

I like the fact that we had our kids and then decided it wasn't enough to be minding them on the beach. We wanted a piece of the action! And in true Mum spirit we headed out and did it the mum way. Not with egos or testosterone - but with each other, a healthy sense of humour and absolutely no care for hair or makeup! I kinda think its the mum bit that makes our group special. And think of all the school holidays when we have been out surfing with our tribe. Theres been times when there has been 20 of us from ages 8 to... well, we won't mention. Now, that is childminding! Our kids will remember surfing with their mums. How good is that? My surferboy loves it!

After all these years (it has been years you know girls!) I think we surf pretty good, we have fun with it, and we never ever take it too seriously. Its just play. MOBS/BOBS whatever!

:) SM

PS. We need some new surfing pictures here. Anyone?