We’ve made it to Bali!! The theme for our past couple of days has been “how many . . . . ?”
How many . . . .
- . . . times can we successfully get on flights that are our option 1?
- . . . . hot dogs can B-Rod find in Hong Kong?
- . . . . temples are there in Bali?
- . . . . penises would it take to buy . . . . ?
How many times can we successfully get on a flight that are our option 1?
Surprisingly 2 (so far). We got on all flights we wanted to get on to make it here. It was pretty iffy at first and we were actively coming up with plan B, but somehow we made it! Got to Hong Kong with 12 hours to spend (an overnight). After spending about an hour in the airport finding somewhere to stay, we got a place downtown, hopped the train and made our way there. We ended up finding some eats, a night market and really enjoying Hong Kong. In fact, it is someplace we could see coming back at some point to spend a few days exploring.
This was the outlook when we checked moments before we were to gather to find out if we got on the flight. Over-booked!!!
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This was our excitement and surprise when we made it on the flight. Not only did we make it on, but we also got to sit together, AND mere seconds after our names were announced and we had boarding passes in hand, we ran into our friend Jessica. It was the best day ever!!
Got to Hong Kong and even had the chance to explore. B-Rod was fascinated with the building construction and how decrepit certain things looked, but how everything just seemed to work.
Had some really good eats, but minutes after we finished and walked around, we found all the street food 😮
How many hot dogs can B-Rod find in Hong Kong?
Turns out it was a lot, but he didn’t have any until breakfast time
PS . . . look what I found in the market. Because we fly standby, and only take carry on luggage, we don’t tend to buy much or bring home any gifts. Made an exception for you Piddy. How many Chinese knots do I have for you in my bag?
From Hong Kong, our flight to Bali was wide open and once again we got on and got to sit next to each other, but we were in the middle row, so got to see nothing. That would probably be one of Nate-dog’s nightmares! We went straight from the airport to Ubud which is known as the cultural centre of Bali. Found our place (which we also booked from the airport) and pretty much chilled out and had a pretty early night.
How many temples are there in Bali?
A whole heck of a lot!! We are staying in a homestay which means we are living in a family compound. Each family compound has a temple. There are random temples in alleyways. On weekends, family members take temple walks looking for temples they haven’t been to before in the countryside. It is a temple based culture and the temples are beautiful and elaborate.
This isn’t a temple, but it is the entrance to the family compound we are staying in. The family temple is currently being renovated, and they have been working hard on it all day!
As you walk down the street, you can get a glimpse of the family temples behind the gates.
This is a random temple in the alley, that one of the long term residents at our place told us about.
A temple we found along the way on a hike we did during the day.
The detail and stone work that goes into these places is pretty incredible.
There are a lot of temples and a lot of praying that goes on during the day. People leave offerings in front of the temples and in the streets in front of their homes and businesses. They are everywhere!! Part of the challenge of walking down the street is to not walk on the offerings.
We ended up at the Ubud palace. We were looking around, when we were approached by a guy who wanted to know if we wanted to go in to look at the residences. This is what most people get to see.
This is what we got to see.
As we were standing at the sign that said “no entrance,” a man asked us if we wanted to see inside. He was a “whitey” who claims to be one of the first foreigners that came to Bali in the 1960’s. He had become friends with a Balinese man that came to his university in California. He worked hard to save money to visit his friend, but when he got to Bali, his friend had nowhere for him to stay. His cousin did though. His cousin turned out to be the king. Richard became an adopted member of the king’s family and splits his time between the states and Bali. Wow!! Pretty interesting story!
Richard posing outside of his place within the inner courtyard of the palace.
Showing us one of the wood carvings he had recently invested in.
How many penises would it take to buy . . . . . ?
In our wandering around the market today, there seemed to be a popular item that kept appearing. Various forms of wooden penises. Maybe it’s because of the Lingam in the Hindu religion. Maybe because Bali is a popular spot for Aussies. We just found it amusing. Most of the wooden “objects” cost the equivalent of $1. So, we started playing a game.
Turns out it would cost 2.5 penises to buy a mango, coconut ice cream float!!
Red knots I have many, but know how many wooden penises I have? Zero. Zero wooden penises. Actually, have zero red knots too because they keep getting accidentally thrown in the garbage.
Glad you made it there safely. Looking forward to reading about your adventures!!
PS….Happy Daylight Savings Time!
Looks absolutely beautiful there! And I know that feeling of getting on an over sold flight! The absolute best! -Jess