24 .... AND A LITTLE BIT MORE

A HUGE shout out to our little Jess on her birthday. As you begin your 24th year we are in awe of the wise little Buddha you have become. We left Rich and Hannah with specific instructions to shower you with tons of hugs and kisses. May your day be joyful and filled with laughter. We miss and love you so much.

A few stories as we sadly finish our travels through Indonesia;

In the small village of Tirta Gangga (Water of the Ganges) we met a young man busing tables at the Good Karma Cafe. His true love is taking travelers trekking through the rice terraces and villages that grace this part of east Bali. Like every hike it started with a steep ascent up a million steps to the most amazing view of green and lush rice fields that seem to stretch as far as the ocean . Komang, who goes by John, which sounded like Kong, knew everything about the plants, fruit and the people. He pointed out tiny red pineapples growing on the side of the walking path. There was coffee beans and cacao plants everywhere. Giant Jackfruit, some covered in bags so the birds wouldn't eat them, were twenty meters high in the trees. John showed us the ginger tree, snake fruit, (the skin looks like the outside of a snake hence the name), mangoes and pumpkins growing on trees ( yes that's right). Chickens, roosters and of course dogs ran about the paths. As we walked and talked, he shared with us his concerns for the very poor, elderly people living in the mountain villages, like the one he still lives in. There is no medical or financial assistance (ie. social security) in Indonesia. It seems to be left to the family to take care of their elders. In many cases these people have no family, therefore no assistance. John not only gives 30% of his earnings from trekking but tries to educate fellow guides and travelers to the challenges these people face. We saw it first hand when we stopped in a little village and met an 89 year old woman, partially blind and carrying a bucket of water on her head. She had just come from the river. Her hut, approximately 8' x 9' consisted of a makeshift bed, a small cooking area and a pot filled with rice, enough for two meals hanging on the wall. There is no indoor plumbing or electricity. With donations from travelers and his own money he provides her some food, medication, transportation to the doctors and anything else that she might need. There she stood bare feet, water on her head and the most beautiful smile, we felt privileged and touched at the same time. The human spirit is amazing. Sometimes it takes stepping into someone elses world to realize it. Spending this time with Komang and helping to support his "charity" was a gift.

Something else that we love about Bali is the name system. It's real easy because they only use
4 names, the same for boys and girls, Wayung, Maday, Komang & Ketut, in the order that they were born and then it repeats. This was a blessing for Mike because he always had a
1 in 4 chance of getting it right. (Not so good with remembering names) The only problem is if you're in a crowd you might get 20 Wayung's answering at the same time. They all have these American nicknames like Eddie, John, Eric .. which we found to be very funny.

We took a 10 hour trip to Meno Island, which could have taken 5 hours but Mike folded under the relentless sales pressure and bought the slow ferry, slow bus and slow boat ticket. Carin had to really let this one go as she was not feeling well, hot and hungry. She had plenty of time to let it pass on the white sandy beaches of the quietest of the Gili Islands off the coast of Lombok. No cars, no scooters no one older than 30 and no electricity half the time, but great snorkeling. Yes snorkeling again. Lovely and restful. Carin booked the trip back, much better!

Back to Ubud to finish eating in the restaurants we missed the first time, see another Balinese dance show, a little last minute shopping, motor biking and relaxing (yoga & meditation) at the Ubud Sari Health Resort. This was all in preparation for more relaxing at our final destination, the beaches of Seminyak in south Bali, where the beach is big and the waves are awsome.

A few "small" shout outs;

- Congrats to Corinne & Garrison on tying the knot.
- Doug, Thanks for telling me about your crazy brother after the fact. Anything else I should know?
- Britt, School first blog second.
- Mom & Joe, The place were staying right now reminds us of the Club. We keep looking around for Koko.
- Love Me aka Karen, Thanks for keeping mom part of our trip. Please get her on the Internet so she can see the pictures. Judy and Joe are willing to help.
-Ivi, We have resurfaced. Congrats to Michael the Bar Mitzvah boy or should we say man! Loved seeing all of you in the pics.
And last but not least Hannah - Your e mails and phone calls are such a source of happiness to us. Keep working on your booty pop.