Bali Birthday Weekend

Definitely our favorite perk of living in Jakarta is that fact that Bali is just a 90-minute flight away.  When I was trying to decide how to spend my 40th birthday (yikes!) it seemed like Bali would be a pretty great place to take my trip over the hill.

We love stopping at our favorite local coffee shop at the airport before any domestic flights.  Someone was pretty excited to head to the beach!  I was pretty happy to just have 3 small suitcases this time after our major trip the the week before.  Matt had to work later and took a different flight that evening.

Welcome to Bali!

We decided to stay in Uluwatu this time and the view from the lobby told me we wouldn't regret that decision.

This was our porch view.  Not too shabby!

Surfers flock here for the waves and the swell was really impressive all weekend.  We spent hours watching these guys catch waves and held our breath when they didn't quite catch them.  Matt loves to surf but didn't even attempt these monsters.  It's all reef under the breaking waves.

The second reason I picked this hotel was for the jacuzzi tub on the porch.  It was incredibly relaxing to stretch out, listen to the ocean, and watch the sunset.

We may have misjudged the bubble concentration a bit though.

The only drawback to Uluwatu is that the cliffs don't leave much room for beaches.  Our resort had an elevator to visit the beach at low tide, but it still didn't have sand. 

It was still lots of fun exploring the tide pools with the waves crashing off in the distance.

We found lots of interesting creatures in the shallows.

The kids quickly recovered from the disappointment of not having a sandy beach by enjoying the infinity pool with more amazing views.

Friday was absolutely gorgeous and we loved the breakfast views from the top floor.  I don't think I've ever stayed in a hotel with such amazing ocean vistas to enjoy from every window.

The flowers made it feel like paradise!

We took a quick drive over to Padang Padang so we could enjoy some sand and surf.

Pure joy!

It was pretty small and got crowded quickly but the people watching was totally entertaining.  It's always interesting to guess where people are from and listen to all the different languages.

I forgot my sunglasses, but no worries...just had to wait for the guy to show up selling $8 Ray Bons :)

Remember what I said about people watching?  This lady was making videos of herself for quite some time.

Good thing I had my Ray-Bons because I couldn't stop watching!  Seriously, so entertaining. 

I love that this boy is so into books right now that he can't put them down, even on the beach!  He did go out and have fun when the waves started getting smaller.

Exploring down the beach gave us more great views and interesting places.

Alex loved the cave he discovered with tiny waves at the back.

Little bit buried, there!

Matt surprised me with an early birthday gift of my very favorite wine from Australia.  He had to carry it through Singapore and spend some time in customs to get it through and it was so worth it!

We took in a fantastic sunset from the cliffside restaurant before dinner.

Me and my loves!  What a perfect way to finish out my 30's.

Absolutely delicious!  And even better with an ocean breeze and a live band...that played Jambalaya on the Bayou!

I woke up 40 years old on Saturday but couldn't feel too old with another lovely breakfast followed up by cake!

We went out exploring again and stopped first in Balangan.

The waves were too high to enjoy the beach here but we did take in some beautiful views.

We parked for the day at Dreamlands beach instead and it was pretty perfect.

Again, the people watching didn't disappoint.  This lady took hours of pictures with her unicorn float.  I really want to see her instagram and find out if she posted 1,000 pictures or finally got the one amazing one she worked so hard to capture.

The water was so beautiful here.

Dreamlands was lovely and the side we chose was very quiet.

Since it was my birthday, I made the executive decision that we'd have ice cream for lunch.  First meal ever with no arguments!

I woke up early the final morning and was enjoying the peaceful sunrise when we got shaken by an earthquake.  Lombok had a 6.4 and we definitely felt it.

I booked us on an afternoon flight so we could lounge around in the morning and relax just a bit longer before heading home.

The waves were HUGE!  Even in our room in the middle of the night, I could hear the waves breaking continuously...one of my favorite sounds in the world.

Had to have one last massive bubble bath, of course.  There was no doubt the kids got clean.

We had a leisurely lunch with a view and played some cards until we reluctantly headed to the airport.

Thanks for the memories, Bali!

Even in Bali, the roads are never boring.  I love the things people can fit on a motorbike.  It must have been a great day for giant kites because everyone had packed theirs!

Back to Jakarta

Ugh, it's never easy getting to Asia.  We had 9 suitcases, 3 backpacks, and a golf bag to take 13 hours to Tokyo and another 8 hours to Jakarta.  I got a lot of personal time with these guys since we were in each other's space for days on end.

I am super grateful for how much easier it is to fly with them now!  This is WAY better than diapers and bottles!  In some ways it's even easier because now they can help me with bags and such.

Ben and I crashed for a while in Tokyo, but Alex stayed awake all the way until we took off for Jakarta.  He fell asleep sitting up in his seat and didn't move for the next 6 hours...I checked on him a few times to make sure he was still alive!

We arrived at midnight and thankfully all of our bags did as well.  It was wonderful to see Matt at the airport and go straight home...plus a little welcome back traffic from Jakarta.  The next day we got to unpack all the new treasures we brought from Texas.  Took the better part of the day but I got all the suitcases put away before my welcome back massage at Jamu.  Traffic may put a kink in your neck but a nice, affordable massage here will work it right out!

 The first place the kids asked to eat - TGI Fridays.  Not adventurous eaters, these two.  Maybe this year I can sway them a little.

We had to keep ourselves entertained and awake to fight off the jetlag, so we finally made it to the Pondok Indah waterpark.  The kids are huge fans of the wave.

Some fresh squeezed juice never hurts either.  Can't decide what to order?  Just try two at once.

We arrived back earlier than all of our friends so we had a few quiet weeks to get on schedule and relax before school.  It was so different from last year, living in a hotel and trying to figure out a new country and meet people.  I enjoyed the peace of returning somewhere familiar, knowing the challenges here, and having reunions with friends awaiting us shortly.