The Easter Bunny Hits Bali

Well, not quite ... but it was close! It was quite a site to see a bunch of Easter eggs lying around in the heat waiting to be found by the kids. I kept thinking ... if they offer you boiled eggs of any sort over the next few days, be very very cautious...

Easter Sunday was a day of lying around and enjoying life in or by the pool. Our hosts for the long weekend -- Idha and Pieter Zylstra -- were unbelievably generous. Pieter's parents were in town, in addition to myself, Enda and Lidya. With so many people running around ... including a growing group of children, I felt I was back home in Chicago for the holidays (well, given that it was unbelievably hot, it was more of a July 4th celebration than Easter).

Most of us stayed in the pool all morning just to stay cool. Thank God the pool was shaded by trees for most of the morning, because I swear my my skin was going to melt right off my bones in that sun. I don't think I ever felt it so intense before. OK ... Patty ... you can stop laughing. Yes, I have been in the sun before ....

In any event, brunch was wonderful. We were served Mei Goreng, a spicy fish with sauce, and other assorted dishes that were tasty but I could not name for the life of me. However, let me just warn you ... Indonesians take "spicy" to a whole new level.

To the left is the hostess, Idha Zylstra, with her daughter Isabel and her mother-in-law. They orchestrated the event, including getting everyone up at 7am for Church, only to find out that the service was held at 5am. Well, I guess that is one way of getting out of going to Church.

In the picture to the right, Lidya and Enda (my friends from Jakarta) are the two on the far right, I am sitting next to Idha, and the two gals in the middle are Lidya and Idha's aunts. They were a fun bunch and I hope to meet them again.

There is another 3-day holiday coming up in May that I hope to fly to Bali for a bit of R&R. I will let you all know if I head back. In my next little update, I will have more pictures for you on our trek through the island. It is such an interesting and beautiful place. We were not able to visit some of the places, such as the major temples. Maybe on my next trip ... and the one after that....

Life is a Beach in Bali

Ok Ok ... clearly I need to get out a little more!

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All I have to say is this ... Bali is fabulous! Endah, Lidya and I went to Bali for the long Easter weekend and stayed with Lidya's sister and her family (pix to follow in later postings).

After a long, hot day of trekking around the island, we would kick it back on the beach, grab a frosty cold bottle of agua and just enjoy. [Endah and Lidya are particularly enjoying their time at the beach with a lovely foot massage from Lidya's auntie.]

Everyday we would arrive at the beach after 3pm. Between 11 am and 2:30 pm-ish, it is just too hot and the sun is way too strong -- especially for my pasty white skin. From there we would watch the sunset and then head back to the house to shower, relax and just enjoy drinks at the poolside or in town.

Yes, if you have not guessed it, I plan to head back there before I leave ...

A long time in coming.....

Hello all! It is finally here! A little somethin' somethin' to help me keep you informed of where in the hell I am and what I am up to ... I can sum it up quite quickly in a few short words: I am sitting around in a hotel room or in an office ... OR driving in a car somewhere trying to get to a meeting. It's all very exciting. :-)

I will inaugurate this post with my trip to Indonesia, so be prepared to see some frightening photos of me in a bikini and other assorted love stories.

Your thoughts ... as always ... are appreciated.

Love,

Vicky