Bali Adventure 2012! December 28, 2011- January 22, 2012

One of Balis' famous sunsets from my balcony in Ubud

Monkey Forest in ubud was one of the most lovely and surprising experiences of my trip
Monkey really are curious creatures and so interesting to observe.

The pool at the Ibunda Inn, where I stayed in Ubud; a reason to spend mornings at the hotel

The dancers and orchestra of the traditional 'Legong' dance theatre

The dancers were so skilled and coordinated in their movements and facial expressions!

The country side of Bali is full of rice paddies and beautiful sites! This field was just outside of the Agung Rai Museum of Art in ubud.

In addition to rice paddies, there were many smaller Inns on the country roads and always a gaggle of geese squawking about.

The grounds at the museums were tended to and designed in a way that made them as, if not more enjoyable and beautiful than the art itself!

A traditional Balinese wood carving, so amazingly detailed and gorgeous!!

No visit to Bali would be complete without seeing the magnificent clif top temple of Pura Ulu Watu on the Southern tip of the Bali peninsula.

The sunset at Ulu Watu is known to be one of the best views in Bali, I agree!!!

The beach in Kuta. Surfing here is not so much a sport but a real lifestyle.

Hanging loose with the wonderful Lanna Olsen, a beautiful Sweedish women I met in Kuta.

Fredrick and Poppe were Lannas' travel companions and friends. The four of us became quite good friends in the week that we traveled and hung out together. I'm so lucky and happy to have met them!!! They made my vacation so much more meaningful!

Lanna and I at dinner in Kuta. I guess I'll have to figure out how to get to Stockholm :P

The four of us went to the Gili Islands in Lonbok for a couple of days. There are no cars on the islands and the local lifestyle is still very old fashioned and poor.

Poppe, Lanna and Fredrick doing what they do best; being hilarious and having fun!

I ended up staying in Kuta for much longer than I expected, largely due to having met the Sweeds but also because I had such a wonderful home base at Hotel Bene Yasa

The most wonderful thing about Bali was that there was real beauty truely everywhere you seemed to look. It was a real challenge to go anywhere and NOT take pictures!!

Sanur was my first stop in Bali. This low key town boasted not only beautiful white sand beaches but also very friendly locals and a quiet, peaceful environment.

I think this picture perfectly sums up what it means to be on vacation in Indonesia. Sit back, relax, and take in the view, the sun and the salty ocean breeze.

New years eve on the beach in Sanur will go down as the loudest, most out of control and hilarious fireworks display I have ever witnessed in my entire life!

Rockets and Scotch; that's all you need to know.

A real impetus for this trip was the potential of seeing my friend Manuelle. We studied our Masters together at Concordia. The potential to reconnect with old friends is something that should always be taken because it can lead to wonderful adventures and experiences.

I wasn't sure what to expect from my trip to Bali, but what I came away with was a number of memories and experiences that I will carry with my for the rest of my life. I also came away with new friends that I will hopefully stay in touch with and see again before too long.

The two years I have spent living in Korea prepared me really well for the difficulties of living in an Asian country, where things are certainly not like back home. There were so many new and interesting things to see and to learn and the local (being dependent on you as a customer) were increadibly friendly and helpful.

One of the strangest things that I took away from this trip was the rememberance of what it means to live in a multicultural society and how important that is to me and my values as a person. Living in the hemogeny of Korea culture can sometimes make you forget that the world is a VERY BIG place full of all kinds of different people, languages, cultures and faiths. This is something that I already knew, but had forgotten and am so happy to have been reminded of, for it brings me a greater sense of happiness knowing that my differences are not necessarily faults but the special things that mark me as a Canadian living abroad.