The final chapter!

Wow! Where to start! Our stay in Bali has come and gone like the wind on your back! So unbelievable! I last told you about our stay in Sanur and partial stay in Kuta, which I will add were both amazing.  Friday we took a fast boat out to the Gili Islands, we stayed on Trawanagan.  Unfortunately, for most of our stay it rained.  And there isn't too much you can do on an island, population 800.  In general most people go to the Gili's to dive, snorkel or lay out in the sun.  So I am sure you can feel some of our devastation.  The last day of our stay, Tuesday, it was sunny and hot, so we were thankful for that.  On the flip side, we did a home stay while we were there and our room had a TV and millions of DVDs.  So most of our time was spent doing that!  Tuesday night I awoke at approximately 10:45pm, so literally directly after I had fallen asleep, to Nicole telling me there is a fire outside.  I have never gotten out of bed so quickly in my life.  Sure enough, through the curtains I saw orange flames and heard the owner of our room yelling, "Fire, help" over and over again.  Tons of people were yelling and I heard some kids crying.  I have never felt panic so deep.  As fast as I could I grabbed my backpack and threw in my money belt, my purse, and my water bottle.  My mind was blank and my nerves were shot.  I finally had the sense to quickly open the door in case we ended up getting trapped and once that happened, we saw that the fire was in the neighbouring yard.  So we sat on our stairs until it was put out.  It very well could have leaped across, considering everything is made out of straw, but thankfully it did not.  I have never felt so afraid in my life.  I actually thought we were in serious danger, not to mention the roof is made completely of tin, so when the water hit it, it sounded as if a bomb was going off.  That was my first thought when Nicole had woken me up.  Regardless, we sauntered back into the room, we pulled ourselves together and went back to sleep.  Or should I say layed there.  I was literally buzzing or shaking all night.  I just couldn't believe that happened.  The next morning it felt like a bad dream.  I guess the fire had started because a few men who lived there had lit a candle after dark and then decided to go fishing and didn't blow it out.  So sure enough the candle melted and caught on fire when there was no wax left.  I don't know who decides to go fishing around 9pm at night.. but that's what happened.  We were happy we left Wednesday.  So we had two final days in Kuta before leaving Saturday to fly back to Bangkok, where we currently are.

It's so mind blowing that we're at the end leg of our journey.  Incredible how fast time really does fly.  Tuesday evening we will be heading to the airport around 9pm.  And that's it.  Wednesday evening I will fly back into Canada, Vancouver to be precise.  Nicole flies into Rome where she'll meet her parents and travel a bit more.  I never thought I would say this, but I am so excited to return home.  Living among other cultures is hard.  It requires so much patience. You don't really ever know how good you have it until your placed among some of the poorest people and observe how they live.  I talked to one man on the Gili's who was trying to sell me a bracelet and he told me he had never been anywhere except his small village near Lombak and then the Gili Islands, where he goes to make money for tourists. His wife stays home with his son and she makes the jewelry, he sells it.  We got talking about schooling and education and he only gets free education until he is in grade 3.  Then he has to pay until he is 13 when school ends.  Then you have to continue paying.. He made it til he was 13.  He can read and write well, but nothing enough to give him a decent job, which is why he sells jewelry.  You never know how good you have it until you put yourself in someone elses shoes.  I've learnt a lot this trip.  About other cultures, but mainly about myself. I have been so challenged and stretched, I feel like a completely new a different person.  My outlook and perspective of life is renewed, fresh, and so different than ever before.  I am thankful the Lord led me down this path, for still some unknown reasons that I have yet to figure out.  This trip is going to mould my future in great ways.  Whether I figure it out today, tomorrow, or in 10 years, it's all according to His plan for my life, and I couldn't be more grateful.  "The world is a book, and those who never travel only read a page."  That's all she wrote!!

Best for last !

We have reached out final destination and I can say confidently on behalf of both Nicole and myself, WE LOVE IT HERE!! Yep! We flew in late Wednesday night and drove to Sanur, where we booked a hotel for the first 5 nights of our stay.  We were a bit anxious on the topic of weather after we had read reports of clouds, rain, and lightning.  However, those weathermen have proved to be just as bad here as they are back home because we have had nothing but sun, sun, and more sun!  The heat is much more tolerable here too because of the constant ocean breeze.  So our stay in Sanur consisted mostly of lounging by the pool, reading, listening to music, and napping.  We did go to the beach on our first day, but it wasn't a very clean one( if you can believe it! ).  That fateful beach day, we happened to stumble upon some awesome lounge chairs from a fancy beach front resort.  So, without looking to conspicuous, we snagged some for ourselves.  We were able to take in close to 31/2 hours of sun before a employee from their hotel came over to ask if we were guests.  An awkward no came out of our mouths and we were asked to leave.  Let's just say we haven't been back.  So from Thursday to Sunday the pool was our home.  And we loved it.  We want nothing else to take up our time but complete relaxation!  Sunday morning we met with my Aunty Louise and my mother's mutual friend Laurie for breakfast.  Laurie moved to Bali close to a year ago to teach English.  So it was a nice refreshing time to connect and she gave us lots of information and advice for the remainder of our time in Bali.  Her daughter Nicole, and boyfriend Ben also joined us, they just arrived in Bali too.  Monday morning we checked out and drove to a different area of Bali called Kuta.  It's much more mainstream then Sanur and known for awesome surfing.  Quickly after we checked into our new hotel we hit up the beach.  I have never been to a beach like this one.  So incredible.  The beachfront is huge!  And when the tide is out you could say the width of a soccer field if not bigger!  I have also never seen waves so crazy!  There are 4 different tides coming in at once, it's nuts.  We rented some lounge chairs-open to the public-and stayed until after the sun set, which may I also add was extraordinary!  This morning Nicole and I took a cooking course.  A little old woman by the name of Maria picked us up at 10am and we taxied over to her house!  In a gated courtyard, her one bedroom house is where we took the class.  It was just the 2 of us who were there too!  We made 4 different meals: Beef Rendang (Beef, potatoes, (we added tofu), and a paste of various spices), Fish Petes (fish with a paste of spices smeared throughout and wrapped in a banana leaf and steamed), a vegetable soup (I forget the name), a sweet chicken dish (I also forget the name), and a homemade peanut sauce.  Everything was super tasty and delicious, although some of the dishes were super spicy!  I think I will attempt to make them at home, minus the chilli!  The day filled with cooking lasted almost all day, 6 hours!  We definitely got our money out of the course.  Our stay will continue in Kuta until Friday, when we will take ferry over to the Gili Islands!  The part of our stay I am most excited about.  The Island has a mere population of 800, has no cars, no motorcycles, the only method of transportation is by a horse carriage or by bicycle !  There is no wind, so the water is completely calm and crystal clear!  So I am thinking some snorkeling will be in order to get a good look!  The duration of our stay will be 5 nights before heading back to the mainland!  I can't wait! :)

Bali Bound Baby!

Tomorrow night (Weds May 2nd) at approximately 8:25pm (Malaysian time), Nicole and I are heading to our last big adventure : Bali ! Tonight, over dinner, we fed off of each others excitement and discussed our joy.  To put it straight, we cannot wait!  Bali has been one place both of us have wanted to go the most!  We'll fly in late, around 11:30pm, and then before proceeding through immigration, will have to stand in the 'visa upon arrival' line.  Predictions are that we won't hit the sack until 1am.  For the first bit of our trip we will be staying in Sanur, Indonesia.  We have booked, what looks like and what we're hoping to be, a beautiful hotel (with hostel prices) 2 minutes from the beach !  We will also be meeting up with both mine and Nicole's mom's mutual friend, Laurie, to give us advice, show us around, and to steer us in the right and general direction to having a sweet time!

Although our time in Malaysia was only 12 days, it was long..  We didn't do an ounce of research before heading here and I think it showed.  The country does have a lot to offer, we just didn't have the time to really discover much, plus a lot didn't really grab our whole attention without wanting to grab every last dime we had too.  Highlights of the country include: a visit to the petronas twin towers, browsing the KLCC & the Pavilion malls, seeing The Avenger's (Awesome movie), bubble tea, Nicole had the best gelato ever, hanging out in a cool city centre park, free breakfast at every accommodation, the bird park, and this awesome street food stand we found where there are tons of food on skewers!  To touch base on the last point, this stand had every type of meat and vegetable on skewers.  After you pick which you want, you can barbecue (usually with the meat) or steam the food.  It was awesome!  Another cool point, was today, it literally down poured from 4:00pm-10:00pm (it may still be raining).  But neither Nicole nor I have ever heard thunder so loud.  Nicole actually screamed when one hit, ha ha.  But it was freaky.  I have some videos, which I will try to upload at some point.  As Nicole and I have discussed, the worst part of our experience in Malaysia, are the men.  With the country being mostly Islamic, a good number of the women dress very modestly with head coverings.  However, many do not.  Regardless, we dressed quite modestly during our time here, yet were always uncomfortable.  The men, to be quite frank, stare hard.  At first, being a westerner and standing out was the first thought that came to mind.  It happens almost everywhere.  But, when you really look, it's quite grotesque.  It's almost as if they are undressing you with their eyes, it's very perverted.  It's weird too, because we are in a capital city, with over 2 million people, where tourists are everywhere.  It's to the point though, that I never feel comfortable.  So with great joy I will say, I am so excited to leave this country and not return!  Take me to the beach please!

Please pray for our flight tomorrow, that everything will go smoothly and as planned.  That we will make the flight fine and have no problems!  Love you guys!  I'll report back from paradise! :)