nusa dua and uluwatu

Bali is an island in the country of Indonesia.  There's a small part of the island that is down south and it has most of the touristy shops and markets and beaches.  we stayed in southern bali for 3 days and visited the big stuff there- and then the rest of our time (5 days) we spent in central bali in Ubud and on the East Coast.

One of the most famous temples in Bali is Uluwatu.

Japan has the coolest temples and shrines in all the world!  bali has the best locales and views at temples- but their famous 'uluwatu' temple was fabulous because of the backdrop- not because of the temple itself :)

these pictures are reminding me how HOT we were hiking around the temple grounds!!  we were in bali for their 'cool' season and it was crazy hot!!  

kadek, our driver, warned us about the monkeys here- but I was SO hot and it was SO bright that I paid no heed to the instruction to remove my sunglasses.  I was snapping picture of this monkey back in the trees when suddenly- out of nowhere- he was in the branch above my head- and dropping down to SNATCH MY GLASSES OFF MY HEAD!!!

ahhh.  those were target sunglasses!! that kent got me in alaska last year!!!!  and he just went at them.  chomping and scratching them to bits. boohoo.  I was so mad! and it was only our 2nd day on vacation!!

some balinese guy came up and threw some food at the monkey and he ended up dropping my glasses to get to the food.  I got them back- but not before the damage was done.  I still wear them- but they are hard to see out of.  look at those gnarly teeth scratching away.

I think these pictures with the statue monkeys were actually a premonition of things to come!!

mack's peace signs will always make me happy.

we were walking around the back side of the temple post mokey sunglasses scandal- when another scary monkey came racing out of a tree ( I wasn't even looking at him) and came after my flip flop!! he literally tried to yank it off my foot!!  he was pulling and grabbing at me.  monkeys are terrifying and have the scariest teeth!!  kent was pushing the stroller and luckily had the wherewithal to shove it at the monkey. and also- luckily- mack wasn't in the stroller :).  I was NOT about to give up my flip flop.  these were 13 dollar gap flip flops- not your average 1 dollar old navy pair!  monkeys can sense me and know I have a strange obsession with them.

The temple had a large row of markets and shops we were walking through when mack found some little boys at a shop playing with trucks and trains and he decided he HAD to play.  He is so similar to baby Zeb in his obsession with vehicles!!

I'm pretty sure these little flower baskets are small offerings for Hindu Gods. They are EVERYwhere in bali.  every morning the people put them out in front of their homes and businesses and temples.

These Next pictures are actually from the first day of our trip but I forget them in the first post.  We got to bali early in the morning and waited until evening for my parents to arrive so we spent a half day at Nusa Dua beach near our villa.  Nusa Dua is one of the most popular areas of Southern Bali and it's full of resorts and hotels.  It's a nice place- but not very authentic.  I really loved Bali- but was really disappointed in how cliche and touristy everything was.

All of the pics are cell phone pics so not the best quality- but they'll do :)

we found some great spots to explore and climb! 

I love this crazy picture of our family.  

On one side of the beach they have a giant 'water blow'.  When waves pound the shore- there are holes in the rocky reef that shoot water up and into the air!  our kids loved watching and waiting for the explosions!!

after walking the coast for a bit- we were all hot and famished!  luckily we can ALWAYS find ice cream in Asia :)

I serisouly have NO idea what we are all looking at here!!!

The day after Nusa Dua beach- we visited the famous 'padang padang beach'.  It was beautiful.  But surely the most crowded beach I've ever been to.  it was kind of a nightmare.  

I can't believe I didn't get any pics of the madness of the crowds.  The people you see behind my mom and the boys is the calm side of the beach.  Behind us was towel to towel packed tight. luckily- our kids didn't mind at all :)

 All they need is popsicles to be happy!  I love this picture because of my dad carrying mack.  That as another fabulous part of vacationing with more adults! we don't have to carry kids as often!!  thanks, gramps!

the highlight of this beach was the astounding beach food we found.  I have come to realize that the best food in the world is often found in close proximity to a beach :)