19-NOV - Tue - The twins bid Bali farewell

And here we are, the end of our adventure. The last day, the last hours in Ubud. Tomorrow morning, 5.30am wake-up call, for 9am lift-off to Perth. These two travelling lads have a suitcase full of memories, laughter, joy, excitement, thrill, hair-raising encounters, smiles, feel-good moments and a bag full of frustration, anger, despair, hair-pulling occasions and much more, from spending nearly three months in Bali. The call from home has arrived and it’s time to pack our bags! We have been laughing and joking most days; we have been observing, watching, seeing and absorbing extraordinary scenery; we have walked, scooted and driven where we never thought we would; we have dined and wined in most memorable places and tasted the most delicious dishes. Our last two weeks up here in Ubud have been filled with scenery: Ubud is views! One can come up here for the yoga sessions and the aroma therapies, but if you do not wish to become part of your inner self, or you already found it, the views are it! The temples in central Ubud are splendid, being the home town of the Balinese Royal Family, and there are plenty to see (temples that is). The cultural program with all its traditional dances is constant and omnipresent, one only has to step foot outside the hotel complex to be offered every possible dance from the infinite Balinese dance kaleidoscope! We chose to see two of them and were richly rewarded with the most exquisite performances. There are no taxi drivers honking each tourist walking down the street, but instead a cacophony of micro-conversations, presented to each passing tourist: “Taxi? Taxi? Cheap for you boss!”; “Taxi boss?”; “Maybe tomorrow?”; “Morning discount boss!”; “Transport boss?”; on and on, every 10 metres. In contrast to Kuta and Legian, here a polite “No” is acknowledged with a smile or a polite “Thank you, maybe tomorrow boss”, but it does get onto your nerves, after 14 days of it… On the other hand, being asked if we were twins from every third taxi driver and from nearly every hotel staff member on this island and in this hotel in particular (of which there seems to be hundreds of), was different. Guess our identical hair styles, our near-to identical sun-glasses, our slender but toned bodies, our model looks and being of the same age could indeed fool anyone. So from our first logical and honest reaction of “No” three months ago, we re-considered after realising what would they think, knowing we are sharing 1 room and 1 bed!? So we thought maybe to say brothers? But again, that would have been questioned, as we do not share the same surname; so we had to settle for cousins. From then onwards, when-ever asked, we politely smiled to the Balinese, indicating we were in fact cousins, sharing a great holiday, sharing one room, one bed and many romantic dinners, gazing into each other’s eyes! How very wrong in most countries, not so in others! But up here in Ubud, we thought what-the-heck: “Yes, twins we are”! Seems to be a great thing, to see twins up here, as the reactions are one of ecstatic happiness… are they going to offer us to their goods on one of their special bi-annual celebrations? We will never know, as this set of twins is flying home tomorrow morning! Thank you Bali and all your people, for giving us the experience of a lifetime! The End (of this trip) - Keep following our not so regular blog: "FromPerth2TheWorld"

18-NOV - Mon - It is done! We flew under the radar…

We left Ubud for a quick dip down to the ocean to check on our bungalow and are happy to report it is nearly complete. One or two little tweaks and putting up the pictures, which will be done when we come back in December, when we are due for the final check and official inauguration. We are ecstatic, it looks stunning; we can’t wait to start dedicating our efforts in promoting it and getting clients to enjoy our little paradise in Bali. The trip itself down to Seminyak… well, that is another story all together, and here it goes! Driving a car in another country, especially a developing country, with laws and rules that can be bent at will, depending how much moola one offers, is always going to be a “different” driving experience… These two travelling lads had various tasks at hand: transporting a 20kg stone carved Garuda (sacred flying eagle) from the mountains to the bungalow; visiting the web designer to finalise a few things; stop at the bungalow to check on its progress and deliver the Garuda onto the balcony; visit Air Asia to increase our luggage weight to 40kg each, as one can’t stop at the purchase of a single stone carving, one must have some for Australia too. Option 1: Rent a scooter and try to do it all on the tiny motorbike. We decided against it due to the distance, Seminyak is 1 ½ hr drive away which on a scooter is a bit too much; also there was the minor detail of transporting the 20kg stone carving on it. Option 2: Rent a taxi or driver for the day. We thought about it but decided to keep it as our back-up plan. The cost of having someone for the whole day proved a bit too steep, also having someone waiting for us all day would have put too much pressure on our thinking process and would have stressed our gentle nerves. Option 3: Hire a car and drive ourselves. Cheaper, more flexibility, more adventure! Option 3 it had to be! When scooting around Bali, we quickly learnt that one should try to avoid being stopped by the local law enforcers, as they will always find a way to fine you, especially if foreigner. Managing the heavy traffic on a scooter is much easier, as one can zigzag through the cars and onto footpaths. So we were prepared, driving a car here was going to be even more challenging! So we made a plan: The Swiss lad would be the co-pilot, reading the GPS and giving clear directions, looking out for any traffic on the left flank of the space shuttle and any law enforcement officers. The Italo-Aussie lad would be at the commands of the vehicle, keeping a look-out for all traffic front and back. Once this was decided, we set out the “Rules of Engagement”: keep calm at all times; happily compliment anyone cutting in front of us at the last minute; nodding approvingly at other road users merging into our lane suddenly and without using indicators; drive slowly; and most of all, fly under the radar! We were ready: we boarded; we locked ourselves into the car; and we drove off in our microscopic, boxy, 1-litre engine, electric blue, Suzuki Karimun. The tiny and windy roads of Ubud, down to Seminyak, via beautiful villages and stunning rice paddies, take on a complete new spectrum, when driving in stealth mode! Once we reached the outskirts of Denpasar, our side windows went up and sun glasses on, to reduce the “identificationability” of this vehicle’s drivers from the outside, and we went into “stealth mode max”! Following large trucks or vans, to hide behind them; making sure not to be the first at traffic lights, by slowing down and let ourselves be overtaken by swarms of scooters, hiding within them; staying in the centre lane, to make a possible stopping by the “enemy” even more difficult, as they would have to cross a whole lane to single us out. We had a couple of alert calls and warnings going off, with enemy in close proximity, but our great expertise in driving undetected, made the trip a success! A nerve-wrecking success! Driving a car here, is definitely not a priority.

16-NOV - Sat - The countdown has begun…

5, 4, 3, 2, 1, lift-off... Seems so strange, the thought we will be leaving for home, at the same time it will be great to be back home, no more living out of suitcases, having to brush our teeth with bottled water, spraying ourselves with insect repellent, checking what food we eat. For as much as we love this adventure, we do love our creature comforts of back home :)

13-NOV & 14-NOV - Wed & Thu - It is time!

All holidays reach that stage where you suddenly long for your own bed, you suddenly want your home comforts, your familiar belongings and these two lads have reached it. This feeling appears out of no-where, but you just know: It’s time! It’s time to get ready to go home, you’re filled to capacity with all the sights, the smells, the experiences and it’s time. We don’t feel sad about it; on the contrary, after this most fantastic adventure we need to get back home. We are excited about seeing family and friends, sharing all the details and pictures taken; we are excited about things we need to do before Christmas; we are excited about finding ourselves a job! For once the feeling of the holidays finishing is a great one, as our old jobs are not waiting for us and we are free to pursue our own path. This experience in Bali may be coming to an end, but golly gosh, the real adventure of a life time, where these two travelling lads and loving partners are commencing a brand new life together, is only just getting kick-started! We always said it was time to find a better equilibrium between work and life, and that is exactly our objective. These last days we have been working on our CV, and spreading the word of our availability. It is exciting looking for new jobs, wondering at what we’ll end up doing, and knowing we are (or should be) wise, skilled and hard-working generation X employees. Watch out Perth, these two fully recharged 39-year old men are coming to town and know what they want!

12-NOV - Tue - Our 18th monthiversary – Fatal attraction

As we woke up on our 18th monthiversary, it was flirting over a cup of coffee, making love against a wall, on the table, any surface possible. How could this only be a casual encounter when obviously the attraction for each other was so intense and special? A relationship between two individuals making such a powerful connection is the logical conclusion, but what if it was just meant to be a casual fling? Should one go nuts at the prospect of having to live life apart, knife in hand? This the summary of "Fatal Attraction", what a movie to watch on our morning, whilst being lazy in bed!? No wonder these two 1974 lads were never allowed to watch it when it originally came out! Funnily enough neither of us ever saw it, so perfect opportunity to catch up on it! Our monthiversary was set to be a fun filled day, deciding to rent a scooter for the day and go exploring, enjoying the cool breeze, smells and views, as they envelope us, rather than being cocooned in the comfort of a car. As usual we took a wrong turn somewhere and got rewarded with spectacular views over rice paddies, with the tropical forest as background. We finally found our way to the Alila Ubud, the spectacular hotel set at the edge of the valley, in the midst of the forest, a place of absolute peace and tranquillity where we stayed on our first trip to Ubud, on our Christmas 2012 trip. We just had to come back for an afternoon coffee and chat with the wonderful staff, still remembering these two guys. How could one not remember us!? We slowly made our way back and finished the evening having dinner like a three-layer cake, starting at the top. Warung Schnitzel (don’t laugh, it exists) is a three story building, we started by having a glass of wine and some snacks on the top level, till a large group of Americans (damn you “Eat, Pray, Love”) left us no choice but to descend one level, looking for a quieter table. We enjoyed another glass of wine over our most delicious dinner. The rain once again set in and the only obvious choice was to descend once again, into the comfy lounge at the ground floor, with great view over the street. We enjoyed the rain droplets with a third glass of wine and baked chocolate mousse, drizzled with coconut milk and fresh, local, organic strawberries!

11-NOV - Mon - Rain drops falling from the sky…

We were sitting at our preferred Italian restaurant “Il Giardino”, the place empty as the day tourists from Kuta had already left, comfortably seated under the thatched roofed garden, enjoying the peace and quiet, feeling so relaxed, we were watching the rain drops falling into the lily pond, circles being drawn on the smooth watery surface with each drop, the big colourful koi swimming gracefully just beneath the surface, what better way to spend an evening, as the waiter lights a candle, pours a beautiful glass of Italian red wine and one looks into the eyes of his partner? As we are enjoying our plate of pasta the rain starts pounding, we are still the only guests in the place, the waiters chatting to each other at the far end of the restaurant. Is there anything more cozy than being under cover, warm enough whilst dressed in shorts and singlet, as the rain splashes down all around you? Memories of summer nights in Europe as a child! The rain came to an end perfectly timed as we decided to make our way back to our little four walls, skipping from puddle to puddle. Just as we thought our beautiful evening was over, we turned the corner into the main street to witness the most magnificent procession we have ever seen in Bali. The footpath was lined with boys all dressed in white, ceremonial white head scarf and ceremonial white sarong, the night filled with the sound of the big bronze gongs, flutes and tambourines all playing together. Further down the street more Balinese in white, holding the most stunning ceremonial umbrellas in deep red, white and gold, with all the tassels and bells. The music intensified as out of the Royal Palace, further down the street, came a wave of people, again mostly in white, and with them flag after flag carried by more young men, as they were flanking some of the elders (we assume some royal family members, as the Balinese in the crowd around us nodded respectfully as they passed) all dressed in the most magnificent lace. As this already stunning procession made its way down the street, out of the temple came a new procession, even more glorious, with breathtaking religious ornaments carried on shoulders. The two streams of people joining together gracefully to make one, the air filled with thick incense, burning out of big bronze containers carried on the head of stunningly dressed women. We admired the people, the costumes, the dresses, the gold and jewels encrusted representations of all the Balinese gods, good and evil, some so important to have their own umbrella accompanying them to shelter them. We saw a magnificent Garuda, with peacock feathers for its tail, the evil spirit Rangda, and of course our most preferred and most spectacular Barong, god of good. It was a procession like no other, a most amazing Balinese event, it took us completely unprepared and the moment made even the more special as we had no cameras to immortalise it, only our memory to safe-keep this experience, making sure to absorbe every umbrella, every flag, every religious artefact, every smile, every sound!

10-NOV - Sun - Discovering the surroundings of Ubud

Magnificent Barong dance first thing in the morning, by a local dance group with international stardom, at a village stage, flanked by a most magnificent village temple. The Barong being the mystical lion/tiger in Balinese culture, looking and moving like the Chinese dragons one sees at Chinese New Year, but less dragon-like, with a more friendly face, looking magnificent as he moves gracefully on stage, dancing to music. The dance being good versus evil, performed with little narration, to the sounds of musicians playing the traditional musical instruments. Great start to the morning! Next, stop at a spectacular lookout over lush green rice terraces, undulating along the valley flanks and cascading down its steep slopes. One marvels at the hard work of tending these small rice paddies, the only way to reach them is hiking up and down the steep hills! What looks most astonishingly beautiful to us must be back-breaking hard labour to the local rice farmers! Following this marvellous sight, a unique opportunity to be part of a Hindu ritual of cleansing your soul, at the natural springs of the Tampak Siring temple. Wearing our sarong, in sign of respect, we followed the locals by entering the chilly pool of spring water and joined the queue in front of the various spring outlets. It is belief that a God stroke his rod into the earth and that release this fresh water. It is custom to wash your face three times, and let the water splash your head, finishing off the cleansing ritual by drinking the fresh water. We respectfully washed our face and got splashed, but avoided drinking the “fresh water” as our Western stomachs might not welcome it with open arms, holy as it may be. A very special experience, to see the huge crowds in the water, with flowers and other offerings at the ready, children, young and old alike. We dried up and it was time for a coffee break! Our guide/driver Ketut took us to a small organic coffee grower, where we got shown the various types of coffee plants, its roasting process and finally the tasting! What amazing coffee they make: mocha, cappuccino, coconut infused coffee, ginger coffee and many more! Delicious! The day ended with a visit to the Rocky Temple, carved into the hard rock in the 11th century and finally the Elephant Cave, a great disappointment, not even worth mentioning in these lines. We retired in our bungalow satisfied with our day of discovery of the surroundings of Ubud.