Sanur, Bali, Friday through Monday

We hardly strayed from the hotel these days, on our beach vacation. Sanur is a tourist town, and we didn't mind avoiding the traps in town. Especially because most of the restaurants advertised Italian, British or even Mexican food. We sought out Indonesian food at the warungs along the beach - grilled fish, satays, currys, and always fried bananas with honey, ice-cream or black pudding and coconut milk for dessert.

Being our relaxing beach vacation, I didn't journal at all. But the schedule was simple.

Breakfast,



Beach,



Swimming pool,



Picnic,



Nap,



Dinner,



Bedtime.



Each day passed peacefully and relatively uneventfully. The Balinese people are wonderfully friendly, and we enjoyed many conversations with taxi drivers and restaurant staff. The most eventful part of the weekend was our run-in with a rhinoceros beetle.



We left the grounds of the resort for every meal, both to avoid the 20% hotel service charge and to get away from the poor food served at our hotel. A brick path along the beach made this both simple and pleasant each evening. This particular evening, the girls woke early from their naps and we enjoyed a long walk to a small warung away from most of the hotels. The tables sat on the sand, and a German family had brought along beach toys to keep their children amused. They were happy to share. A split log next to a plywood table formed a bar looking out at the ocean, and Dave and I enjoyed a Bintang while they girls played.

We moved to our table once our food arrived. The sun had set and a few bare bulbs hung over the tables. L-- noticed a large bug lying on his back next to the table. He was kicking his legs slowly, and rather amusing to watch. Every so often, we'd peek at him and he kept us all interested.

Until he rolled over. L-- and I both watched as he began to crawl around.

And then he lit off into the air.

Now, this bug was large and black with a hard shell. And by large, I mean hands down the largest insect I have ever seen. Apparently these are some of the largest beetles in the world. We had no idea this was a rhinoceros beetle or that once it gets stressed, it makes a loud hissing sound. But we did learn that he was a horrible flyer, moving slowly, loudly and bumping into things as if blind.

Right above L--.

She screamed, terrified, and did her best to disappear inside of me.

I'll admit, this bug was pretty scary. I covered her and appreciated the excuse to hide my face against her neck. The waitress was as nervous as we were, and sent a guy from the kitchen to bat it down. I didn't see this, but Dave tells me that the guy whacked at the bug and sent it straight down... onto L--'s chair! Imagine the scene if I hadn't already brought her onto my lap!

The young man picked it up, showed it to us and said No problem. No problem. And then walked away with it. L-- wouldn't go near a bug for the rest of the day.

We stayed at the Hotel Mercure Resort Sanur with mixed reviews. We both took advantage of the spa, and its prices and massages were both wonderful. The facilities were lovely, full of gardens and sharp bungalows. The swimming pools were pristine and the beach was gorgeous. But the service was horrible. The shuttle into town left us behind every time. The hot water only ran occasionally. The staff made clear their annoyance when I complained. And 3 of the 4 of us left sick.

We flew out of Bali on New Year's Eve, and with a connection in Singapore we welcomed 2008 with both girls awake watching cartoons at Changi Airport. Both flights were relatively uneventful, and extremely empty. The girls slept, although Dave and I did not. We enjoyed both Singapore and Bali, although I'll admit that my favorite part of the trip was just being a family, together all of the time, for over a week. I miss that already.