Arrival in Bali

Our arrival in Bali was smooth. The flight was uneventful and airport formalities straight-forward. The boys are clearly seasoned travelers and know the usual airport/ airplane routines. Our driver was waiting for us outside the final airport doors and after an hour on the road, we found our destination: the bottom of staircase. In the dark, it looked like a jungle mystery but the agents of the villa we rented were also waiting for us and carried our luggage and worries away.

The 5 minute walk uphill ended at a beautiful villa. Multiple rooms, balconies and terraces with huge Balinese wooden lounge sofa day beds are scattered in an open air concept amidst jungle growth and fragrant flowers. It feels like having entered a luxury spa scented with exotic perfumes and the noise of Singapore replaced with the quiet buzz of crickets and cicadas. The soft lights shimmering in our private swimming pool were definitely calling us.

We jumped in and admired the night sky trying to spot the constellations visible south of the equator. Pool time was not long as the cool night breeze ushered inside for a light snack and dry clothes. By midnight, the boys were in bed but not asleep but fatigue eventually set in and the house was quiet.

I was awoken at 5am to find both boys inside the mosquito screening of our large four-poster bed. They slept soundly but the sound of some religious ceremony was clearly the reason for waking me. Beating drums and ringing bells off in the distance could be heard across the faintly brightening dawn. I suppose its not much different from the practice of tolling European church bells... But do they need to do it at 5am? I changed beds and moved to the lounge in the tower. It's the top most room above the villa rooftop. From here, a 360 degree view of the surrounding area can be seen. After sunrise, it was easy to see the sleeping volcanoes to the North and the picture attempts to capture the small rice paddies that surround us.