Terra and Scott RTW

For those of you who are big fans of fish balls, I’ll apologize. I don’t mean to offend. However, I now consider myself to be an expert on these pingpong ball sized orbs of “fish” and I can say without hesitation that they taste like…fishballs!!

What an awful idea! A ball of “fish?” You’ll notice that I keep putting the word fish in quotes. I do that for the same reason that I would write “beef” hotdogs or the same reason they spell KRAB with a K and call “hamburger” on Pizza Hut pizzas “meat topping.” You get my drift? Don’t get me wrong. I don’t doubt that there is some type of fish related substance in these small, rubbery mounds of fun but if you’re thinking…

“mmm fishballs, sounds like a small round version of FISH from the FISH AND CHIPS fame,”

as Judas Priest sang “You got another thing comin.”

Fish…perhaps. Balls…definitely. Unfortunately, this is one of those inventions that should have stayed on the floor of the fishhouse but surprisingly enough bounced right back up after it was discarded.

Fishballs are loved in SE Asia. I was telling the R.Dizzle the other day that you can buy FishBalls in shrink wrapped packs of 12 at 7-11. Nothing says yummy like hitting the 7-11 on your way home from a night out and picking up 12 balls of your favorite fish substance. Don’t believe me? Look in my pics of Thailand (may not be up yet) and you’ll see.

We were in a great little Satay diner in Malacca, Malaysia. Terra, myself and two travel friends (Mark from England and Malin from Sweden) couldn’t wait to lose our Fishball neophyte status. When I was getting ready to ingest my first score of fballs I figured it should be easy. After all, their were going to be dipped in something, deep fried and then dipped in something else before they made it to my mouth.

Well, I could’ve used a few more dips in something. This would’ve been a good time to test my friend Eric Pierce’s theory that ANYTHING deep fried and dipped in Wing sauce is edible. FBalls may be exempt Pierce.

Unfortunately, I can’t really describe what they tast like. You’ll have to taste for yourself. I’d rush out to your nearest asian diner (Thai most likely) and order yourself up a batch. You never know until you try!

I will say, however, that I lived to tell this story so they can’t be to bad. Or can they…..

Thoughts we’d try to keep tabs on the places we’ve really enjoyed since being out. Hopefully fellow travellers can get some use out of this. Keep in mind that this is budget travel but we are more of the mid-range budget travellers. Almost every room we get is a double and has its own bathroom. Air-con, tv, fridge, windows etc are all extras that we have had at one point or the other but not always. I’ve thrown out some prices in USD. Of course, these may have gone up but I would think they’d be within $5 USD.

Bali:

Sanur:

FLASHBACKS is the best guesthouse on the face of the earth. We didn’t stay anywhere else while in Sanur. There are plenty of other options on the same street if you can’t get in. You can find it in you guidebooks and in our Bali section. I would definitely book ahead of time. We stayed for probably 10 days or so. A couple of room options and a great cont. breakfast included. Room rates are $15-20 for a double with fan or $35-45 with A/C. All of the rooms are great. The more expensive rooms are REALLY great.

Can’t go wrong with most of the restaurants. you’ll be able to pick and choose as you go.

Amed:

We stayed only at TRESNA YOGA. Right on the main drag through the little villages. It is actually in Lipah which i think is the 3rd village of Amed. Not on the beach side but a short walk to it. rooms are really nice. hotel is only 4 years old. the family that runs the hotel is special. You’ll meet them all! Room with A/C, cold water only double bed, $15-$20

Lovina:

We stayed in the main touristy part of Lovina called Kalibukbuk. There are 2 main streets that head to the beach. We stayed on the first one a few meters from the beach. couldn’t see it but close. The name of the hotel is RINI HOTEL. Great pool. very clean, nice big rooms and a huge patio. didn’t get a/c paid $12-15 USD.

not all of the warungs around are great. I’d use your guide books to pick although I can say we had very few (if any) bad meals in Lovina.

Ubud:

we went with the LP’s suggestion and chose a guesthouse called SAYONG GUESTHOUSE. It is a little tough to find (down an alley off of Monkey Forest Road by the football field), but you’ll be glad you did. We stayed in one of the really new rooms and loved it. big room with a huge patio and within walking distance to all the good stuff. the staff is awesome. paid $15 USD per.

Tons of great places to eat in Ubud. You have to go to Ubud for a few days if you are in Bali. Very close to Kuta, Sanur, Legian etc. can take a taxi there for cheap!

Hong Kong

Had a terrible experience at the first guesthouse. not sure if it was just that bad or if my expectations were out of whack having come from Bali. Also heard very bad things from other couples about their “guesthouses” too. To avoid the risk of recieving angry emails from owners, I’ll just say that any guesthouse that is in a building with the word MANSION in its name is suspect. do your homework. The tough part is that HK is just NOT cheap. these rooms run about $15 per person per night.

We stayed in the YMCA and loved it. Our room doesn’t really qualify as budget BUT they have dorms too. Book in advance as this place is no secret. our room was $100 USD per night. Dorms are only $20 ish.

Food is no biggy. It is everywhere. It is cheap and it is good.

Singapore:

We also went with an LP suggestion and stayed at THE INN CROWD for a couple of days. We had to check out because they were full so we moved into a place right down the street called the PRINCE OF WALES. We’d recommend both places. Inn Crowd is your prototypical hostel/hotel. Lots of people, group meals etc. POW had a cool Aussie bar downstairs and live music most nights. Both places are in Little India. We found little India to be as convenient as anyplace and the food in the area was terrific! We can definitely suggest two places on the same street as Inn Crowd. The first is right next door and called BLU JAZZ CAFE. Good food and great coffee. The opposite direction you’ll find a small Indian place called FAMOUS CURRY. Just go. It is awesome. dorms around $14 per person. doubles around $25-$30 per night

Malaysia:

Malacca

Stayed in an historic hotel on the Chinatown side of Malacca. It was great, definitely middle of the road for prices though. Can’t remember the name. Will have to look it up. I think it was call HOTEL PURI or Putri??? You’ll love it. $25 per night. a/c, tv, breakfast included.

Kuala Lumpur:

Only stayed one night but it was a good place. We looked at several less expensive places that were not very clean and decided on HOTEL CHINA TOWNN INN 2. There are 2 locations, I would assume both are good. No windows but…phone, clean, safe, right in the middle of the China town bussle but you’d never know it. It is in the LP guidebook. $20 per night.

Lots of good hawker food in China Town. I would stronly suggest getting a coffe from the TEA KING hawker stand. he is usually set up on the side street across from the main food court in China town. you’ll see him mixing his concoctions rapidly. it is a must.

Cameron Highlands (Tanah Rata):

Stayed at the HILLVIEW INN. It was fine. I think we paid too much compared to what I heard from some other folks. the rooms were fine but the mattresses were…not fine. really bent and thin. $18 per night. I can’t highly recommend it but I can highly recommend going to Cameron Highlands. We loved it. Nice and cool.

A real refuge from the heat of Malaysia. The town is very small, all walkable so you might either walk around and check them out or use the guidebook. I have read really BAD things about DANIEL GUESTHOUSE so be ware.

Penang:

Stayed at two places. First was HOTEL HONG PING. A little too expensive but very nice. We stayed there only one night because we couldn’t get a room anywhere else. I worked out fine. $20 per night.

The second place was called 75 TRAVELLERS LODGE. it in the LP guidebook. the rooms are decent. Penang guesthouses are not that great from what I saw and I looked at a bunch of them. 75 was the best of the lot. The staff is incredible however. Great guys. There are a couple of pictures of Lo here on the blog. I’d call ahead and make a reservation (they’ll actuall take them!) as it books up quick. for a double we paid about $12 per night with a/c and our own sink.

Pulau Langkawi:

we ran into a spot of trouble not knowing that the bi-annual airshow was in town so we had to scramble a bit and paid a bit more than we thought we would but…the AB HOTEL (beach side) was perfect. we were literally 12 meters from the beach and could sit on our patio and see the sunset. our room was very clean. had 2 double beds, tv, fridge, a/c and hot/cold shower for only $18 per night. there are many other options that would be cheaper in Langkawi.

Thailand:

Phuket:

we only stayed in one guesthouse in Patong the whole week we were there. I’ll stop short of recommending it simply because there are so many places you can stay. Patong is literally teeming with them. Keep in mind that you’ll pay a bit more in Patong because it is so touristy. our room at the CHUNG KO GUESTHOUSE had a/c fridge, tv, for about $20 us. The staff and the location were both great.

I would make two recommendations: stay in either Kata or Karong beach and avoid Patong except at night or prebook at a hotel that will give you a free ride from the airport or bus station. if you don’t like it, walk 30 yards to the next guesthouse. it is really that simple

Bangkok:

We stayed at the MERRY V GUESTHOUSE. Really liked it. Great location (right off of Khao San on Phra Athit) has very clean, double bed with a/c (could get TV) for $14 per night. also has a nice/cheap internet cafe in the lobby. the cheapest I’ve found. in the heart of all the action and very easy to get downtown and back. Bus # 57 from the train station will drop you off right across the street from it (and several others). Keep in mind, however, there are a million guesthouses here too. I’d book one night in advance and if you don’t like it, scram. you’ll be able to find one you like in a matter of minutes the next morning. promise.

We ate at several good places. Comme, Ricky’s Coffee and a bunch in the LP guide that everyone knows about.

THe second trip to Bangkok was a little different. We splurged a bit (again) on two more expensive hotels in the Siam Square area. Stayed first at the ASIA HOTEL. It was a nice hotel. All the things you’d expect from a hotel including a fitness room that was a welcome feature. They also include an all you can eat breakfast which we tried to eat by ourselves 🙂 It cost us $40/night if you book it online. it is quite popular so don’t be surprised if they don’t have rooms availabel 24 in advance.

The next place we stayed was only a few blocks away close to the Jim Thompson tourist site. It think that was his name. Anyway, it is called the RENO HOTEL and its was quite nice too. We were paying about $32 US per night there. The rooms were very clean, had most ammenities including a pool. The first floor has been remodeled and is quite nice. The on-site diner and bar are also good but a little expensive. The location is great if you want to get away from the K.S. backpacker area for a bit.

Seim Reap/Ankor Wat

Not that ecxiting as far as accomodations. we went mostly by the book. Stayed at Popular Guesthouse and it was good. Very clean, hot water etc. We flew into SR and were met by LOTS of touts wanting to take us to a hotel and telling us the ride was free or telling us to name the price. I’d isn’t a big deal to let them take you to a few (as we did) or just tell them where to go. it is likely that they’ll tell you a place is full or too expensive in an attempt to get you to go where they get paid a commission. no biggie. if you book in advance, many places will send a car to get you at the airport. most of the guesthouse are very close to the bus station if you travel that route.

most of the diners in SR are covered by the LP and, unfortunately, I can’t say that we had a meal any place that was great. I will, however, highly recommend the little western coffee shop that sits on the main drag of SR. Wish I could remember the name but…we will thrilled to get a decent cup of coffee!

Phnom Penh

many guesthouses here as well. If you take the the boat down Tonle Sap, it will dump you off right along the riverfront. you’ll be met by a ton of touts (see Siem Reap) if you’re packing bags, it isn’t a bad idea to get a cab and let him drive you to several guesthouses for $2. it worked for us and we found a nice place with a riverview, fridge, ROOMSERVICE, and hot water for $15/night. it was right on the river and very close to everything. if you come by bus, it is a short taxi ride to the same area. you can certainly find cheaper hotels in the same area. no restaurants stick out but the riverfront does have many choices.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

the bus from PP was great. actually showed up ahead of schedule and dropped us off right at Pham Ngu Lao (sp?) in front of Canadian 271 guesthouse. This place is in the guidebooks. We stayed there because we read about it in the books. It was great. We splurged a bit because it was Christmas. For $23 per night we got a great, clean room with A/c, cable tv, hot water, stocked fridge AND a computer in the room with free internet all day. you can also get a cheaper room with the net if you’d like.

like most of the backpacker areas, there are tons of places to stay and you can certainly find less expensive options by walking a few 100 meters. no problems. we met people staying for $6 in a double room and said it was fine.

We moved a few days later as the Canadian place “forgot” that we made a reservation after our return from a tour to the delta. The new place was called Phi Long guesthouse and it is just around the bend from Pham Ngu Lao. It was good too. our room was very clean, had a fridge and cable tv, air con, hot water, a little balcony, the net downstairs and cost $12 per night for a double. the bed wasn’t very comfortable but…it was $12 a night.

Mui Ne

took the bus. that sucked. got into town about 2 hours later than advertised AND the driver lied about where we were getting dropped off. he said we were in the middle of Mui Ne when, in fact, we were still on the outskirts of town. funny how that works. they dropped us off in front of a guesthouse that “was the only one not sold out.” of course that was a bunch of junk. we hauled ourselved down to a guesthouse down the street. woke up the attendant and crashed for a few hours. I don’t even remember the name of it.

My recommendation, however, is for LUCY GUESTHOUSE. It is in all the guidebooks but is not described well enough. The LP guide says it has only 4 rooms. It probably has 20 or so. I would highly recommend this spot. the rooms are small but very nice. clean, with ac (you won’t need it), hot water, a great on-site diner, an even better bar, swimming pool and it is right on the beach. you won’t be disappointed. i believe the cheapest rooms are $14 per night for two people and breakfast is included. trust me on this one. you can also rent a motorbike here and book/reconfirm bus tickets. run by a very sharp european, most of the staff speaks good english.

Hoi An

Stayed only at TRUNG THIEN guesthouse. very near the central area. location was perfect. the room was fine. very clean. tv, fridge, hot water etc. and only $7 per night. the room was a little musty but plenty of incsense covered it up. I’m sure you could find more expensive, better appointed rooms in Hoi An but…saving money on the hotel allows you to spend more at your favorite tailor!!

We can recommend the TAM TAM tailor highly. She came recommended to us by friends and she did a fine job on our very small order.

MUST recommend one restaurant in Hoi An. You have to try the LaBale Well. This place is in the guidebooks so if I’ve butchered the name, you’ll have to forgive me. It is one of THOSE places that you just have to go at least once. they have a set menu of the do-it-yourself spring rolls with bbq pork. they give you more food than you could possibly eat. it tastes great and the staff is unforgetable. they’ll actually sit with you and roll your spring rolls for you. it is priceless!

Ha Noi

We flew from Danang and took the $2 bus from the Ha Noi airport to the Old Quarter. Our LP guide was missing the map for this part of town so we had no idea where we were. the bus driver dropped us off at a guesthouse owned by (i’m assuming) his brother. we turned it down and were then met by a guy on the street wanting us to go to his “hotel.” I”m usually weary about these guys but Terra said she had a good feeling. She turned out to be spot on. The CITY GATE HOTEL is great. I don’t think it is in the books yet as it has only been open a few months. it is right in the Old Quarter on Thanh Ha street. very easy to walk to all of the esentially. the owner, Mr. Hung (the guy on the street) is great. The rooms are very clean, have shower, ac and heater, hot water, cable, fridge, breakfast is included for around $15 per night. They can also book tours. www.citygatehotel.com.vn

NEW ZEALAND

Christchurch

Only stayed at STONEHURST this time. As the guidebooks will tell you, it is great. A little more expensive but very nice. We had a double room with all the amenities for about $90 NZ per night. A bit more than we wanted to pay but it was well worth it after the long flight from Asia. Everything in Christchurch is accessible by foot so anything in the general downtown area is fine.

We’ve since been staying exclusively at hostels and I can recommend the following places in each city. All were clean, safe etc.

Kaikoura – can’t remember the name of it right now.

Picton – The Villa. book early if you can. has quite possibly the nicest hostel kitchen in the world. really. also has a great BBQ and a hot tub

Abels Tasman – aren’t too many to choose from here. most people are hiking/kayaking and camping. We stayed at the …

Barrytown – All Nations Hotel is the only accomodation I am aware of. It is not a luxury spot by any means. If you want to have a great time partying with the locals there is no better place. If you’re in the mood for a really clean spacious, quiet room stay in Westport or Greymouth.

Franz Joseph –

Singapore is a wonderful city, state, country etc. For those of you that weren’t aware (as I wasn’t before this trip). Singapore is all of the aforementioned. It is an independant Nation that consists of really only one city (also called Singapore) that sits on the southern most tip of Malaysia.

Yes, this is the same Singapore that canes its criminals on public television, has STIFF fines for littering and has a tremendous reputation for being clean, clean, clean.

I’m happy to report that all of this is true.

It really is a lovely city. The train/subway system is quite possibly the cleanest I have ever seen. It is also very easy to understand and make use of. We spent a great deal of time on the train making our way around town. Sidewalks aren’t entirely void of litter but close. It isn’t often you’ll see someone from Singapore taking the last puff of their cig, tossing it on the ground and snuffing it out with their Hush Puppies. Quite refreshing!

Singpore is also a shoppers paradise. I have never seen so many malls in my life! These are not your American style strip malls either. These are high-end malls (think Pioneer Square in PDX or that fancy one in Scottsdale). And these malls are lined up, one after the other on both sides of the street for miles. It was amazing! Nothing like being on a travellers budget and being surrounded by high fashion outlets. Poor Terra, I didn’t think she’d survive 🙂

The city also has a very unique and diverse population. The language of choice is English so ALMOST everyone speaks it (just like the States) so there was no language barrier. Singapore, however, is made up of people from many different ethnic backgrounds. Chinese, Indian, Malay, ex-Pats etc. fill the streets and make each personal encounter a unique one.

Must make one comment about Sentosa. Sentosa a is a little island just off the coast of Singapore. I’m not sure if the entire island is man-made or not but it sure seems like it. The entire patch is like an amusement park without as many rides. It has several high-end resort hotels, an amazingly scenic beach complete with it’s own little “island” within swimming distance, lots of really touristy attractions and its own fantastic tram that runs from the top of Singapore to the top of Sentosa. It is all very strange yet appealing. It is, apparently, the #1 visited “attraction” on Singapore. We too took the bait and ended up spending Thanksgiving there eating cheeseburgers. It was the closest thing to turkey we could find. Oh well 🙂

1. You have to ask for your check
2. When the check comes, you should be ready to pay because the waiter will stand there and wait for you until you give them their money
3. A Cat Oven is a place to have your car painted
4. Pack of smokes $0.70. Bottle of beer $0.50
5. If you don’t have exact change (say you’d have to break a $1 to give 25 cents) they won’t make you pay it
6. The McCafe is everywhere. The McDonlands version of Starbucks. not bad
7. The Crawfish, Egg and Mayo sandwich at McDonalds, rice balls instead of French Fries
8. The pace – frantic like NYC
9. Starbucks doesn’t open until 8 am, doesn’t close till midnight
10. Shopping, shopping, shopping everywhere in Hong Kong
11. Prices on “Undesireable items” – pack of smokes is $11 bucks
12. The subway is IMMACULATE. could eat off the floor
13. More malls than you can count in Singapore
14. Thais’ favorite saying “Same, Same” meaning what you are about to pay for is the same as what you really want. (it never is)
15. almost all “cheese” in SE asia is Velveeta
16.

In case you hadn’t heard, Hong Kong is expensive. We were aware of this fact so we were very careful to do a bit of research before booking our hotel room. After four or five websites, guidebooks etc. we settled on a place that advertised itself as CLEAN, CLEAN, CLEAN.

As much as I can’t stand Martha Stewart (she cost me at least 5K extra on my wedding) I am compelled to share her words here and emphasize that in the world of budget accomodations, CLEAN is a GOOD THING.

So clean it was. And that was about it! We may not be the hardcore travellers we fashion ourselves to be. Maybe we are just getting a LITTLE older and have grown accustomed to different standards but…

The guesthouse was on the 16th floor of a “Mansion” (subsitute dilapidated high rise). When we got off the elevator, it looked like the classic scene from television/movies where the pastel sweater wearing couple inadvertently finds their way into a biker bar and the record screetches to a halt. Needless to say, we were the ones wearing pastel sweaters. No offense here to anyone currently wearing pastel. The fact that we where white (thanks to some of you for pointing out that I am still very white in spiteof the copious sun I have recieved), carrying large packs, sweating profusely and wide-eyed at what we were witnessing, didn’t exactly make us blend in.

We were escorted to our cubicle by a shirtless gent who emphasized that we were getting the best room because ours had a window. I kid you not, I could stand in the middle of the room, arms outstretched and nearly touch both walls. The toilet/shower combo was a sight to behold (I might actual throw up an action photo for you later). It couldn’t have been more than 4 feet by 4 feet and contained all of the essentials…toilet (wall mounted flusher above, plastic accordian style door, detachable shower head. Come to think of it, it was very efficient. I can think of several things that can be accomplished in that little room in about 30 seconds (give or take).

However, Braesch, Hawkins, Mike D, Uncle Frank etc would have a snowball’s chance of acocmplishing anything in this little room. way too small.

So there was much comedy that helped to lessen the blow of the room. Unfortunately, we were stuck there as our frantic efforts to find another hotel fell way short. The Holiday Inn two doors down was a paltry $300 USD per night.

Oh well!!!!

SAFE, FRIENDLY, BEAUTIFUL, AMAZING FOOD, GREAT SNORKELLING/DIVING

I know, I know…how can I say it is safe. Well, the fact is, that Bali has been hit twice in the last few years by bombs, plain and simple. We all agree that this is an unbelievable injustice. Terra and I feel even stronger about this after experiencing Bali firsthand.

Never did we feel unsafe while we were on the island. But, as with anywhere you travel (NYC, London, Madrid) you must be aware of your surroundings and make wise decisions about where to go and what to do. It is sad that these idiot terrorists have made the world less safe but…

The island’s economy has taken a pounding because of the bombs. It is safe to say that a full recovery is a ways off. The only way it will recover is for more tourists to go. The favorable exchange rate and low costs are a few more reasons to consider Bali!

We loved it and will certainly return!!

on to the next destination!!

We finally did it! After years of saying we would try Scuba, we finally did.

What an amazing experience!!! We took a ferry from Sanur, Bali to a small Island about an hour away (east) called Nusa Lemgongan. First, let me say that the island was amazing. Small, friendly, laid back etc. A great place to go to get away from the hectic pace (and I use that term quite loosely) of mainland Bali. I highly recommend the place we stayed as well. (Linda Bungalow, can’t miss it, to the left when you get off the boat, the only building with a blue roof). Our room had a great 360 view of the sea, palm trees, and sea weed farms!!

Not much to do on Lembongan except RELAX and DIVE.

We used the World Diver Dive Center. John and Sue were great! We felt as comfortable as humanly possible considering we were trying to breath like fish.

For those of you who have done it, you’ll understand how difficult it is for me to describe it. Needless to say, swimming and breathing with the underworld is unreal. Felt like I had been written into FINDING NEMO (not that I’ve actually seen it)! Our first “dive” was about 35 minutes of non-stop action. I call it a dive but it was really our divemaster leading us around by our tanks while we gawked at the sights and tried to remember not to hold our breath! Scuba is a must do for anyone not petrified of the water, or fish.

Spent 2.5 days on Lembongan and enjoyed every bit of it. Also…finally saw some rain for the first time in a month. When it rains, it pours (couldn’t resist). It reminded me of the old days in Chicago with the monsoon like thunderstorms. I guess this really is the monsoon though!!

Have now added ALL of Spain, Portugal, Amsterdam, Germany, Prague, Budapest, Croatia and some of Lodon!!

Click Below to see the pics:

PICTURES OF BALI

PICTURES OF HONG KONG

PICTURES OF SINGAPORE

PICTURES OF MALAYSIA

PICTURES OF THAILAND

Pictures of Cambodia

PICTURES OF VIETNAM

PICTURES OF VIETNAM #2

PICTURES OF VIETNAM #3

PICTURES OF NEW ZEALAND #1

PICTURES OF NEW ZEALAND #2

PICTURES OF NEW ZEALAND #3

PICTURES OF NEW ZEALAND #4

PICTURES OF NEW ZEALAND #5

PICTURES OF AUSTALIA #1

PICTURES OF AUSTRALIA #2

PICTURES OF AUSTRALIA #3

PICTURES OF AUSTRALIA #4

PICTURES OF ITALY #1

PICTURES OF ITALY #2

PICTURES OF ITALY #3

PICTURES OF ITALY #4

PICTURES OF SPAIN #1

PICTURES OF SPAIN #2

PICTURES OF SPAIN #3

PICTURES OF PARIS

PICTURES OF THE NETHERLANDS

PICTURES OF GERMANY

PICTURES OF PRAGUE

PICTURES OF BUDAPEST

PICTURES OF CROATIA

PICTURES OF LONDON

We are now in Ubud which is considered the cultural center of Bali. There is great deal of artistic history here that includes I Gusti Nyoman Lempad and Don Antonio Blanco to name two. Most of you that know me, know that I don’t know anything about art so if this sounds silly, you’ll know why.

We have seen a couple of really great museums in the last two days including the ARMA (can’t remember what it stands for) and the Antonio Blanco museum. I would highly recommend both. It had never hear of this Blanco character but let me tell you…his stuff is crazy. Very different but very enjoyable at the same time. I haven’t checked him out online yet but it would be worth it. Very cool.

We have also had the opportunity to check out a couple of local dance troupes perform two of the traditional Balinese dances. WOW!!! Did we see a hum dinger last night!!!! I couldn’t do it justice by trying to describe it here so I’ll just list a few of the attributes:

-no musical instruments, all sounds were made by a group of bare-chested men who hummed, chanted and “sang” for over two hours. it was amazing
-beuatifully choreographed dancing by two young ladies who couldn’t have been more than 7 or 9 years old
-a male dancer on a make shift “horse” dancing on and kicking a flaming pile of burning coconut shells

not for the faint of heart but definitely worth the price of admission!

still trying to get some pictures uploaded.