We wanted to be relatively close to the airport for our final night, and since I had a free night with Hyatt, we decided to stay at the Grand Hyatt in Nusa Dua. I'd seen the Nusa Dua area described...
Blog posts from Indonesia
Candidasa: Food & Drink
Le-Zat Many restaurants in Candidasa offer car pickup which was a really nice feature - even though the main part of town was a manageable walk from our hotel, the narrow roads and alleys make it a...
Candidasa: snorkeling at Gili Mimpang and Blue Lagoon
Our primary reason for staying in Candidasa was the opportunity for more snorkeling with Blue Lagoon nearby and several rock islands in view off the coast. On our first day at the resort I was...
Candidasa: Tirta Gangga, Ujung Water Palace and White Sandy Beach
The east side of Bali has several temples and sights of interest, so we search Tripadvisor and a few other websites for a driver and found Gejor. Before our trip we corresponded via email and...
Candidasa: Puri Bagus Candidasa
The word that comes to mind with the hotel is weird. Enough that we made a list during our stay: When we arrived around 12:30pm the two men at the front desk seemed confused to see us and even more...
Ubud: overall impressions
During our five days in Ubud we did quite a bit of walking around (me more than Eric as he opted to sit by the pool on one of my longer afternoon excursions) and while I found the doorways and...
Ubud: Lobong Cooking Class
I enjoyed a private cooking class in Budapest and a small group cooking class in Thailand on previous trips, so when Eric found a few options in Bali, I knew I had to give it a try. For anyone...
Ubud: Alaya Resort & Spa
The Alaya Resort is relatively new, so our driver didn't know where it was. Fortunately we had the location marked (accurately!) on Google maps and were able to guide him to the correct spot. The...
Bali: Menjangan to Ubud
After cooling off from our morning trek we called for a ride to the reception area and completed our noon checkout. Our driver was already there so our bags were transferred to his vehicle and we...
Bali: The Menjangan
For our time in the northwest corner of Bali we decided to stay at the The Menjangan given it's proximity to Menjangan Island for snorkeling plus the National Park that the resort is located in. We...
Bali: snorkeling at Menjangan Island
After breakfast on the water we walked over to the dive center where we first completed some paperwork and were given fins. While there we met Carolyn, an American working in SE Asia who would also...
Bali: Denpasar to Menjangan
The drive from the airport to The Menjangan resort in the very northwest corner of Bali was estimated at 4-5 hours (150km), so we made plans in advance to stop at a few places on the way. Our quick...
Memory Monday: my temporary friend
If you ever have the opportunity to travel around central Bali then you will likely see the Balinese long-tailed macaque (called 'kera' by the locals). The most popular place to have an experience...
Lombok: Sendang Gila and Tiu Kelep waterfalls
While on Lombok we had the option of either snorkeling off the Gilis or a waterfall hike in the North. Knowing we had to travel the next day we figured we would keep things drier on the hike.... how...
Lombok: overview & hotel
Arrival after dark, several hours late, but at least we made it. There are several taxi and tour stands between the baggage claim and when you exit the airport, so we grabbed a ticket with a set...
Bali 2014: overview
Bali was our big trip for 2014 with stops in Los Angeles, Lombok, and four distinct areas of Bali. Planning started summer 2013 with our intent to fly Cathay Pacific first class again. After several...
Memory Monday: $120 worth of caviar in my belly
The first time I ever tried caviar was on a cruise ship at 17 years old during the captain's cocktail hour. The only thing I remember about the taste was how salty it was. Fast forward many years...
Our Itinerary
2024 Trips
San Diego, CA (Jan)
Sarasota, FL (Feb)
Madrid, Spain (Mar)
Valencia, Spain (Mar+Apr)
Palma, Mallorca (Apr)
Croatia (May)
Long Island, NY (July)
Faroe Islands (Aug)
London, UK (Sept)
Puglia, Italy (Sept)
Matera, Italy (Oct)
Rome, Italy (Oct)
Mosel Valley, Germany (Oct)
Frankfurt, Germany (Oct)
London, UK (Dec)
Manchester, UK (Dec)
2023 Trips
San Diego (Jan)
Orlando (Feb)
Richmond, VA (Apr)
Northern Italy (Apr)
NC Mountains (May)
Long Island (Jul)
Wisconsin (Aug)
Chicago (Aug)
Oak Island, NC (Sept)
Brooklyn, NY (Sept)
Bordeaux + Rugby World Cup (Sep)
Castilla y León (Sep)
Seychelles (Nov)
Willamette Valley (Dec)
2022 Trips
Florida (Feb)
NC Mountains (Apr)
Washington DC (Apr)
Valencia, Spain (May)
Hilton Head, SC (May)
Pacific NW (Jun)
Long Island (Jul)
Florida (Sept)
Chicago (Sept)
Poland (Sept)
NC Mountains (Nov)
Euro Xmas Markets (Dec)