2024 Bali to Tokyo -Day 2

So much to share since yesterday's post!

After our lengthy and relaxed breakfast, we decided to get massages. John called a local place with excellent reviews. Ria, the lady that answered the phone, immediately asked us to communicate via "what's app".  I luckily had this as a result of our need to communicate to the scuba folks in Thailand last year. Ria promptly sent the pricing menu and we made our selections. To our great surprise, we didn't have to go anywhere, they were coming to us! Yay! 30 minutes later, we were meeting Swati and Darmi. They were joyful and so sweet. Here they are!

What a nice way to spend a lazy afternoon.

We had lunch then scouted out the pool to plan the rest of it day. Mistake!!! There were no pool chairs available which set off a major John trigger. 😩 As John would put it, there is nothing worse than spending a bunch of money of a vacation only to find that there is my room at the pool! We did find out that there was another pool close by, only a 10 minute buggy ride away. We went to the room, got our beach bag together, which John was kind enough to mention took me "way too long". We then went back to the main pool that had no room just to check and make sure before we went to the ancillary pool. John asked around and found that many of the chairs hadn't seen their prior occupants in quite some time so he removed the towels and got us settled in. We ended up enjoying ourselves by reading, napping and relaxing the afternoon away. I woke up from my nap to see this VERY handsome man. I could have sworn he was a model! I could hear all of the women at the pool gasp as he emerged from the water, drops of liquid sunshine cascading off him as he walked in slow motion over to ....me? Wait, what? that is MY husband? I am reminded that I am the luckiest girl in the world!

By late afternoon, the DJ was wrapping up and the pool was vacant of most people, leaving us wondering what to do next. We ended up simply relaxing in our room, me reading my book while John spent time watching his bike race. Yes, it is that time of year again! Dinner was uneventful but nice. We made an early night of it and went to bed just after 9pm. It was an early morning after all!

Fast forward to 4am and we are again awake and ready for our day! John has probably already been up for at least an hour. John heads to the gym and I follow shortly after. He lifts weights and I opt for the punishment of a 45-minute cardio kickboxing class (on YouTube) with a team of mercenaries committed to breaking me! I was definitely sweating and worn out by the time I was done but I didn't quit! Back to the room for protein drinks and the little bit of granola that I snuck back to my room from breakfast yesterday. We now have a few hours to rest until our bike tour we signed up for that begins at 7am. I sure hope I don't regret working out so hard in the gym this morning. Yep! Regret set in big time two hours later!!!

The bike tour was amazing but super dangerous as we were just doing our best to stay on the left side of the road and out of the way of the motor scooters and vehicles whizzing by. There really was so much to see as I struggled to keep my eyes glued ahead of me to avoid potholes that could swallow a small person let alone put me in the hospital. I couldn't take pictures along the way as we were moving quickly. Just imagine a community that survived the apocalypse in the middle of a jungle. Many of the buildings were crumbling, garbage was everywhere (I can't imagine that they have a waste disposal system here) and vegetation had overgrown absolutely everything. The air smelled of waste, smoke from burn piles and the dense forest around us. It was amazing to see such beauty amongst such careless management of a place these people call home. I can only imagine that the struggle for daily survival leaves a person blind to the decay and potential around them. The most beautiful flowers sit atop piles of garbage littering the road and every field we pass. Dogs are everywhere and literally sit in the middle of the road. Chickens are roaming around in yards, fields, businesses and homes. Families ride scooters without helmets while babies and children are held on the handlebars or squeezed between parents while making their way form one destination to another.  This is truly another world, far from the one we enjoy and call home. I am brought back to a great sense of appreciation and gratitude to know that we call our home, America where we have possibilities and potential to succeed and prosper providing, we are willing to work hard and enjoy just a little bit of luck.

Here is proof that graffiti exists in all cultures!

Here are some pictures of a statue that was built roughly 20 years ago. I believe that it is Hindu? I am not sure. As you all may already know, I don't bother vising temples and other shrines to gods of various religions as I believe in the one true God. I share this photo as an example of their artistry only.

We arrive back utterly exhausted and famished.

 I am ready for breakfast! We sit down to enjoy a three hour breakfast starting with several fresh squeezed juices and moving on from there! I think that we might head over to the beachclub that the hotel has a shuttle to as it is 20 minutes away. Maybe some more relaxation and reading is in store for us.