Waterfalls, rice paddies and coffee

Our time at the villa had come to an end.  Instead of leaving back home immediately, I had arranged for us to go somewhere else for a few more nights.  We had the leave and the flight from Hong Kong wasn't that short, so it seemed like a better use of time to stay a bit longer.  I arranged for a van to pick us up and to take us to our next location.  It was a long drive, so it seemed convenient to do some stopovers on the way.  Our first stop was the Tegenungan waterfall.  It was relatively short drive without too much traffic.  One of the great benefits of this part of Bali was that was far from the intense Uluwatu to Seminyak region that was full of crowds and jams.  Everything over here was far more relaxed and calm.  Arriving at the waterfalls, we quickly found a nice vantage point for some pictures before we started the hike down to the water at the bottom.  It was a well paved and scenic walk, though I wasn't looking forward to the hike back up after.

 

The hike down was a bit unexpected.  Rather than walking through hidden and untouched jungle, this seemed to be quite a built up area.  The jungle vibe had been well maintained, but reaching the bottom we found hotels on both sides of the water as well as several stalls selling snacks.  The hotels were beautiful and built into the surrounding nature, but it was still a bit surprising.  Down at the water level, the temperature also dropped.  It was cool and comfortable, and when the breeze blew the water spray at us, it almost felt a bit too cold.

 

The excitement and the walk down to the waterfall was clearly tiring for baby Pickle and he fell asleep in Veronica's arms as we walked around near the water.  I took over from her and cradled him in my arms as I carried him back up the stairs.  The walk and jolts did nothing to wake and he slept soundly as we got back in the car to head to our next destination.

We asked our driver if he could recommend any nice places for lunch.  He didn't disappoint and took us to a nicely renovated restaurant overlooking some rice paddies.  It was a modern restaurant that catered to the tourist crowd, but it was a peaceful and comfortable place for a lunch.  As we ate, baby Pickle seemed happy to sit in the highchair looking out at all of the new and interesting sights.

After lunch, the driver took us to a coffee plantation.  This is one of those locations that screams "tourist trap".  Tour groups are brought in, the drivers get paid, then the hard sell is made to the tourists to buy whatever it is they're selling.  I remembered back to when I was young and the shock of my parents with us being dragged from shopping location to shopping location, full of stuff we didn't want and full of touts pushing their wares on us.  None of that was an issued here and e were fully aware of what we were getting ourselves into.  It was a tourist location, but there were still things to see and coffee for baby Pickle to grab at.

   

After walking through the grounds of the coffee plantation, we were taken for a coffee tasting.  There was nothing exceptional on offer, but it was still all new to us so it was nice to try to different flavours on offer.  Some were nice, others less so....

Baby Pickle seemed to be enjoying everything.  All the new sensations, the colours, the things to touch.  It seemed to engage him and he seemed amazed by it every part of it.

Relaxing in Bali

Life in the villa was good.

Maybe a little bit too good.

It was fancy living, with all of our needs catered for by the professional and friendly staff.  This wasn't my first trip to Bali, but it was the first time I had experienced this type of villa living.  The previous trips had usually been in hotels near to the wedding locations.  Those hotels were all lovely, I had enjoyed the stays immensely.  Yet this was something a little bit different.

Staying in these villas was comparably priced to staying at the big hotels, but they came with an additional privacy and enjoyment that you didn't seem to get at a hotel.  It was a very nice way to spend a few days.  With Lico and Chris, and the babies both being well looked after, we were able to all properly enjoy our time off.  

As we were all staying a little bit further away from the main busy areas of Bali, we also had the benefit of much more space.  We even had direct beach access, which seemed to be a level of luxury beyond what we could have imagined.

We took our meals together, all prepared with care and skill by the villa staff.  We were able to spend our time together lounging by the pool, wandering the grounds of the villa or playing with the kids on the grass and in the shade.  Each day, Veronica and Lico had massage therapists come to the villa to give them massages up in the private massage therapy area of the villa.  At the end of each session, the staff even set up the spa baths in each of our rooms so the girls could soak and relax after the massages.  Whilst the girls did this, Chris and I played with the kids, or when they napped we went and explored along the beach, admiring the long coastline and the impressive neighbouring villas.

This stay in the villa felt more "Bali" than any of the previous visits.  This was the Bali that seemed to capture the dreams and thinking of so many who visited.  It was a seductive way to live and to holiday.  It felt like a perfect blend of relaxation whilst still getting to enjoy the best of the island.  I wasn't sure when I would return to Bali (likely the next wedding whenever that may be), but this type of stay would be what I would want to experience again. 

Bali wedding once more

It was another Bali wedding.  You would think I would be getting tired of them, but that wasn't the case at all.  Every wedding had enjoyed a beach and tropical vibe, so there were certain things that didn't change.  That didn't seem to make any of them less enjoyable.  They were always a happy occasion, with everyone in a good mood, with the holiday vibe adding to all round good spirits.

 

This wedding had one extra special element compared to the previous Bali weddings I had attended.  This one was full of children.  There had been kids at all of the previous weddings, but nothing like this.  There were babies, infants, small kids, bigger kids all running around as the wedding was about to start.  Ryan and Jess were well aware of the crowd, and had even arranged a large room at the back for all the kids to rest and relax.  It added an extra family feel to the entire festive mood.

The wedding was lovely and it was amazing to see Ryan and Jess so happy together.  A lot had changed for them since we were all together in Hong Kong.  We were all happy to see them after they had moved, so this wedding had been the perfect opportunity for a reunion.

After dinner, as the wedding continued into the night, those of us with kids arranged for the kids to be taken back to the villas.  Veronica took Pickle back to the villa to be looked after before she came back to join in the rest of the party.

Everyone was drinking and dance.  It was a great time, but I felt is harder than any previous wedding.  Life with a child is an energy consumer.  Even as other continued to enjoy the party, I could feel my strength waning.  We stayed just a little bit longer, before we decided it was time for us to go back to the villa to sleep.

Off on a tropical adventure

We were off again on another trip.  All our trips with the baby Pickle had been a success so far.  Many had looked at our trips with shock.  Others with admiration.  Maybe we had become overconfident and arrogant to travel so much?  I didn't really care so much.  For me, the difficulties had all been worth it and I felt it had given us time and opportunities to bond that were invaluable. 

Sitting in the lounge as we waited for our flight, Pickle was curious of everything around him.  I went and got glasses of champagne for myself and Veronica.  This piqued his interest immediately.  He looked at us intently as we drank and decided that surely it was time for us to share some of this with him.  

When we boarded the plane, he was already tired.  Once we took off, the flight attendants promptly set up the bassinet and I was able to carefully place him in to sleep without any disruption.  I lay my head down as well, trying to rest.  This didn't last long though as the baby Pickle woke after only a relatively short nap. 

Refreshed and reenergised, he decided that now was the time to start exploring.  He couldn't really walk yet, but that didn't mean he couldn't crawl or climb around.  With this skill, he decided that what he really wanted to do was to say hello to pretty Japanese girls seated in the row behind us.  He scraped and crawled over me, stepping on my shoulder and face to get his head above the row of seats.  Perched up high, he smiled and laughed as the girls cooed at him and exclaimed "kawai", all the while encouraging him further....

When we arrived at the airport in fairly good spirits.  Everyone was well rested enough and it wasn't too late. We expected there to be a long wait at immigration and customs, but instead we found almost no lines.  With baby Pickle in tow, we were also directed to the "short" line which meant we were able to get through even quicker.  Outside there was a car waiting for us.  A short drive later and we were at our villa for the next few days.

Baby Pickle soon found himself comfortably settled in one of the rooms as the staff immediately came to provide us with all the comforts we needed.  

All of the staff seemed to be incredibly happy and excited to see us with the baby.  A few hours before we had arrived, our friends Chris and Lico had also arrived with baby Luca.  It would be a nice few days together, with parents and children all able to enjoy the surrounds.