Morgan and I went to the local water park in Kuta, Bali. Soooo fun! I felt like a 12 year old again. We were screaming and squeeling with the kids. Going through tunnels on the vortex and up and over slippery slides we rode the rides over and over again. It was sunny, hot, and not too crowded as to force a wait in lines. My favorite was the climax, or something like that. You climbed 10 flights of stairs and then are thrown into a single person chamber. In this glass tube, barely enough room to fit me, was a retractable floor. The Indo lifeguard made silly faces and weird gestures before giving me the countdown...then I fell through the floor and about lost my lunch from the steepness and rush of this ride! So gnarly Morgan wouldn't try it ;)
We drove there on the motor bike, maybe 45 minutes through heavy traffic and face-blackening smog. Morgan and I grabbed a quick esspresso and hit the slides for a couple hours. Then went to the food court where they served our favorite spicey fried rice specials. This was immediately followed by the two person raft slide that dumps you off into the lazy river. It was such a random and spontaneous activity but well worth breaking up the standard day at the beach.
The waves weren't great do to the heavy winds. So a lot of our time was spent cruising around on the motorbike and enjoying our luxury hotel. Thanks Kim! We went back and forth to Balangan beach where we had originally met up with Jake upon our arrival in Bali (a few weeks back). It was nice having my bearings at this point. I was able to cruise around on the bike all over the island with great ease. Dangerous at times but it's a lot of fun just getting to different places. We even went into town and drove through a local outdoor market. The sights and smells were strong enough to experience the whole thing from the safety of our bike though.
Our hotel, luxury in comparison to our usual accomodations, had an infinity pool and a generously attentive staff. Though the communication barrier seemed trying at times, Morgan and I really enjoyed our stay at Mamo hotel. There was even a wedding held there. The son of the family owners was married in a traditional form at the hotel. The locals, I'm assuming friends and family, all chipped in for the days of preperation. We, the guests of the hotel, were even presented a formal invitation to the ceremony and all accompanied festivities...aka the food (was my thinking at least haha)! There were elaborate handmade decorations made from tapestries and paper. The entire hotel was teaming with bright colors and Hindu decor. Hand carved wooden platforms that rose a few feet above ground on stilts were decorated accordingly and served as ceremonial places of importance. With tile floors and only 10'x10', very similar to the meditation or message platforms, the pyrimidal roofs which came to an upward facing point on the corners pleased my eyes and cultural appetite. Down the stairs, just past the dark blue tiled infinty pool, was the restaurant that had a dozen self-serve local delicacies for all the guests. I managed to try a thing or two ;)
Then an early Christmas! Morgan's mom sent a goodie bag! Filled with snacks, lotion, sunscreen, and a bunch of other essentials that are impossible to find in Asia. We layed it all out on the bed. With grins and giggely expressions, Morgan and I went through each pocket of her new backpack! Just in time before heading to Thailand. Literally, just in time. The package arrived the night before and we nearly had to take the FedEx guy hostage to get them to release the bag to us without some astronomical customs fee/bribe! The following day we left for Phuket, Thailand!
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