I't's difficult to believe that two years and some days have passed since my last blog entry. I'm not sure where the time's gone, but gone it has. Well, I'm here once again on this magical Island of the Gods, as it's known. This time I'm staying in Kuta, the city nearest the airport. It's afternoon on the eve of the New Year. Heavy rain is falling as I sit at my hardwood table typing away on my new notebook. The living/dining room is open to the elements but cov...

After another good days "work" we settle in for a delicious meal at our favorite little "warung" (restaurant) to a large local Bintang beer, fresh, crisp organgic salad which by the way, organic fruits and vegetables are cheaper here than the other produce as they say that it costs them money to use all those expensive chemicals. Why couldn't it be like that back home, instead of the arm and half a leg it costs back there?? Alvin enjoys a larg...

The Tale Of The Seven Roosters It's 4 am and once again the more than annoying sound of crowing from the roosters fills the air directly beneath the window of our 3rd storey apartment. "Someone please tell those birds that it's Sunday and 4 am," Made's (Maa-Day's) brother or possibly brother-in-law seems to have collected more than his fair share of roosters, up 4 from the 3 of yester year. One rooster, maybe, but 7 right beneath our bedroom window, I ...

As Alvin opens the window of our 3rd floor apartment, on our first day back in Ubud, Bali, I see something out of the corner of my eye, fall from the window onto the floor. "What was that?" I quickly ask, almost not wanting to know. "Oh, don't worry Alvin responds, it's only a BAT! OMG, now if there's one thing (or maybe two) that I'm afraid of, Bat would be at the top of my list. I rush outside while giving instructions not to move the bat until a...

Our long awaited (or so it seems) day to return to Lombok has finally arrived. Thunder and lightning have filled the skies for several hours before dawn and we're hoping to get a reprieve just long enough for us to reach Padang Bai where the ferry leaves to Lombok. It's a good hours ride under ideal conditions and with the wet, slippery roads it will be considerably longer. We hear a tap, tap, tap on the door as John questioningly asks, "you two ready to go?...