We’re flying out of Bali today, headed to Singapore. Willie and our driver pick us up and drop us at the airport. They pass us off to someone else from Country Holidays, our travel agency. He walks us through our check-in and immigration. Bali has a $20 per person “departure tax”, payable in cash (no plastic). Everywhere we went today, people were making sure we had the cash on hand. One of the first things Willie told us when we landed last Sunday was about the tax. There must have been some interesting exchanges when people are leaving and don’t have cash, or are totally out of money after a vacation.

A driver meets us as we walk out of the airport, right on schedule at 1:15. After a half-hour drive, he drops us off at the hotel. We take a short break, then head out to visit one of the Singapore’s “Garden By The Bay”. It’s been open two years, and is huge. We enjoyed walking through the two enclosed domes, seeing the huge variety of plants and how they’re displayed.

This area was called “Cloud Forest”

This area was called “Flower Dome”

We catch a taxi over to the Singapore Flyer. It’s the second largest in the world, behind the wheel that just opened in Las Vegas. There are tremendous views of downtown and the Marina Bay area. The sunset was beautiful! We grabbed a taxi back to the hotel, ate a little KFC from next door, and prepared for a full day tomorrow.

Getting ready to board the Singapore Flyer.

Need a skin treatment?

TUESDAY TO THURSDAY, 2/ 18-20 /15

It’s beach time in Bali. We ate early and then headed out to the beach area, eventually finding some chairs with lots of shade. I decided I might as well learn to surf while we’re here, so I arranged board rental and lessons from some of the locals on the beach. It was an experience, but probably won’t be repeated (by me). I was able to ride the board, but wasn’t able to get completely to my feet. My gimpy knees wouldn’t let me stand up fast enough. By the time I could get to my feet, I was off-balance and “splashdown”. The waves were good for a beginner like me, but trying to work my way back out after each ride was a physical beating. It took a few dousings before I figured out how to get through the incoming waves without drowning. I had fun, but was exhausted when I finished.

SURFING VIDEO LINK https://www.dropbox.com/s/3rjzoyavijhsvah/15.2.18.Gordon%20surfing.MOV?dl=0

Some of the local beach vendors. If you wander too close to the hotel beach boundary, they begin to circle

Dry land training, before I hit the surf. I’m the one in black)

The rest of the day was spent relaxing, either outside, or in our room. Wednesday was more of the same. Just before sundown, we walked down the beach, checking out all the restaurants and crowds celebrating the Chinese New Year. We finished off the evening with dinner at the hotel. They had a Gamelan orchestra performing.

BREAKFAST AREA VIDEO LINK https://www.dropbox.com/s/ikpr7k9djs8n47n/15.2.19.CNY%20breakfast.MOV?dl=0

BEACH AT SUNSET https://www.dropbox.com/s/272c6mf0kftflvq/15.2.19.CNY%20beach.MOV?dl=0

GAMELAN ORCHESTRA https://www.dropbox.com/s/pk9azs4zrkb2ghx/15.2.19.Gamelan%20orch.MOV?dl=0

Friday, the weather was windy with intermittent rain showers. We spent a really lazy day (as if the last two haven’t been lazy) sitting around the room and out on the balcony watching the waves roll in and the storms blow through. During one of the breaks in the weather, we strolled out of the hotel and down the street to a Circle K. Away from our hotel, the town is a just a lot of tourist stuff and traffic. We were glad to get back to the solitude of our room and balcony.

We really hate to leave this villa. We ordered breakfast “in”. One of the “extras” with our stay is a one-hour massage for both of us. There is also a half hour “welcome” massage. We get to enjoy both this morning, one and one-half hours out on a balcony overlooking the jungle. This place is something else!

Video link to Villa walk-around

https://www.dropbox.com/s/z8sg6gjd6eyr97j/15.2.17.Kayumanis%20Villa%20video.MOV?dl=0

Willie picked us up at 11:00 and we started out on our second day in the mountains and towns of Bali. As we drove, I was amazed at the number of motorbikes. We passed several schools that were transitioning between morning and afternoon groups. There isn’t enough room for everyone to attend school all together, so the school day is split. Some students attend in the morning, finishing at noon, and the 2^nd group begins at 1:00, finishing at 6:00 pm. Teachers work either the morning or afternoon session.

A middle school in transition as the morning group departs

Motorbikes everywhere!

We stopped in one town where the specialty was making jewelry. We watched several delicate pieces being designed. The highlight of the day was lunch. We ate at a restaurant sitting on a hill overlooking a gorgeous rice field with Mt. Agung as a backdrop. Mt. Agung is a volcano. It last erupted in 1963, killing several thousand people. The top of the mountain is covered in clouds today.

Following lunch, we traveled to the largest Hindu Temple on Bali. It’s situated on the side of Mt. Agung. Willie had brought along some fruit and flowers in a basket. After we dressed appropriately in traditional Balinese attire, we were able to observe a “blessing” from a Hindu priest. Traditional Balinese is not our best look.

There were several different gamelan orchestras set-up on different levels of the temple.

On our way down the mountain, we stopped at a Moslem mosque. It’s the only mosque on Bali. The Moslem community on Bali is 200 families and they all live in the neighborhood surrounding the temple. The population of Bali is around 4 million. Although Indonesia is the 4^th largest country in the world behind China, India, and the US, and Indonesia is the largest Moslem country in the world, the majority of Balinese are Hindu.

We finished the day with our arrival at the Seminyak Anantara. Anantara is a luxury hotel chain based in Asia. Our hotel sits on Seminyak Beach, one of several big beaches on the southern tip of the island.   Our room has an ocean view with a hot tub out on our balcony. It’s not as fancy as the villa in Ubud, but it’s a great Bali beach hotel.

We started off the morning getting more familiar with our villa. It’s really weird being surrounded by all the luxury appointments, and not having any walls on the buildings. I found time to jump in the pool before we went to breakfast. Breakfast was set in a gorgeous setting out on a balcony overlooking the jungle and the Agung River.

After breakfast, our guide, Willie, met us with the driver, and we headed for the first stop on our tour of the Ubud area. We drove through town and up a long hill before the driver stopped. We got out and the driver left. We thought we were going to step out and observe a rice field. Actually we were at the beginning of a two-hour trek down a trail through rice fields and jungle. Willie talked about the rice economy of Bali, all the while pointing out plants and animals we came across as we made our way back into Ubud. It was an interesting way to learn about Bali, it’s history and it’s people.

The beginning of our rice field trek.

They can haul anything on a motorbike

Some of the Ubud community were preparing for a cremation ceremony as we drove by.

After our hike, we drove through Ubud, back to our hotel. We wanted to enjoy the property, and last night, when we arrived, we zonked out. Willie picked us up in the early evening and took us to a performance of traditional Balinese dance. I posted a couple of links below of the dance performance. The chanting of the men was intriguing, and lasted the entire 50 minutes of the performance.

Balinese Dance link 1 https://www.dropbox.com/s/rcfvw475y9il3qf/15.2.16.Balinese%20Dance%201.MOV?dl=0

Balinese Dance link 2 https://www.dropbox.com/s/por6i12undyu3uo/15.2.16.Balinese%20Dance%202.MOV?dl=0

After the performance, Willie took us to “Mosaic”, one of the top restaurants (and most expensive according to Willie) on the island of Bali. The specialty of Mosaic is its use of local foods, prepared in a French style. Some of the tastes were a little exotic for us. When we didn’t “clean our plates”, we got a visit from the manager after the 3^rd course, concerned there was a problem with the food. Suddenly, we were the focus of scrutiny on everything we ate (or didn’t eat.)

We really enjoyed our day in Ubud. We found ourselves wishing we had more days here, and fewer on the beach. We’ll evaluate as the week continues.

SATURDAY, 2/14/15

It’s Valentines Day. There are decorations around at the mall, etc. It’s a mostly “western” holiday, but retailers will try to make some money if they can. Our time today is spent packing and prepping for our trip tomorrow to Bali. Judy was in the US such a short time (4 days) she didn’t get adjusted to the time change in Texas. I spent 7 days and it was enough time to get adjusted, and now I’m going to get to flip my body clock back to China.

Packing is problematic because we’re going to a tropical climate. All our “summer” clothes are packed away. There’s lot of digging and searching, trying to find appropriate clothing for the beach. We eventually find everything we need and head to bed.

SUNDAY, 2/15/15

We need to be at the airport at 6:45 am. I figured early on a Sunday, we wouldn’t have a problem getting a taxi, even if the “migration” was going on. The “migration” references the Chinese New Year tradition of families returning to their homes for family reunions. In Beijing alone, the government is anticipating 8 million people leaving the city. There is a mad scramble for train and plane tickets leading up to the holiday with scalpers buying train tickets by the hundreds in advance.

I was wrong! There were 4 taxis parked in front of our complex, and none of them wanted to go to the airport? We were ignored by more than 20 empty taxis as they drove past. I eventually offered one of the taxis sitting at the complex 200rmb (regular trip is 80rmb) to take us, and he started loading our suitcases. The airport express highway traffic was thick, but moving. At our terminal, the line of taxis pulling in was backed up. It took an additional 10 minutes to get to the terminal doors. It was reminiscent of the APEC conference holiday traffic at the train station. We got checked in and went straight to immigration and security. The lines were long, but moved steadily. We are way too familiar with this airport!

We’re flying Singapore Airlines for the first time on this trip. It’s a relaxing flight and the seats are comfortable, in spite of the tight spacing. The difference between flight attendants on the various airlines is striking. The Asian airlines especially seem to have a mold their attendants must fit. As they walk through the airports, they travel in groups, dressed very strictly in their colorful uniforms.

Our flight to Singapore takes 6 hours. We kill a couple of hours on the layover and then board our flight to Bali, on schedule for a two-hour flight. We are on schedule when we disembark at the Bali airport. There is a visa procedure requiring purchase on arrival. It’s $35 per person. The lines are really long (40-50 people in each of the 6 lines). Our travel company, Country Holidays, had sent info two weeks earlier about a new service available allowing pre-payment, and I told them we were interested. I sent them the money, and now we’re looking for our contact. I had a phone number, but my phone won’t work in Bali. After 5 minutes, an agent comes through with our name on a sign, and he walks us to the front of the line (past some frustrated looks). Then he walks us through the diplomatic “fast pass” immigration line. This was well worth the money. We find our luggage, and again, we breeze through customs. What was probably at least an hour, took 5 minutes, after he found us.

Denpaspar Airport

He walks us out and finds our driver and guide. They load our luggage in the van while I find a money-changer, and we head out for Ubud, a 50-minute drive. I slept through supper on the Singapore-Bali leg of the trip, and my stomach is growling. The driver stops at a KFC for me to get something quick. It was jammed with people. After a 10-minute wait in a line that never moved, we walked out empty-handed. The driver stopped down the road at a Circle K (yes, in Bali). I grabbed some soft drinks and Pringles, and we continue on to the hotel.

The main road to Ubud was narrow, but we turn off on an alley (or less). The driver and guide seem a little confused, but we eventually find the hotel entrance road (this was a really narrow road, down a steep hill). It’s around 11:00 pm when we arrive at the Kayumanis Ubud. We are walked to our villa, and WOW! It’s a huge private walled area with our own pool, outdoor living area, bathroom, and dressing area (yes, outdoors, covered but no walls). If everything else about this hotel is this great, we’re going to be living it up. Tomorrow will tell.

Villa entrance

Living area

Heading toward the bed & bath area

Yep, no walls

I’m heading out to Beijing today, returning after dad’s memorial service. Judy left on Monday, arriving safely. The only problem she had was the extreme crowds at immigration in Beijing. The annual “Chinese New Year Migration” has begun.

Beijing Airport Immigration lines when Judy arrived

I picked up Brad at his apartment in downtown Ft. Worth, not far from our new condo/home at 5:00 am. My flight departs at 7:40. We arrive at the airport without traffic issues at 5:35 am. As I get out, I realize I don’t have my backpack with my computer, passport, and every other essential item I have to have. I’m not sure where it is? It’s either in the condo, in the hallway near the elevator, or in the parking garage. We race back to Ft. Worth, and the backpack is on the cabinet in the condo. Now we get to race back to the airport. We made it back at 6:45. There was some traffic, but we used the new toll lanes on the airport freeway and breezed along. TSA-Pre helped speed through security and I make it to the gate in time to eat a little breakfast from Burger King.

The gate transition at Dulles airport in Washington wasn’t too long, and the wait was short for my group to board. The boarding is very slow. There were several notices about “overbooked”, and needing volunteers to catch a later flight. They were sorting out those issues when someone stopped at my seat with a matching boarding pass. A few minutes later I was being moved into Business Class. YEA!!! These are the “lie-flat” seats we always walk by as we head back to Economy. It was a restful flight. I could tell the difference when I got off the plane 14 hours later in Beijing.

It’s Friday evening in Beijing when we landed. Immigration is more crowded than I’ve ever seen it, but not as bad as Judy’s arrival. It took her an hour to complete processing. The taxi ride into town is long, but not unexpected on Friday night as the New Year approaches. Judy is home when I arrive. I unpack a little bit, but it’s not long before I’m “catching zzz’s”.

We managed to book a flight to DFW with a departure today at 5:00 pm. Judy finished up her school planning for a sub late last night. She’s packing today, and planning for her classes when she returns. I chased errands today, getting ready for our absence. I needed to adjust the schedule for our Ayi while we’re gone. I also needed to make sure we had supplies in the apartment for Judy’s return to Beijing. She’s coming back on Tuesday. I won’t be back until Friday.

We make it out to the airport easily. After checking in we eat dinner and work our way through security and immigration. The flight boards and departs late, but we arrive in Chicago close to our scheduled time after a 12hr. flight. They’ve improved the immigration arrival area at O’Hare and with our Global Entry clearance, it’s really quick to get through. Then we drop off our luggage at the transfer drop area, and begin the journey to the new terminal and our gate. There is lots of snow and it’s cold while we move in and out of terminals and trams. We arrive with an hour to kill before our flight.

We arrive at DFW right on time at 9:50. Our trip has been smooth, but our luggage didn’t arrive? Something funky was going in Chicago. Most of the people on our flight with checked luggage didn’t receive it. We’re told it will be delivered tomorrow morning to our home in Ft. Worth.

Courtney meets us at the airport. We meet Brad and Glenda at a Rosa’s Café, swap cars, and then head home. It’s nice to have a place that feels like home when we arrive.

Not much sleep last night. I was eventually able to talk to mom. She was sad, but coping.

Dad was 89. He was the son of a Methodist minister, living an itinerant life in West Texas. Methodist ministers moved from church to church annually in those years, and my dad attended lots of schools. He served in the Army during WW II, and was stationed in Japan for a short time at the end of hostilities. After the war, he was an engineering major at Texas Tech where he met and married my mom in 1950. They lived several years in Tahoka, TX, where he worked for a telephone coop, and farmed cotton. Mom taught school until I was born in 1953. In 1954, they moved to Fort Worth, where he worked in the Test Lab for General Dynamics for over 30 years.

He enjoyed building and wood-working, designing and building his own camping trailer. He built lots of things around the house, and did most of his own car repair and maintenance. My parents began to square-dance and it became a big part of their lives. They both played an active role in activities at their church in Lake Worth, including singing in the choir.

When my parents retired, they began trailering across the country, square-dancing as they went. They traveled extensively, and had a great time. They participated and held national offices in the Avion Trailer organization. The big truck and trailer finally became too much, and they settled back into their home. They enjoyed their quiet neighborhood and watching wildlife in the backyard. Health issues ultimately led to a need for assisted-living and they moved to Baton Rouge, where my brother Robert, and sister-in-law Susan (both doctors) could play a role in their health care.

I spent time today working on how and when to get back to Texas. Scheduling a memorial service involves so many people and schedules. My sister’s family is centered in Houston. The brunt of the scheduling and planning fall to Robert & Susan, because of their proximity to mom in Baton Rouge. Only after the date and site is settled can final travel plans be made. Judy begins planning for her absence from school, not sure how many days to plan for or when. By the end of the day, we’re pretty sure the service will be Sunday, Feb. 8, in Fort Worth.

The alarm goes off at 5:00 am. I’ve got to get out of here early for my Super Bowl experience at Tim’s Texas BBQ. I walked out of the apartment at 5:40 am, and grabbed a taxi. The traffic is light, and I’m walking into Tim’s at 6:05. There are probably 30 people already in the room. Since I’m by myself, I end up sitting at the bar with several other “singles”.

The breakfast buffet (60 rmb) is ready at 6:40, and the crowd has grown. The food is really good, with bacon/eggs/tortillas/sausage/salsa, etc. At kick-off (7:30 am), both upstairs and downstairs areas are full. There is an older crowd (40s & up) downstairs, and a younger crowd (college?) upstairs. Seattle fans are in the majority, at least downstairs. There seems to be a lot of “Deflategate” anti-Patriots sentiment in the room. As the game continues, the “rowdiness” level goes up. It’s a lot of fun!

I left a couple of minutes into the fourth quarter. I just wore out. I’d been sitting on the bar stool for four hours. What a finish to the game (that I missed). Back home, I took a nap, trying to get it in before our Ayi comes in to clean.

Around noon, my brother calls to update me on my dad in Baton Rouge. He got sick shortly after our visit around Christmas, and has been rehabbing in a skilled nursing center trying to get back into shape. My mom has been able to visit him regularly from their place at a really nice assisted living apartment most days. He just moved back to their apartment last Friday, but his energy is still really low. I got a brief “Facetime” glimpse of him on Saturday, and he didn’t look strong. Audio and visual contact is great, but it doesn’t substitute for actual contact.

Around 11:00 pm (9:00 am Central time), my brother called to report that my dad had “passed”. My understanding is that the nurses came in to get him up for breakfast, and he told them he didn’t feel like getting up. An hour later, he was gone. He was 89 years old, and had a great life. We’re all going to miss him, especially my mom. My parents have been married 64 years.

Although yesterday was actually Judy’s birthday, we’re celebrating her 60^th today.  We meet Shannon and Dom at the UHN gate, and hail a cab.  I have the driver take us by the bakery so I can get the cake I ordered on Thursday.  After getting the cake, we head to Tim’s Texas BBQ, arriving right on time at noon.

Ready to celebrated Judy’s 60th Birthday!!!!

They have a table reserved for us, and we ordered stuffed jalapenos, potato skins, and chips and salsa while we wait for Alexis to arrive.  Alexis eventually arrives after a taxi detour, and we order food.  I order my standard “Border Burger” which includes a green chili pepper.  Judy and Shannon and Alexis order tacos, and Dom gets chalupas.  The Tex-Mex is really good here.  We had a fun afternoon of food and trading stories.

They set the cake up for me with candles (six, one for each decade), and brought it out while playing a recording of Happy Birthday.  It was a chocolate yogurt cake and really good.  We enjoyed the cake, and eventually left around 3:30. 

Everyone else jumped in a taxi and headed back.  I grabbed another taxi and went to my appointment at the Hong Kong medical clinic.  I actually scheduled it after we arrived at the restaurant.  I decided to get my ear checked out.  I could still feel something blocking my right ear.  The cost is really low, and there’s no sense waiting for bigger issues, just because I was stubborn or lazy

I walked in at 4:00, signed their paperwork, and was ushered to the room where the doctor was waiting.  I told him the problem, he scoped it, and decided to try and “vacuum” it out.  There was a little pain, and I really didn’t gain much relief.  He indicated there was minor swelling, and prescribed some ear drops.  I walked out at 4:20 with two bottles of eardrops, and was told there would no charge for the visit or the drops.  The taxi ride home took longer than my doctor visit.

Back at the apartment, we finished off the leftover cake we brought home, and watched several episodes of “Grey’s Anatomy”.  Judy prepped for her week ahead.  I got myself ready for an early trip back to Tim’s Texas BBQ for a Super Bowl Party.  They told me they we’re expecting a sell-out, with guests showing up beginning at 5:30 am?  They’re serving a breakfast buffet beginning at 6:30 am, and the game begins at 7:30.  This should be an experience, Beijing Super Bowl!