Culture and Spa

The other two things we did while in Bali were sight-seeing to Ubud, Seminyak, and Uluwatu, and SPA! Included with our room, is daily spa treatment for both of us (by the way…thank you Tina for helping me score this AWESOME room package!). We started our stay with Balinese Massage and ended with Balinese Massage. Chris even experienced a body scrub and a FACIAL! Lets just say, I think he might be a convert to future spa-centric vacations! J One of the nights we were in Bali, we went to Seminyak for some shopping and dinner at Kudeta, which was recommended to us by our friends Dawn/Craig and Fiona. Food was awesome despite the fact that I got totally bitten up by mosquitoes. Luckily, they have Off! at the restaurant so I was able to fend off the rest of the mosquito army. The sunset view was pretty as well, though we only caught the tail end of it. They had this watermelon ginger beer cocktail that was amazing. We also took a side trip to Ubud one afternoon to check out the various art villages in the surrounding area. We visited a jewelry making factory, wood carving family and also a painter’s co-op. All pretty touristy spots but still really cool to see. One thing to note how clever these people are, they show you how hard the artist/worker works to make the piece BEFORE showing you the finished products. This totally made me soft-hearted to seriously bargain with them. Ugh…losing my touch ;) It was good to see the country side, the real Bali as many have told us. Hungry, we stopped at Bebek Bengil (Dirty Duck) for dinner, recommended by Fiona. It was EXCELLENT! The restaurant is set before rice paddy fields and half the tables were under these little huts where you sit on cushions. Chris got half a crispy duck (their specialty) for $8!! Can't beat that! How could we go to Bali and not visit one of the temples? So, we went to Uluwatu temple for sunset and traditional Kecak dance. The temple ground has lots of monkeys. We were well warned to be careful with our belongings...no sunglasses, glasses, or shiny earrings. They were not kidding. One little monkey grabbed my bag strap and tried to take it from me. Fortunately for me, the bag is 3 times the size of the monkey AND it was a cross body bag :) Chris did a mini video of the Kecak dance which is pretty interesting. 70 men "sing" as the background music. Check it out! Bali was exactly what we needed to unwind and get into vacation mode. Onward to Taiwan!

The most important meal of the day

Let me say one thing, breakfast is Chris and I’s favorite meal of the day. With that said, St. Regis’s breakfast is awesome! There is a buffet of western and asian fares. We can order various types of eggs a la carte. Lets not get me started with the fresh juices. Chris and I were in breakfast heaven. We literally need to be wheeled out everyday.

I’ll let the pictures do the talking.

30+ hours of flying

After long, long, 30+ hour of flights from Austin…we finally landed in Denpensar, BALI!!! Slightly delirious, as we are walking toward immigration, I see my name on a sign. We were totally whisked through immigrations and customs (like in 5 mins…skipping lines…) and into a waiting van with cold towels, water, and truffle (which is all included as part of our stay at St. Regis). This is SOOOO the way to travel! Especially have our grueling flight.

A short 30 min ride later, we arrived at the St. Regis with a welcome drink waiting for us. The resort is AMAZING…and our villa…WOW. It is definitely bigger than our condo in Austin. We order in some dinner and promptly passed out by 6pm, right after we made our first spa appointment for tomorrow. :)

Thanks Tina for finding this AWESOME package for us from luxury link!

Helsinki, Finland

Work has given me another great opportunity to travel, and this time it's Helsinki for 4 of the next 8 months. I've been here 4 weeks so far, and enjoying the loooonng summer days (almost 19 hours when I arrived). The first challenge to face = sticker shock. Everything costs about 2x that of Austin in this socialist country, and the tax rate is 23%! Employment taxes are approx. 50%! Do we really want government provided healthcare? :)

Helsinki is north. I'm talking Anchorage, Alaska north. You can really feel the earth turning up here! The sunset has changed from 12 midnight to 9p in 4 weeks. With such cold, dark winters the summer months are full of activity. The parks are full of skateboarders, basketball games, and soccer practice and the city is full of outdoor concerts, food markets, and flea markets. Most Finns enjoy the long evenings with a picnic blanket and a bottle of wine. My apartment is just a few blocks from the southern coast, and I have a beautiful view of the water on my walk to work every day. This picture is taken from Kaivopuisto Park. I'm off to Tallinn, Estonia for a day trip on Saturday, so more pictures to come soon.

hei nyt, Chris

Mexico City Recap

I'm sorry to say that I didn't post one entry while I was in Mexico! I'll list a few highlights of my 4 months here, as a brief summary, and for a reference for anyone who may visit for a short while.

Mexico City is one of the largest cities in the world, with 24 million in the greater metro area. Behind the scenes of this crowded, polluted, bustling place are some wonderful people, food, and

culture.

Most Chilangos (locals) leave the city limits on the weekend to enjoy the temperate local climate. I visited the cities of Puebla, Valle de Bravo, and Acapulco during my weekends. All are cheaply

accessible via Mexico's extensive bus system. Taxis are very cheap as well, with a full 8 hour day trip in a personal car available for $100

USD. I was fortunate enough to see the Monarch butterfly migration near Valle de Bravo, and plenty of old beautiful churches like this one located in Valle de Bravo's Zocalo.

Inside the city, there is also lots to see. Bordering the Zocalo in el Centro Historico, is one of the finest collections of murals painted by the fa

mous Mexican muralist Diego Rivera. He adorned the interior of the constitutional palace. From a historical perspective, it's interesting to trace the history of the city before, during, and after Spanish rule. Mexico City was formally an island surrounded by a huge lake. The Spaniards helped route the water away from, and under the city to create the modern day landscape. Most of the city is built on a dried lake bed, and the city continues to sink as more and more water is pumped from the ground.

Growing up in Texas, my love for Mexican food is strong. There's nothing like a plate of rich, cheesy enchiladas, a chili relleno, or a bowl of queso with chorizo. However, us Texans have truly been missing out on some simple, delicious flavors in nearby Mexico.

1. fresh made corn tortillas

2. fresh pork, chorizo, or beef tacos wrapped with #1, and served

with onion, cilantro, and lime

3. soups! traditional tortilla or pozole (hominy stew)

4. tamales (they are infinitely better here. Pork, Tomato,

Chocolate, Green Chile, and the list goes on.)

5. The flan, tres leches cake, and many other sugary treats

That's all for now. SO many other things to share, so please ask if you have questions! :)

~Chris