A 16-hour flight on Singapore Airlines (still my favorite airline) from San Francisco to Singapore where I’m currently waiting to board the plane to Bali.
Changi is a fascinating airport - it’s a giant shopping mall, art gallery, nature simulations, etc. My favorite terminal is T3, where there’s a free movie theater as well as a butterfly garden with cascading waterfall. Gardens and cool art installations everywhere.
The information "desk" (a small touchscreen robot thing)
More of the Changi airport on the return trip... a fascinating place! Under a pond environment, butterfly garden, free movie theater AND I finally saw the rainforest/waterfall. A separate building (The Jewel) that the tram -from terminal 2 to 3- goes through.
Super cool display. Walking on top of fish tanks, vertical gardens
and a super real digital display above... made you feel like your IN a pond.
Butterfly garden connected to T3. Very humid!
Yes, that’s a waterfall and a jungle inside between T2 and T3
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Welcome to BALI!
I met up with my driver Ari (hired by the yoga retreat people, Jeremy and Nancy). Driving through Denpasar and Sanur traffic probably took an hour. Then another hour up to Sidemen valley and my place
Medukuh Point Hill. A papaya juice welcome drink (nice touch), setting up the hammock, a nice nap, a scooter ride into 'town' (10-minutes away) to search out an ATM, and back for 2 beers and dinner - nasi goreng (a fried rice dish) - and it was lights out!
The time here is 10 hours ahead of Mountain time. (Opposite. So, 6 a.m. here is 6 p.m. Eastern/4 p.m. Mountain).
Ari, my driver and language teacher during the first day
Medukuh Point Hill in stunningly beautiful Sidemen Valley.
(View from the restaurant, below my cabin)
Bintang beer (30,000 IDR = $1.95)
Nasi goreng for dinner (fried rice with egg) for 35,000 rupiah ($2.47).
I wanted to take a look around 'town', so I hired the bnb manager to drive me to an ATM.
The scooter ride was SO steep - like straight up and down and 1000 tight turns. Rice terraces everywhere. Jaw open and sore cheeks from smiling. Holy cow, it's so beautiful. Such a vibrant place. I've decided I'll leave the driving here to the manager of this place... Gede (pronounced "Jeedy"). The young woman/cook/housecleaner/getter of things is Comalita. The fixer of things was Wayan. In Bali, the first born is Wayan, second Kadek (then Komang and Ketut for 3rd and 4th) then back to Wayan again for 5th - but Wayan Balik (Wayan again).
Language lesson from Ari:
Polite greeting to everyone - Om swasti-astu
Good Morning - Selamat pagi (“slamat paggi”)
Good Afternoon - Selamat siang (12 to 3pm)
Good (late) afternoon Selamat sore (3pm to sunset)
Good Evening - Selamat malam (good night).
See you/hasta (informal) sampai jumpa
Yes - Ya (yah)
No - Tidak or ten
Thank you - Suksma
You’re welcome - Suksma mewahli
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