KL

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

 

Our trip to Kuala Lumper started off with a bang, literally. The bus we were riding from the airport had a mechanical failure and blew oil all over the highway. A minor set back that left us stranded on the side of the highway.  No biggie though…once in KL were greeted by Melor, a friend of Angie’s from high school.   

Melor introduced us to a Jalan Alor, formerly the red light district, it’s now a street known for its seemingly endless amount of food stalls. It’s an open air shopping strip by day and open air dining by night. It’s thick with smoke, people,  and the noisy clatter. All up and down the street are a variety of meats, seafood, fruits and vegetables.

Melissa had her first taste of durian, a fruit known by the phrase “Smells like hell, tastes like heaven”. You eat the rich custardy almond tasting fruit with plastic gloves otherwise a foul rotten onion like scent will haunt you over the next couple of days.  It’s a fruit not allowed on airplanes and hotels simply for its powerful scent.

Some of our favorite things to eat were the simple food placed on skewers that were either grilled or boiled. Melissa was like a kid in a candy store getting to pick out a little of everything to sample.  We drank sour plum juice, a salty yet sweet beverage not like anything we’ve ever drank before.  A few other things we ate were a stir-fry, fried prawn with egg floss, tofu with plum sauce and some unknown white veggie, and a whole baked fish. We were glad to meet our new friend Melor, but this was a quick stop on our way to the Philippines.

Mundok Diaries

The last weekend of our Bali trip ended in a sleepy town called Mundok.  It is in the mountain of northern Bali.  It was so beautiful as the rain there cast hazy clouds over the village’s green rolling hills and mountains.   The town is always colored in muted shades of pinks, blues, yellows from the mist.  This became one of my favorite places we had been to yet.  Quaint, sleepy towns are the best for photo ops, relaxing, and the ability to rent a motorbike and explore without dying.  We saw no danger in doing so one morning when we woke and the sun was brilliant and it was gorgeous out.  The day before it was pouring rain and we were thrilled we had a perfect day ahead of us.  Unfortunately, within 40 minutes of our trek out of town, it started to rain.  We bought little ponchos and the store and kept going.  But then it started to pour and became a white out.  You won’t see any of this footage because like I said, it was pouring and I was doing everything I could to simply see.  NP did a great job navigating through the rain, white fog, dogs running across the street, and of course sharp curves along the mountain.  Another feat in hindsight, that we probably shouldn’t have done…but eventually the sun came out and here’s a view for you too.

B-A-N-A-N-A-S

We went to the city of Ubud, which is the artistic and cultural center of Bali.  We loved it there for several reasons but had a good laugh at one of their main attractions-the monkey forest.  We brought bananas with us because we heard that was a good way to get close to the monkeys.  What we didn’t know was that the monkeys will get close to you whether you have bananas or not, but if you do bring some, you might get assaulted.  We walked in and it’s a beautiful forest FULL of monkeys.  From the get go, they were playful and hyper, and truthfully, a bit crazy. There were big monkeys, monkeys with mustaches, and little baby monkeys.  It was a sight to see.  

We got brave and decided to give them some bananas.  What ensued was one monkey jumping up on Nathaniel, who then pounced up and down on his back like a mad man when he wanted another.  Then another monkey must have smelt the bananas I had hidden in my bag.  All of a sudden he jumps on me, crawls up my leg, pulling my skirt down and aggressively got his head in my bag.  It was crazy, a bit scary, and a bit fun. All the while, in my head, I couldn’t help but sing--this @#$@# is bananas,  B-A-N-A-N-A-S. 

Day turns to night

While in Ubud, we went and ate at this amazing little café out in the middle of nowhere.  It was an organic garden and farm to table restaurant with a spectacular view.  It was way off the main road, and the only way to get there is by foot.  For most people it’s about a 15 minute walk to the café down a series of dirt roads, but if you’re us, it takes about an hour because somehow end up taking the wrong dirt road and then have to back track.  The way there was so gorgeous as shown in the pics.  However, when dinner was over and we had to walk back, no one told us that we were supposed to bring a flash light….see video below.

BALI-licious

So we got a little lazy and then got so far behind that the task of updating this blog was overwhelming.But there is much to be said.  The last few weeks have been incredible. So here it goes, starting with Bali.   As predicted, we loved Bali, so much so that we extended our trip there just short of two weeks. It was magical, really. 

We arrived and stayed in a lovely Balinese hotel in Seminyak (we started in south bali).  We found that pretty at much every accommodation, they give you free breakfast and it’s quite good.  The accommodations we found in Bali so far have been our favorite.

To highlight Bali best, we'll fill you in on what we found most fascinating.  First, everywhere you walk, every sidewalk, every shop, hotel, restaurant and corner store is full of these little offerings.  They are made on a daily basis and put out several times a day.  There are so many of them they are hard not to walk on at times.  They are made of flowers, greens, crackers, incense, and others things we weren't familiar with.  They really add color to the streets.  

 And then there is the food....which is really amazing. We loved Indonesian food and everything about it.

We loved Indonesian food and everything about it.  The tried and true noodle dishes are delicious no matter where you go, as are the rice dishes.  We tried everything from the street side satays made with fresh peanut sauce, the fresh juices on every corner, the seafood; like a mango and ahi tuna salad and of course, the coconut.  There is coconut water, coconut desserts, coconut shakes, coconut sauce, and 

shredded coconut as a side.  For those of you that don’t know, I get into a coconut frenzy whenever possible.  Anytime we went anywhere and there was something coconut, I had to buy it, which was everywhere.  I’m going to write about Indonesian food on my next Savorsd.com write up.

The people are so lovely…they always offer up a smile, a helping hand, and are creative in many ways.  I was fascinated by their handicrafts and craftsmanship.  They make so many beautiful things using old school methods.  

handmade batik fabric

They use the little that they have to create something grand with it.  They also give phenomenal massages which Nathaniel and I partook in several times on the trip for about $5 each.  (pic of kids with fans, pics of me with coconut guy, weaving pic, batik pics, pic of thumbs up lady, and pic of man cutting coconut, market pic, )

old school weaving

kids selling fans

sweet lady selling fruit

fresh coconut water and fruit

our tour guide and the owner of this coconut shack

   

Melbs

(fyi, this post is about 5 days old, but none the less…)

We had another short stopover in Melbourne as we are country hopping our way over to asia.  We arrived late Sunday night, and had just 2 days to explore the city.  We made the most of it.  First off, we had our lovely aussie friend Caz invite us to stay with her which was lucky for us.  Not just because she is awesome and fun but also because its just nice to be in a “home” instead of a hostel/hotel.  Melbs as they call it, is apparently the Europe of Australia.  It is known for its fashion and shopping and food.   It has a big city feel but it is all easily walkable with free transportation around the CBD which was nice.  

After walking the entire parameter of the city in two days, we found our little home would be in Brunswick for anyone who knows the area. Full of unique shops, interesting trades, and sidewalk cafes, Brunswick really is a hipster area and could remind one of north park in san diego but significantly better.  They city also has the best people watching…the style is so eclectic, from just plain weird to artsy to hip, everyone pretty much dresses up in some sort of way unique to their own and everyone just fits in.  I love that.   

What I also loved about Melbourne is that it has pockets full of hidden gems.  It seems the best bars and restaurants are found down tiny alleys and cafes in tucked away corners.  It was fun to stumble upon these kinds

of places. I also had some of the best coffee I have ever tasted!  They love their coffee and they know how to do it right.  Similar to a latte, I always order a flat white and it’s delicious no matter where you go.   We also enjoyed the queen victoria market, which is like a farmers market on a grand scale, meeting up with nathaniel’s old travel friends at this sweet little rooftop bar, window shopping, and of course living it up with Caz.  Melbs however, is very expensive- ie, $16 cocktails, $10 beers, $35 entrees…it hurts a bit on our 4 month travel budget so we are excited to move onto Bali next.  Which apparently, to Australians, is like Cancun to Americans.  What??  

We haven’t even gotten there yet and we totally disagree.  Stay tuned.

//

Written from Melbourne, Australia

Wedding Video Highlights

Highlights of the wedding video, great work Sean and Evan!

http://vimeo.com/41403864

Sweet as! (as the Kiwi's like to say)

Auckland, NZ. We made the most of our short time (1 day) in the city. They have a cool CBD (central business district, this was the first time I’d heard of this abbreviation), a cool harbor and waterfront. We ate dinner at Tanuki’s Cave for Yakitori tapas.  The name suited the place well because you went down a narrow flight of stairs below a building to get to it, but it was a little hidden gem. We decided to get a real Kiwi experience though and rented a car to get out of the city for the weekend.

Left is right. This was our first experience driving on the left side of the road. It definitely took some mental concentration to reverse everything you know about driving. Everything in the car and on the roads is the opposite. I drove first and Melissa laughed every time I went to turn on the turn signal, but instead would turn on the windshield wipers.  The turn signal is now on my right and the windshield wiper controls on my left. Eventually we pulled into a parking lot to switch driving places for a while. As we exited the parking lot, I waited with sweet anticipation as Melissa made that first turn and hit the windshield wipers as well.  Ha ha ha… we laughed the whole time we were driving.

Dean and Gina. This is the hip and handsome couple who invited us to their rad house in the Hawkes Bay area. It is a picturesque area of coastline, farmland, wineries and green rolling hills dotted with sheep and cattle. We loved spending time with them and their three children, Ocean, Jesse and Tayler. The whole family is incredibly talented in different ways and they all have perfect hair!  

They spoiled us with fabulous tunes, fresh eggs from their hens for breakfast     and introduced us to Melissa’s 

new favorite fruit, feijoas. We also spent the day at a few of their local wineries and a cider house. We had a great time with them and hope to see them again on our travels or in SD!

    

Rotorua. Some like it hot and we’re part of that crowd. Rotorua is known for its geothermal activity and hot springs. The whole town has a sulfur smell, but it’s well worth the visit. We took time to relax in some of the hot mineral springs and watched Lady Knox, a local geyser explode 50 feet into the air.  It was the perfect ending to our last day and then we were headed back up to Auckland for the airport.  Well, almost perfect.

Officer Number RLJ779. He patrols the roads enforcing the local laws and things like speed limits. I’ve gone my whole life without getting a speeding ticket until NZ. I got my first one going 121 kph in a 100 zone (75 mph in a 62 mph).  I was informed there was a zero tolerance for speeding.  Ah, first time for everything.  Melissa was pretty happy this happened to me and not her.  She is the speedster and says I would not have let her hear the end of it.  True.

// Written from Melbourne, Australia