Bike Riding

On Wednesday we scheduled a bike tour through rural Bali. Before we actually got on the bikes, we had a LONG caravan ride, breakfast overlooking a volcano and coffee tour. Being we had the long ride and a not-so-exciting breakfast (let's be honest, two little boys could care less about beautiful views!), we were more than ready to hop on those bikes! Luke made it through all 20km of our ride and Drew probably slept for 10km of it. :) It was a neat experience and one that provided memories that will stay with me forever.

Roasting the coffee beans from the Luwak.  

Drew peaking in at the Luwak. 

Coffee/Tea/Hot Cocoa sampling

Brought back some WONDERFUL coffees & teas, all harvested in Bali. 

Ready to ride!

Our tour guide explaining the compound. Two families generally live together and the eldest son is responsible for staying there to continue on for generations. If there is no son, they'll adopt one or a nephew (or male married into the family) can carry on the family name and live on the compound. 

This is the kitchen. All of it. The table to the right houses a pot and pan and some utensils. They hardly throw anything away or clean. Everything is put to use, or trash is seen (and smelled) lying on the ground. 

These women are drying rice that wasn't finished after a meal. Again, everything is saved. 

This is a temple on the compound. Members who marry have the 'ceremony' at the building across from the temple. Couples spend their honeymoon night in the temple. The compound consists of many buildings, all built by the family. Families often own quite a bit of land so they can continue to build as their families grow.  

Taking a peak into two of the bedrooms (of kids) who live there. Luke saw a soccer poster and was very excited. Drew noticed how "messy the bed" was. Beds were made on the floor, or lifted up by boards. Items were shoved under the beds or strewn about on the floor. Walls are concrete so very little is hung. We saw a few with TV's, but they were TV's we would see from the early 90's. Many rooms of locals didn't have 4 walls. These had walls and doors.  

Drying rice...Drew did not like the smells...

These cows were pets....the boys were trying to feed them leaves, but they were much more interested in the coconut. 

Sleeping Beauty!

Luke fell into a ditch while walking (of course he did) and lucky for us, our guide got him all cleaned up! 

This makes me laugh every time I see it. Had to get a family pic, sleeping boy and all!  

Beautiful, beautiful Bali!

So here's the thing. Bali is beautiful, no doubt. BUT it's also a third-world country. There is extreme poverty, trash everywhere, strange smells coming from streets and they are desperately behind the times with sanitation. That said, the smiles of locals warm your heart and the pure, natural beauty draws you in and makes you fall in love with this beautiful place. We experienced a very different Bali this time around and both vacations were wonderful. I truly feel like we saw Bali for all it is. And I wouldn't have traded this experience for anything in the world.