feels good to be back home..
i came here too many times not to make it my home..

i miss the crazy chickens clucking..
i miss the crazy dogs barking…
i miss the crazy traffic horning & peeping…

i miss the ‘good mornings’ from the people here when i do my cat stretch first thing i step out of my room…

i miss the many many other things..
small or big…

we surprisingly didn’t wake up too late on our first day..
i think it’s all the anticipation turned excitement!!…
we are now finally in bali!!..

and of course..
i miss the d.i.y feeling of doing all the home improvements in the simplest way…
erm..yeah..that’s gedai “trimming” the tree..

the sight of making offerings for prayers is just touching even in a very small way..

the one thing that i crave for almost everyday..
whether or not when i am in bali..

this bubur is really nice & tasty!!..
taste very home cooked & made with a lot of love..
i got so hooked on it since the first time rai brought me to try it at krisna cafe..

it’s time to get out there after filling our stomachs!!
it’s afterall kenn’s first day in bali!!..

we were going to have a bbq that night..
so the right thing to do will be to shop for food!!..
lots & lots of food!!..
(yupz…kenn can eat..no doubt about that..)

3 person on a bike + a lot of shopping later on is going to be tricky…
rai took kenn with him..
while evi (ibu’s daughter) took me with her…

looks like he’s having some local fun down the small & not so busy road of sanur…
(yupz..with no helmut…)

loving the sun…
(something i can give a miss back in singapore)..

kenn the tourist in the supermarket..
since he can’t do the cooking or the buying..
he can just do the pushing..carrying…& eventually the eating…

rai – “let’s go get the fish from the beach..”
us – “ok!!”..

& at the beach the fish stalls literally are…
you just can’t get any closer to the source already…

to be honest..
i have never seen fish so fresh before..
(not counting the times when i was still fishing of course…when fish just comes out from the sea..)

the colour of the scales is beautiful..
seemed like they still sparkle..

the chef picking his ingredient..

& the “winner” is…

i don’t really know what that is…
guessing it’s a grouper..

some deep sea one it seemed like..
from the state of its eyes..
as much as i want to say “poor thing”..
i actually think it’s beautiful..
beautiful in the “freshness” aspect..

leaving the cleaning to the expert..
since i first discovered i like to eat fish..
i also discover that fish cleaning is not for the faint hearted…

waiting for our “catch”…

the chef gets to work..
(in mona’s term – “nekkid”!!…)

nothing else more perfect for the weather..
i miss this very “private” pool..

entertaining the chef over a game of uno…
(thanks for preparing the food!!)..

the first winner..
of course he’s smiling it off…

and the battle continues..

i only have 2 cards left!!..

of course..winning or losing the game isn’t the point…
it’s afterall just uno..
doing something together & enjoying each other’s company is just priceless…
a nice ice breaker for kenn & rai who just met..
but then you know..kenn (the socialite) never has problem meeting people..

to kenn the bali virgin….
welcome to bali!!!…

nothing makes us more happy than to be finally here..
after much anticipation….
& agony…
(yupz….agony caused by anticipation..)

erm…..yes…welcome to bali….

good to see my old friend again….
hello mr rai!!…

and while rai & i continues to make fun of each other everytime i am here…
kenn starts to have signs of a tourist…

more to come!!…

the airline’s way of thanking us for travelling with them even thou times are bad?…
now they actually serve plane food!!…

muffin + a cup of water…

i thought i will never get to do my i-take-pictures-of-my-plane-food on jetstar…
since being a budget airline…they always make you pay to get fed…

well well well…
what can i say…

project rich farmers iii has only 2 remainders…
*sigh…
me + kenn…

& even so…
i had to share with his love with his darling..

yupz…the neverending goodbyes..

i knew kenn since i was 14…
& since then..we have only travelled together once before..
& that was like at least a decade ago???…
unbelivable…

so…..we are putting our friendship to a test again..
you know..people always say you know someone the best when travelling together…
when all the goods + bads + all sorts of colours will come out clear just like “chromatography”….

erm…..yes……..kenn still goodbye-ing…

26th december..
boxing day…
it is also the wedding anniversary day of menyun and ervin..

congratulations!!

hmmmm…guess this says a lot of this “fun-loving” couple..

thank you for inviting me to be with you and your big family…

we are going to visit pa now..
yeah the horse uncle’s house…
no matter how hot it was..
the heat became bearable with all the beautiful things i get to see along the way…

are we there yet…

are we there yet…
(i am asking only because i wish the beautiful route didn’t have to end)…

beautiful greenery protecting me from the sun…

hello horsey…

hello pa!!…

look at all the carriages!!…

sir martin…

i love the color of its mane in the sun…

scribblings….
graffiti & tagging happen right here too??..
anywhere i suppose…to be stealth…

pa sharing his green knowledge with us..
not only about the birds & the bees (literally)…
also about the flowers & the trees (literally too)…

this is pa’s earthen water vessel..
ervin told me that water tastes really good from it..

i had a go at it as well…
*skeptical*…

but the water really did taste very good!!…
strangely!!…
it tastes really sweet & cooling..
imagery of the mountain spring & river comes to mind…

look at all the space in pa’s house!!..
everything is simple but that’s more than enough to live in…

where he sits down for a tea or 2 with his guests…
like us…

ervin wants more “spring” water…
before we say good-bye…

thank you for tea pa!!…
we are now ready to embark on another journey…
the way back on another route was just as beautiful…

the sky remains blue & beautiful…
for all of us…

right after “checking in” to ervin’s house..
everyone was enthusiastic to go out…
all in the name of “i want to show you around”..hehe…

we got on pa’s horse carriage and off we go…
to an unbelievable trail just behind ervin’s house..
that she herself has never explored before..

crossing the bridge…
slowly…….s…l..o…w…l……y..

my view when i hang my legs out behind the carriage..
erm…yeah…we had to squeeze a little considering there are 6 of us on it…

stopping for a horse break…
pa had to cut some grass..mixed with water in a pail for the horse to snack on…
while it buried his head in its food…
we lose our sense looking at the calming scenery around us…
with the wind in our faces..

what the kids play with out there…
ervin’s cousin broke a leaf off this plant…
and attempted to blow bubbles out of the sap in the stem…
and it did work!!…

kids got to get on the front seat with the driver…
while the rest of us (the big people)..
hang our legs & hold on tight behind…

awwww……

i am loving this trip already…

i crashed almost the min the plane took off…

when i woke up more than half the journey later…
sun was rising already..
and when i looked out the window….

i see scenery i have never seen the many times i have flew this same route on other different times of the day..
i was quite shocked to be honest..
like i never imagine the sky and the land below will look like this…

wow…a lake…
looks like it was formed from a small crater?..

if only it snows in this part of the world..
then all these will be snow capped peaks…

wow..the mountains or ex-volcanos actually came up above the clouds…
nice!!..

below and above the clouds…
amazing…
i wish i can see the in between though…
like how big the base of that mountain/volcano really is…

and so this is how bali really looks like…
come to think of it..
it’s probably the first time i am taking a day time flight there..

no airline or beach holiday destination ad should do without 1 of these sparkling-sea-under-the-sun shot..

and landing soon….

here i am…
“home sweet home”…

i love sanur…

the quaint little place that is charming in its own way…something which i fell in love with ever since the first time i came to bali…the first time i came to sanur…back in 2006.

“chen wen wen the xiao xiao tian de”
“陈文文的小小天地“

ok …that’s insider’s joke…

i am happy to be back at sindhu mertha..
though there are many unexplored places in bali..let alone sanur itself. but i believe i have found what is enough for me…some friends in a familiar guest house. a beautiful one…from the surrounding..the environment…the rooms…to the people. yes…beautiful people. not too many of them …but enough for me to figure out their personalities. it’s fun…

i was happy to be greeted by a familiar face when i arrived at the airport…and the familiar face which found me familiar too…nice.. it almost feels like i am coming back home.

ox loves it here too…

my beautiful place of rest…

the hat that came from bali last year..now comes back to bali..

look up above you as you walk down the friendly little street of sanur…there’s always nice neighbour’s things to see…

the “hello” boys…

the perfect way to welcome ourselves back to bali…dinner at massimo. yes…i haven’t got down to finishing their VERY extensive menu..

project ‘rich farmers’ (among the many other objectives – like shopping and eating) was carried out in beautiful…sunny bali for 11 days.

now back to home based playground.

details of the entire mission will be reported quite extensively very soon…

*evil laughter*