The final destination of our trip was the beautiful island of Bali. The weather was hot and humid and we were looking forward to spending time on the beach. We stayed at the Laguna Resort and Spa where we were greeted with a lovely surprise when they upgraded us to a suite with a balcony that opened onto the pool. That was a lovely treat let me tell you!
Al liked to swim in the rain
There were no jelly fish, so swimming in the Indian Ocean was fabulous. The one difference we found from Thailand was the incredible tide. By two in the afternoon the water receded and it was impossible to swim. Many dug for clams at this time.
During our walks along the beach we saw a whale that died and washed ashore ......
A wedding ceremony ...
People fishing for our dinners that evening
There were plenty of restaurants and bars on the beach
And places to tan and lounge
It was all very relaxing and beautiful, but for those of you who know Al, this rest and relaxation can only last for so long. He had arranged two activities for us even before we saw our rooms on the first day!
We arrived on the Monday morning and on Tuesday morning we were on our way to Mount Batur, a volcanic mountain situated on the north eastern aspect of the island. Since we were staying in the region of Nusa Dua which is in the southern part of the island, it meant a fairly long ride. We were joined by a Dutchman, Jean, who was good company.
This is our cycle tour guide.
We took a van to the top of the mountain where we were greeted by this spectacular view. It was difficult to capture a clear shot because of the haze that morning.
We had breakfast in this lovely restaurant overlooking the view.
Here is Al and Jean ready to enjoy their meal before setting off on the bikes. The nice thing, for me, was the fact that we were starting at the top of the mountain and going downhill!
Of course Al was ready for everything and anything! We rode through small villages where we could see the streets lined with decorated bamboo trees to celebrate a major holiday the next day.
We were able to see the different types of housing and tour one or two of the homes consisting of a compound dwelling which housed the entire extended family including the private family temple.
This is the entrance to the family compound.
This is where the family lives.
The temple.
The central courtyard contains the kitchen.
You can see they have propane as well as electricity.
Stall for the few animals they have.
Storage area.
They had some kind of family business. I think it was grinding local coffee beans which they they sell to community members.
This is where they store rice and coffee beans.
The primary mode of transportation is motor bike or scooter. I think I will tell my daughter this can be the new family vehicle. Who needs a mini van.!
Cycling is the best way to see a country.
You can see this is a poor country.
Festivals are very important with much preparation. Tomorrow, very few will work, the entire country will be at a near standstill.
We are getting ready to enter a jungle path, if it seems narrow .... it is!
At one point I wondered if I would make it, but I did.
Livestock is the most valuable thing these people own. They are sold to buy homes or to pay for their children's educations.
This temple is still in use. I was informed that the next day, people from the entire region will be arriving to worship here.
Another example of a family compound.
On the street at each entrance an offering is placed to bless the home.
More preparation for tomorrow's festival.
Riding in the bigger villages I kept having to remember to ride on the left. The drivers tend to honk instead of slow down and the roads are very narrow. There were no lights here and no visible street signs. Makes for an interesting ride.
Wherever you went people were busy preparing for the next day.
The flatlands were generally cultivated with rice. Apparently, there is so much humidity in the air, they do not need as much rain as other countries.
Our last destination was this restaurant where we had lunch.
Everything can be outside because there are no bugs!!!
The perfect ending to the perfect day.This only served to wet our appetite. The next adventure was white water rafting 14 kilometres on the Telaga Waja River through jungle and waterfalls. This route contained Class lll rapids including one 4 metre drop at a 45 degree angle. This was our first try at this sport and I can speak for both Al and myself when I say this was one of the most exciting and exhilarating experience we have had so far. I would highly recommend this to everyone!
This meant a long ride to the river, but no complaints because it gave us the opportunity to see countryside you would not see on a regular tour.
On this trip our companions were two young ladies from Germany, Connie and Andrea, again, very pleasant companions.
I am going to assume I was sharing something profound. Since I know nothing about rafting at this point maybe we were trying to figure how to hold on!
We are ready to go!
We received instructions and had to practice certain maneuvers so we could follow orders. 
We were on raft number 13 and it happened to be May 13th. When we saw our guide go to an alter and pray Al and I got a little nervous, I mean if the guide feels he has to pray what are we supposed to think! Our guide reassured me he always prays for everyone before each ride. I was okay with that.
So were Connie and Andrea.
We obviously perfected our technique. Believe me it is hard work.
The raft in front of us, flipped and we had to haul one of them out of the river. I twas the group consisting of four alpha males around 20-25 years. Once they regained their raft, they settled down. This did not reflect on the abilities of the guides which I thought were excellent.
The scenery was breathtaking however it was not possible for Al to take pictures when we were rafting, we were able to take pictures during our rest period.
It started to rain when we returned for lunch.
Al could not resist the humour . 
As always the food and the beer was much appreciated.
Another perfect ending to a perfect day.
