Snorkeling, and playing dress-up in Bali

One of my favorite daily activities on our recent trip to Bali was definitely my morning walk. I loved the sunrise and the view!

The perfect way to start the day! 

“Can we swim?”

Everyday the hotel had a ‘feed the fish’ hour. The girls really enjoyed it, and you could say we are partial to koi ponds after living in Japan for two years.

Today’s agenda included a snorkeling trip and lots more beach time. We walked right through the sand and into the water, to board the snorkeling boat. 

This was the first snorkeling trip for the girls and they were very excited. 

Ready, set, go.

The water was FREEZING! It took my breath away. This definitely wasn’t the bath water temps of Hawaii, it was almost too cold to really enjoy the trip. Our guide said that the water really fluctuates in temperature, and this was the cold season. He got that right! Fish wise, it wasn’t the most spectacular snorkeling I’ve ever done either (apparently there is another part of the island more known for snorkeling and diving). Our guide started to feed the fish Wonder bread to attract them to our location. It did help us see more fish, but there was something very cringe worthy about feeding those beautiful tropical fish Wonder Bread. Oh well, when in Rome….

Poor Eva was freezing and didn’t last very long, but she did enjoy seeing God’s underwater world. 

So we warmed up in the sun and killed time taking some selfies. 

Ella and Matt powered on through. 

But, afterwards, the warm sunshine felt good to everyone. 

No need to change after the snorkeling trip,  because back at the hotel, swimming was next on the agenda. The pool attendant brought around a tray of fresh fruit skewers. Yum! 

And the girls decided to make a sand Mt. Fuji, instead of a castle. 

There was a great kids club at the hotel and everyday the girls studied the schedule for their favorite activities. “Balinese dance and dress-up”, was the highly anticipated event of the day. Ella loved the adventurousness of taking off her shirt outside. (Should I be concerned?)

The dresses were just long strips of fabric that they wrapped around and around and pinned. Truly one size fits all. 

She absolutely loved her hair piece too. 

The colors were all so different, bright and beautiful, and I just loved the gold accents.

Make up too!

They felt so beautiful. Just like Balinese princesses.

And the back…

Now that everyone was dressed, it was time to dance. 

The girls were taught an actual Balinese dance routine. 

Eva’s getting into the groove! She was really complimented on her form.  

Terima kasih! (Thank you!) 

And, a quick swim before dinner, of course. I’m so happy that they have both passed all four levels of the Red Cross swim certification. It makes vacation much more relaxing! 

And our favorite spot for dinner, the balcony with a fabulous ocean view. 

After dinner, we liked to roam the grounds and spy on weddings and different events, there was even fireworks every night of our stay as part of someone’s wedding.

This lady was a corporate event planner and as we passed, she ran over and asked us if we would judge their event. The theme was “black and white” and we were to choose the best dressed lady and man who most closely followed the theme. Sure! (The planner was super friendly and travels the world planning functions. There sure are some interesting jobs out there.)

So, we wandered the party and secretly pointed out our picks. After first choosing the president and his wife, then the owner and his wife who didn’t qualify, we finally found some winners. Whew!  We were not there for the announcement, but our pick’s were going to win jewelry. Your welcome.

Kind of a fun and unique way to end the night!