Bali Life

There's not too many updates from over here in beautiful Bali - life is just super chill.  Plus we sweat too much to have the motivation to move a lot.  We've been lounging at the beach, attempting to cook the local cuisine and pool hopping between villas. I turned the big 2-8 this week and I couldn't think of a more beautiful place to celebrate.  By celebrate I mean sip a coconut, get a pedicure thanks to my NY friends, and have a few beers at sunset.  A far cry from the birthday celebrations of my earlier twenties.

I thought I'd include a few things I've learned about Bali since there's a 90% chance I'll be moving here some day.  If I can convince my brother to buy me a house... #WhatIsABudget

Bali is one of 17,560 islands of the Indonesian Archipelago and is named "The Island of the Gods."  If you could see all the beautiful temples here you'd get it.  I think my favorite fact is that siblings don't have the same last name - this could've saved me years of being "Todd's sister" if we had this tradition in the states.  Parents wait at least three months to choose a name based on their looks, circumstance, or traits they'd like the child to have.  Sorry Mom & Dad it's too late now...

I've currently dropped my beautiful villa with a pool for a more conveniently located "New York Style Apartment."  Location is everything if you can't drive a scooter.  Supposedly they're easy to drive but not when you keep mixing up the gas and the break.  We have 300ft ceilings, 3 bedrooms, a huge terrace, and live on top of a gelato shop.  Clearly whoever named this apartment has never been to NYC.  We also have a fat little apartment dog named Marli who likes to sleep in bed with us.  Life really couldn't get better over here.  Now onto the past weeks activities..

Excuse the snapchat photo. Yes I know "home" is spelled wrong.  My
last roommate's last name is Hom and she taught me how to roll these
little veggie spring rolls.  If you want your mind to be blown by how
creative she is stalk her instagram (she's famous) @homsweethom.

A stunning sunset on Kuta beach.  Kuta is my least favorite
part of the island so far.  It's very touristy (there's a
Hardrock AND starbucks there) and you can't walk the
beach without getting hassled.  But the sunset looked like
this so it was worth the trip.

This is me and my baby sea turtle.  Sea turtles happen to be my
spirit animal so when we found out 205 had hatched and needed
guiding to the ocean we jumped at the opportunity.  Sea turtles
need help in these areas because tourists can crush the nests and
the lights from cars and buildings can confuse them.  Sea
turtles follow the moonbeams to the water so when they're
hatched in a busy area they need a little guidance.

One day I decided to not use google maps.  Turns out I might have gotten my
Dad's sense of directions.  We ended up about 3 kilometers from home (no clue
how far that is in miles) and had to semi hitch hike home.  BUT we saw this
gorgeous temple on the beach so I'll call it even.

We kicked off birthday weekend with a ladies lunch at this adorable
cafe that was next to a spa where we received a traditional
Balinese princess' spa treatment.  Ask details at your own risk...

This is how I spent my birthday. Roasting up a good tan and sipping on a
coconut.  The company I'm wearing - Nalu - donates money and uniforms to
children around the world.  In some cities on this half of the world kids aren't
allowed to go to school past a certain age without a uniform which some
families can't afford.  These kids are more likely to be sold into labor
trafficking.  It's a pretty cool company and they have a shop just down the road.
They also do free global shipping so if you're looking to buy yourself a
birthday gift check them out!

And one more gorgeous sunset for you.