An Alphabetical Stroll Through Bali and Australia/+ a Bit of Philippines- I is for: In the Jungle and Ice Cream for Dinner (5/17)

[missjackiemcg]

Yes, I wanted to play the Swisskapolka and dance! (Please tell me know where that’s from!)

Of course!!! Swiss Family Treehouse!!

You are such an adventurous traveler! I love that and am so envious that this is NOT in my DNA! What an amazing adventure. And that Stone Throne, just WOW. That is one that most people will never check off their bucket list, you lucky lady!!!

 

[Paulaparm]

That tree house is beyond cool!

 

[Steppesister]

Well, welcome back from there to there then.

Why thanks! Settling in and doing my best.

Easy fix. Just win a Powerball lottery. How hard can it be? Just pick some numbers. Easy!

Which numbers?!

For sure. Hire some fussy kid and see if they like it... then go from there.

Hey, not a bad idea!

Road less traveled, huh?

That's my jam

<orders a coffee>...

Oh! I had no idea! I thought it was a couple inches, max.

The weeds make it look that way, I'll admit.

 

[Steppesister]

It's surprising to see the high resorts prices in a country like the Philippines. But I guess people will pay for "nicer stuff".

I think it's def a country of have's and have not's so it's either kinda low level not-so-great-places or super fancy.

The treehouse looks like a lot of fun and a true adventure.

Glad I did it once!

The sunset is gorgeous.

I was really lucky. The sky doesn't always cooperate for fun photos.

Not everyone gets to use a famous stone throne.

I feel so privileged. LOL!!!

I would expect that people who live there would get used to all that noise and learn to ignore it. I would compare it to living near the airport or railroad tracks and not noticing the noise.

I would think so too. Anything out of the ordinary tends to keep me up, or get me up. But after time, I'm so exhausted I get caught up. LOL! It happens every single time I got back or forth from AZ to KY. New birds, coyotes, my parents doing the dishes...

 

[Steppesister]

As I've mentioned before your pictures are just wonderful. And I love the unique tree house accommodation you ventured to stay in, including its adjoining pool and toilet. I've enjoyed many different commodes in my travels, some with fabulous views, such as up at high camps on Mt. Baker, Mt. Assiniboine and those we built in the snow while in the Alaska Range. But my all-time favorite is still the one I made use of at the Refugio Pardon in Italy, which is situated on a high ridge directly across from Marmolada ("The Queen of the Dolomites"). Its unique, unisex facility is a rather large room located on the lower level of the two-story building. The room's floor is entirely covered by stainless steel that slopes to its center where there's an open hole that drains directly to the open slope beneath the building. A slightly elevated, non-slip corrugated footpad is located on each side of the open hole. While squatting over the hole with your feet on the pads, you pull a chain that's suspended from the room's ceiling to flush. When you do a large volume of water rushes out of slots in the base of the metal baseboards, swirls around your feet and forms a small whirlpool as it drains down through the hole. I was laughing so hard that I almost failed to keep my boots dry.

You are the royalty of unique potty places!! I can't even begin to compete with that! What a crazy contraption that must've been!!! WHOA!

 

[Steppesister]

Of course!!! Swiss Family Treehouse!!

You are such an adventurous traveler! I love that and am so envious that this is NOT in my DNA! What an amazing adventure. And that Stone Throne, just WOW. That is one that most people will never check off their bucket list, you lucky lady!!!

I love getting off the beaten path and seeing stuff that's a little funky. By the way, I hope your birthday was amazing!!! What did you get to do and see?

Wasn't it a riot?! What a crack up! (No pun intended. )

 

[Steppesister]

That tree house is beyond cool!

It really was! That bamboo ladder was a bit treacherous and I wasn't happy with my uncooperative bladder, but it was a really unique way to spend a night.

 

[pkondz]

Which numbers?!

The winning ones, of course.

That's my jam

Mmm… jam

 

[zanzibar138]

I just stumbled across your TR and had to join in! As an Aussie, I am intrigued to read your perspective on Australia. At first I thought it was odd you were flying into Adelaide, but it certainly made sense for your wonderful itinerary outside of the major cities. I actually haven't made it to Kangaroo Island yet, or Uluru, but absolutely love Tassie (have another trip there in October) and also enjoyed north QLD.

The Philippines is definitely gaining traction as a destination for Aussies. One of my friends went last year and said it was amazing. Bali is just about a rite of passage for anyone growing up in Perth (like me)

Loving reading about your travels so far and what a lovely destination wedding it was!

 

[missjackiemcg]

By the way, I hope your birthday was amazing!!! What did you get to do and see?

Aww, thank you so much!!! And Happy Birthday to you, too!! One of my favorite birthday memories will always be our duo birthday song at 'Ohana with all our DIS family together

I work a second job in retail besides teaching, so I worked Friday night and all day Saturday. My birthday fell on Sunday where I did absolutely nothing, and it was glorious!!! We did go out for lunch, but otherwise a lazy day. So nice!

 

[SwissTravelingtoFlorida]

Love your TR, so glad I found it and can't wait for the next letters

 

[irene_dsc]

Wow, that treehouse looks amazing! You did a great job of finding unusual places way beyond the usual touristy areas, it seems!

I find it amusing you commented on the Kentucky Derby. I actually ended up watching this year, which is unusual for me. Backstory - DMIL passed away in December, and one of her favorite places was Las Vegas, and she loved the Kentucky Derby. DFIL arranged to have her ashes scattered at a cemetery in Las Vegas this past Monday, and also reserved a couple tables at a sportsbook on Saturday so family could get together to watch the race. I actually did bet on the horse that came in second! (Like $5, so not like I would've made much even if he'd won, lol). That's the most travel I've done recently, other than a short business trip to Texarkana of all places.

 

[Steppesister]

For those interested… here is the link to this evening’s White Coat Ceremony. A small intimate affair of 4 students launching into the final work in getting their FNP degree/training. A celebration of the hard work so far! 6:00 Salt Lake City time.

https://wgu.webex.com/wgu/j.php?MTID=ma7d490827915e61aeffd1b10de5a23dd

 

[missjackiemcg]

I'm not able to tune in live for your event, but wanted to just shout out big CONGRATULATIONS to you!!!! You've worked SO hard on this journey. You have so much to be proud of!!!

 

[luvpoohandcompany]

I wasn’t able to watch but wanted to say congratulations and well done after all the hard work and effort you’ve put in.

 

[Steppesister]

I is for: In the Jungle and Ice Cream for Dinner​

Finding time to relax on a vacation is a tough proposition for me. At least the way I vacation. Maybe “vacation” isn’t even quite the right word. I want to see and do as much as possible so a bit of downtime can be hard to get. But today… today was a day of mostly resting with some quiet strolling, photography, and indulgence. Not in a hugely extravagant way, but I’ll get to that…

The evening before I’d taken a walk into “town” and was complemented in the oddest way I think possible. The cute fruit stand girl told me I was beautiful adding, “You have such a long nose!”. Maybe that’s something that is aspired to in the Philippines? Who knows. The best comeback I could muster was, “You have a beautiful smile.” Just call me Pinocchio! (And no, I wasn't offended.)

Anyway, I looked back at my trip notes, and I had to climb down those steep bamboo (slick as snot) steps not once, not twice, but 4 times during the night. #probablyneedsDitropan So, I was rather… not well rested… after my night in the treehouse. I stumbled over to the open-air dining area and ordered some coffee. There is nothing quite like sipping coffee with tropical birds singing their morning songs with plumeria and hibiscus blooms nearby waving good morning in the golden light over a volcanic lake.

(The little bowl of plants next to my own little treehouse sink)

​

While my breakfast was cooking, I chatted with the scientists, a husband-and-wife team, who were also staying at the resort. They were molecular biologists from Manila studying the genetic variation of the Talawis and trying to capture a few for genetic sampling. It was fun watching them don their diving gear and paddle around in near the shore after breakfast! Being the nerd I am, I was fascinated. I also found it rather amusing that the guy’s mom was also a “Lisa” who was a nurse in the States. Small world!!

(A daytime shot of the beach area)


(A pano of the lovely black sand beach)

​

After my breakfast of leftover fishies and a matcha tea smoothie, I ventured over to the pool. While it was not technically private, it was all mine. They made it a big point to advertise that it was chemical-free; I was far more impressed with the lush garden that surrounded it.

​

The morning was easy and restful, so I also took time to enjoy the tropical garden shower. I mean who wouldn’t want to shower in a setting like this?! Even if it was too cool. 90% of the time a cool shower is a Godsend anyway when you’re “between the 23’s.” If you’ve ever lived in the tropics, you know exactly what I’m talking about.

(Who wouldn't want to shower in this little Heavenly space?!)​

All cleaned up, I asked the staff to bring down my bags from my perch and waited for the manager and her driver to be ready for our trip back to Manila. She suggested a 1:30 departure, which I was more than ready for. I wasn’t hungry for lunch, so it was no problem at all to just skip. In all, it was about 2 hours back to Manila with the usual clogged roads that resembled EPCOT on any given Friday night.

(The topography was SO steep and jungle-y!)​

Back at the same place I started out a few days earlier, the Belmont Hotel, I checked in and went back to the casino to trade back all but about $40 of the $100 I’d exchanged.

(It was a pretty nice, but small, room.)​

Up until then, I’d only needed that much in cash for the couple of meals, tricycle rides, and tips; everything else went on my debit or credit card or was already paid for before I’d left. With just enough left over for “dinner” and some coins and a couple of bills for souvenirs, I toddled off to the 24/7 hotel restaurant for a little something something. Realizing I only had enough for a few things on the menu, and not really in the mood to go out to the cheaper (more local) area I had walked to a few days earlier, I decided on Halo Halo.

​

This ended up definitely being a culinary highlight of my time in the Philippines! Holy dessertaroni! Here is a little video about “mix-mix” which was mind-blowingly delicious.

I didn’t quite finish it because it was huge and filling. What I did manage to eat went down far too easily. Full up, I hit the sack at 4:30 with the alarm set for 1:00AM which worked out perfectly for my lingering jetlag. Stay tuned for the exciting beginnings of the most exotic portion of this Asia-Australian Extravaganza… volcanoes, poop in a cup, and art coming your way!

 

[Steppesister]

Mmm… jam

As long as it's not toejam.

 

[Steppesister]

I just stumbled across your TR and had to join in! As an Aussie, I am intrigued to read your perspective on Australia. At first I thought it was odd you were flying into Adelaide, but it certainly made sense for your wonderful itinerary outside of the major cities. I actually haven't made it to Kangaroo Island yet, or Uluru, but absolutely love Tassie (have another trip there in October) and also enjoyed north QLD.

The Philippines is definitely gaining traction as a destination for Aussies. One of my friends went last year and said it was amazing. Bali is just about a rite of passage for anyone growing up in Perth (like me)

Loving reading about your travels so far and what a lovely destination wedding it was!

I am thrilled you are here!! I love to "meet" new people and make friends! It's even more amazing you're an Aussie. Having your perspective will be amazing. I totally know we can only see things through our own, most of the time, biased lenses, so it will be GREAT to get more understanding from yours! Big cities just aren't my thing. I mean to spend the majority of time in for a vacation. I'm sure EVERY city has super fun and interesting things to see, but I definitely prefer nature and the quiet side of life more. Don't get me wrong! I LOVED the cities in Italy, London, etc... but love my time in the countryside even more.

I have heard such wonderful things about Perth and maybe someday I'll get to go there. If so, I'mma hit you up! As for Aussies in Bali, I think there may have been more from your country than any other I ran into. Lots!! I imagine it's akin to our Hawaii for a tropical vacay.

 

[Steppesister]

Aww, thank you so much!!! And Happy Birthday to you, too!! One of my favorite birthday memories will always be our duo birthday song at 'Ohana with all our DIS family together

I work a second job in retail besides teaching, so I worked Friday night and all day Saturday. My birthday fell on Sunday where I did absolutely nothing, and it was glorious!!! We did go out for lunch, but otherwise a lazy day. So nice!

Wasn't that a blast?! Such fun! Glad you had a restful birthday, Sister!

 

[Steppesister]

Love your TR, so glad I found it and can't wait for the next letters

I'm super happy to have you here and sharing in all the travel adventures! There's so much more to come so I hope you'll come back and join in for more!