Plevyaks in Bali

When we were in Kuala Lumpur, we discovered an immersive experience based on The Conjuring Universe.  For those who don't know, the Conjuring Universe includes 3 Conjuring Movies (loosely and violently based on the supernatural investigations of Ed and Lorraine Warren,)  3 Annabelle movies and 2 Nun movies.  Rams did some amazing horror makeup during Song Arc (COVID, anything goes Arc) based in The Nun demon. Obviously, this weekend, with John away in Lombok with friends, Rams and I watched ALL the movies.  Sorry, Not Sorry, John! Sunday morning we had a real treat!  A Virtual Halloween Party with Rams' friends.  We dressed up as characters ( Rams was ace journalist, Jack Taniels) and solved a murder mystery in zoom!  A great start to Halloween week!

A few needs built up for things that can't be easily found in our tourist town of Canggu.  In SF I would hop in my car with a book on tape and zoom around my city, reveling in my exceptional parallel parking skills.   Being a foreigner in Indonesia with a healthy sense of her own mortality, I am less independent. So. I grabbed a Grab (car with driver) for 6 hours to do my errands:  Heavenly Chocolate (The latest Royce got left in Siem Reap,  quelle horreur!) Bali Dive Shop for lighter booties to help improve Rams' trim, Casio watch shop in the Level 21 Mall to replace the broken one ahead of Outdoor Education trip, Green School for a meeting for school tour guides (come visit and let me show you around!), and back home.  Mallorie thinks my Bali life resembles that of a Victorian Lady.  I have a household staff and drivers and let others cook for me.  It's normal for here, but It certainly is different for me! 

It's our last day in Siem Reap and I already regret not spending more time here.  The archeological zone is very well managed and resourced.  The town of Siem Reap has great roads, infrastructure and clean water.  The people are lovely and the food delicious. There is so much so see and do and of course the weather is wonderful. We are staying at the Mane Village Suites and I could live here forever.  Great room, food, pool, concierge (Ms. Jing) to help arrange fun and transport...I love Bali, but I have a crush on Cambodia! After a yummy breakfast at Mane, we headed by tuk tuk to Angkor Zipline.  It is in the archeological zone and allowed us to fly through old growth forest.  One base tree is estimated to be 500 years old. After a lunch we headed to Apopo to learn about the amazing Rats that smell land mines!   After a rest, we went to the Phare Circus.  They are a non profit that teaches children traditional and art...

After a Loooong rest, we ventured out to the Apsara Theater to see some traditional Khmer dance.  The dinner was delicious and the performers were talented.  It was tough staying awake, but it was worth it.

Ramses is not a morning kid, but having gotten up at 4 AM Wednesday, we figured it was now or never to see the Sunrise at Angkor Wat.  We hired a driver and English Tour Guide.  Sayha was terrific, explaining the history and religious significance of Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom and tiny, but stunning, Kravan Temple.  It was fun exploring on our own yesterday, but today we gained a greater appreciation of Cambodian history and temple architecture.  Now it is 11 AM and Rams is crashed on the couch, fueling up for our evening adventure.

Up at 4 and out the door.  The trip to Siem Reap was easy and we were fortunate to be some of the first passengers to enjoy the new Siem Reap international airport! The hotel sent a driver and by 11 am, we were heading to the archeological park in a tuk tuk!  We saw 3 amazing temples:  Banteay Kdei,  Ta Prohm  and Preah Khan.   Each was amazing, but it was about 90°F, so by 4 we were hitting the pool.  We have another early night so we can catch the sunrise 🌅 at t Angkor Wat!

Angkor Wat is our destination tomorrow.  We have a 6:40 flight so arranged to stay at the airport at the Tune Hotel.  After a wonderful meal at the Mall (some of our best meals were at malls this trip) we were picked up by Nick with Eco Rides Malaysia.  We spent a wonderful couple of hours touring around the Government Capitol City (think DC) of Putrajaya on little Segways.  It was so fun and beautiful and informative!  Laundry, Dinner, early lights out rounded out the day.

When we travel we look for things we would not be able to do anywhere else.  This morning we were picked up by a shuttle to visit the Royal Selangor museum & factory where we learned about the history and saw craftspeople actually making beautiful pewterwares!  We even got to forge our own souvenirs.  Hands down one of the most interesting tours we have done! After, we walked around the corner from our hotel for a guided tour of a restored, historic, Malaysian house - Rumah Penghulu Abu Seman. It had been abandoned and reclaimed by the jungle, before being tagged as historically important, relocated to KL and beautifully restored.

No moss grows on us.  We started the day traveling by train to Batu Caves.  They were amazing.  The 272 steps to the most popular cave (thank you monkeys for the poop blessing) felt excessive compared to the cool and informative Sri Ramayana cave  From there we went to yet another mall, The Curve to do a second Hauntu.  This one more traditionally Malaysian and super spooky.  But we also discovered  an immersive experience dedicated to The Conjuring Universe.  Could not pass that up! Dinner atop the Petronis Tower to round out the day

We love a good escape room, and we love a good haunted house!  Hauntu in KL combines them in a wonderfully creative, well acted, story freak out.  We did Chapter 1, The Thief.  We have to come back in April for Chapter 2 because we loved it!  Next up was a trim for the boy.  Beard Bear gave him probably the finest haircut he has ever gotten.   Shopping... Shopping... The Petite Chef is an interactive meal I have been tracking for almost a decade.  In 2016 my father shared this imagery dinner via you tube that at the time was about $2k for 4.  Someone figured out how to bring the cost down and finally, here we are!

Yesterday marked the end of Term 1 (of 4) at Green School.  We are reeling at the thought that 1/4 of the school year is done!  Rams did great in his classes, pulling off a B+ average! And more important, learning a lot about himself.  Today we jet to Kuala Lumpur, continuing on , later in the week, to Angkor Wat.

As seen from Hippy Fish

This has been a magical week.  Our friends Chris and Anita have come to visit and showing them around, has shown us how much we have learned about our wonderful island home (as well as how much we still have to discover!)  We took them to our fav places: BeerMeUp, Santanera, La Baruna, Red Gunpowder.  Somewhere along the way disaster struck for me and I was hit by 36 hours of bleck.  I did want to experience it all. Bali Belly:  Check. The team played on and had an amazing tour of the Puri Agung Kerambitan and a chill day at La Brisa.  Here is to more fun!

We have walked by Casa Tua often on the way to the beach. We stopped in for lunch and discovered a lovely Indonesian Restaurant with rabbits.  Not to eat.  Just to be.