the parents take on bali

it's been an unreal time reconnecting with my parents in bali after over a year apart.  when I left canada last year, I told them the next time they would see me would be if they came and found me somewhere across the globe.  they laughed, thinking I would surely be back in canada at some point and see them before they would need to come find me. but as time went on, they began to miss me a little too much and decided to buy two last minute plane tickets to bali.

they really couldn't have come at a better time.  after the whole black eye incident it was so great to have the comfort of my parents around but more so than that, it was amazing to have them spend my last week at the ecolodge with me and have a greater understanding and appreciation for what I've been up to for three months as well. then after the difficult goodbye's at sarinbuana, my parents and I headed out for two weeks to travel around bail together.  

our first few days were spent in ubud where we did some typical tourist activities - visiting markets, cafes, rice fields, but also using this as our base to go visit some beautiful surrounding temples, water palaces, sacred hindu sites, the kintamani region with stunning views of mount agung and mount batur and stopping through various quaint little villages.  

from ubud we headed to the far north east where we spent our time in amed.  this place completely blew our minds.  I wish I was able to capture the beauty of the under water world we were quickly acquainted with.  I now have the biggest appreciation for the all vast underwater beauty and life in the sea.  it really opened up all of our eyes to how remarkable, diverse, colourful and abundant the ocean life is.  we spent four days in the area snorkelling all day, every day we were there and could have easily spent more time in the area.  the pace of our days slowed down as well, leaving the busier tourist sites, enjoying a small family run homestay, eating in the local warungs, morning runs through the farmland in the hills and taking in the beautiful sunrises and views in the area.  

our plan after amed was to take the fast boat to lombok, but due to severe weather and high waves all boats were shut until the 29th, so with a change of plans we slowly made our way back towards the south where we spent time in sanur as our base for more adventures.  however, all of us were pretty keen on relaxing and never felt in a rush.  it was such a wonderful experience - daily runs on the beach boardwalk, dad and daughter date touring around on bikes, balinese massages with mom,  delicious food from the street stalls at the night market, visiting more temples, water palaces, spending time among the unesco rice fields and royal family palace, and soaking in all the sunshine.

more so than seeing and doing all of these things, what made it so special was having the opportunity to share these experiences with my parents. witnessing doses of their culture shock, taking charge on some activities and getting to play 'tour guide', teaching them pieces of simple indonesian, being in awe of new sites together, sharing the most ridiculous jokes, having my parents watch in sheer awe at the volume of tropical fruits I could consume in one sitting, daily runs with my dad in every place we visited, annoying my parents with my ridiculous dance moves and having them say 'oh there is the same old kara', and simply feeling the comfort and familiarity of loving parents after being apart for so long.  in fact, the 3 weeks I spent with my parents in bali was the longest consecutive time we've been together since moving out for university over five years ago, so it was definitely a memorable time. 

and now as our time in bali has come to an end I know I will cherish each experience and moment, the opportunity to show them my home, being witness to their amazing and sometimes hilarious reactions to various experiences, foods, sites and activities, and ultimately having this time together. 

so thanks mama and papa bear for flying across the globe to come and put up with more of my antics. thanks for loving me, birthing me, supporting all my endeavours and coming to join along the way. you guys are the bomb.