Happy December! No snow here yet....how's it looking for all of you?
Today was a "work day" or as much of a work day as there is for us in Bali. (Insert happy face here!).
This morning Lynda headed out for a walk and found a tai chi class along the way while I was back in the room fulfilling my commitment to a daily meditation. Once that was behind me and breakfast was done I had a couple of client meetings....yay for facetime!
From there I had arranged for delivery of a shirt I'd had made a couple of days ago so I had to be out on Monkey Forest road by 12:15 to meet someone on a scooter. If you're wondering how I would know who I was meeting....your guess is as good as mine! There are hundreds of scooters buzzing up and down Monkey Forest Road at any given time but....these folks know what they're doing and the girl who buzzed up on her motor bike with my shirt had a sign with my name on it so there was no mistaking who I was looking for! How cool is that....you order something from a store (made to order) and within two days it is completed and delivered to your door at no extra cost. Jeez....this shopping business is almost as good as the laundry deal we're enjoying here!
As soon as I'd 'connected' with my motorbike delivery it was off to Bali Buda. We'd already made arrangements to catch a lift with Jati (who was en route to the airport for another pick up) and were thankful that he was able to drop us off just a couple doors down from where we were headed. It's a long walk to the top of Monkey Forest and then across the top to the cross street we were looking for. Well....maybe its not that its sooo long....its more that it seems super long when you're hot and sweaty and you can't just walk freely. You have to keep a careful watch of where you're putting your feet and that there are no cars or bikes coming too close to the edge or sometimes even on the sidewalk itself. As well, the sidewalk is just one person wide so if you want to talk you actually have to stop when there is a wider spot (like in front of a shop) so you can talk to one another.
We arrived at Bali Buda with a purpose.....the agent, Komang, whom we'd been referred to for help with our visa extensions was supposed to be there between 2-4 Monday through Friday so we wanted to be first in line. While we were waiting for her to arrive we had another great meal (gotta love when you arrive for a meeting at a restaurant at lunch time!). Komang showed up right on time and was able to answer our questions so we now know what we have to do the first week in January to jump through the hoops that should result in us getting our Balinese visas extended for 30 days. The most we can get is 30 days at a time so we'll have to do something similar once per month till we leave. This first time will be the most complicated though as it will require us being without our passports for several days and we will also have to go to immigration in Denpasar where we will have an appointment for them to take our fingerprints. In subsequent months the agent should be able to do it all for us (ie: no more fingerprints or in person trips to immigration for us). Of course each visa extension will cost us money ($65 each) but that $65 will give us another 30 days. The reason we don't have to leave the country every 30 days is because we got a special 60 day visa prior to leaving Canada. That 60 day visa entitles us to get these extensions for up to a maximum of 6 months. A normal tourist visa that is granted at entry into the country is just good for 30 days and cannot be extended which is why people sometimes have to leave the country and then return for a new 30 day visa once per month.
Soooo that was a work day for us in Bali. Not bad heh?! But then just when you think you're done for the day a whole new job opportunity pops up in front of you! This new job opportunity came in the form of Ketut who is wanting to learn english. He attends english class when he can afford it but that is not often and so we were happy to offer to "practice" english with him every time it rains and we are just sitting on the patio and he is finished his work for the day. Guess what folks.....its the rainy season so it rains pretty much every day! Today was no exception and in fact....it rained from the time we arrived at Bali Buda till now....it is still raining out there (11:00 pm). Sooooo.....tonight Ketut had his first lesson and before long the other Ketut (it is a common name here) who works at Julie's had also joined us on the patio. You might say we started school tonight and I'm pretty sure it will be an almost daily commitment. We're happy for it though and the two Ketut's were so cute....both sitting there on the couch focused like truly motivated pupils are. We practiced the alphabet and then moved on into nursery rhymes and kids songs which are perfect for practicing pronunciation. The repetition of songs like, "there's 10 in the bed and the little one says; roll over roll over. They all rolled over and one fell out, there's 9 in the bed and the little one says; roll over roll over.....". Bet you won't be able to get that tune out of your head now that you've thought of the song either! LOL. We did "Old MacDonald" and all is animals, and "Twinkle Twinkle". Yep....we even did "Eensy weensey spider"!
So folks....that's what a work day in Bali looks like for Lynda and Lorrie. Not bad heh?!
Till next time,
L & L
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