Ubud Rice Paddies

My daily routine has held fast.  I wake up really early, make a coffee, grab my camera and wander around taking photos of the rice paddies.

This morning I also put on my walking shoes and headed up the road a bit further then usual.  It ended up being a really good idea because well....I saw some rice paddies that I hadn't seen before! 

The rice was blooming.  With the morning sun hitting it just right it felt like autumn in the tropics.

I have a feeling by the time I leave Bali you'll be ready to see something other than rice on the blog but, I must say, it's a total feast for the eyes and is completely irrisitable to my camera! 

Nautie Randomness Bali Edition

These things used to have Roman numerals but honestly, I didn't know what came next so now they get names.  I kinda like it better like this anyways.  This is the Bali Edition - things I meant to tell you before I left for Bali - things I meant to tell you when I got to Bali - things I just want to tell you!

Balinese Man working in the rice paddies in early this morning.

Can someone who reads this blog on a comupter tell me if the above photo (and well, the photos below) are gigantic?  I've been having minor difficulties resizing the photos on my iPad and because Squarespace is right ontop of optimizing posts on mobile devices I can't tell if that photo a) takes forever to load and b) is distorted due to being very, very large!  It's also possible that the flipside is true - are these photos small?  I realize that this makes no sense but the bottom line is:  Do the photos look okay on your viewing platform?!

Morning light in my little yard.

I haven't ventured too far from my nest since I've been here.  There are a couple reasons why but, one major reason is that I was really behind on 'life'.  There were so many long overdue emails to write / reply to.  Organizing data.  Organizing my schedule.  I didn't quite realize how much I had been going, going, going.  Being here, typing on my iPad, looking out the window, journaling and taking photos has been just what the doctor ordered.

Rice Paddies, A Camera, A Coffee.  Bliss.

So far, my morning routine has consisted of waking up really early, finding a mug of something warm, grabbing my camera and strolling along the edges of the rice paddies.  This morning the ravine on the Eastern edge of the ridge was full of mist and thanks to a light rain through the night things were extra dewy.

Rice Paddy and Morning Light.

Just so I don't leave you confused, I wrote some blog posts and set them up as 'scheduled posts'.  I was worried that I wouldn't have enough time to blog on the road and figured thought I'd share some of the photos I took while I was at sea last to keep you company in case of my absence.  I hope this doesn't throw anyone for too much of a loop! 

Here's something random for you.  When I was driving from the airport to Ubud I saw a really, really big lizard cross the road.  Big as in, if we hit it we would have felt it.  When my hosts were showing me through my house I asked them if I should keep the doors closed sometimes.  I mean, I'm down with geckos but that thing was bigger than a rat!  My hosts say, 'nah, you should be okay, we only had a snake in the house once!'.  *Gulp* I might be at one with the tropics but....we don't have snakes in Hawaii!  Then he says, 'that's why the houses are tiled - snakes can't slither on tile!'.  What?!  Good to know?!  Whew?!  Snakes?!

Thanks for tagging along with me! 

Aloha Friday v2 - Bali Ha'i

My plan was to feature local music from Hawaii on Fridays but welp, I'm in Bali and as I packed to get ready and as I sat on the plane I can't say the song Bali Ha'i from the musical South Pacific didn't run through my head incessantly.

This trip definitely has a soundtrack and this song is definitely on it. 

For the record, other than having the word Bali in it, this song has nothing to do with the island of Bali in Indonesia.  Here's a bit more about the actual origins of the song.

One more for the record, I'm a full day ahead of some of you, sorry if this isn't actually hitting you on a Friday! 

Bali Morning

I set my alarm to make sure I'd be able to take photographs of my first Balinese Sunrise.

I didn't want to miss a second of the morning light (and to be honest I had been laying in bed since 0200 wide awake).

The rice paddies provided the perfect backdrop to the tropical foliage in my little yard.  According to my Hosts - I got lucky and came when the rice is lush and green - the exact color you'd hope it to be.

I wandered up and down my little lane snapping away while being kept company by a curious little kitty.

Looking out my kitchen windows while making a cup of tea I watched chickens walking up and down the paddies.

So of course I had to head back out and take photos of the chickens...

Settling in last night I laid in bed listening to the creatures - geckos, frogs, chickens and had to think, 'it's a really good thing I grew up on Honomu or I think I'd be totally flipped out right now'.    

This sweet morning definitely made up for the long travel day, the jet lag and the really big lizards! 

Mettle Maker :: Always Do

My adventure starts tomorrow.  Wish me luck!

Xoxo,

Megan

Aloha Friday v1

This song is a classic in the islands.  When I say classic I mean I've heard it my whole life.  Every Friday every radio station plays it every hour.  Seriously.  

On Fridays when you leave work you wish your coworkers a Happy Aloha Friday.  On Fridays you hum this song when you pass a friend as a joke.  It's #tgif to a whole new level.  

Aloha Friday is a feeling.  It's that luxurious feeling on a Friday afternoon when you know that you've got some play time ahead of you.  

It's Aloha Friday, no work till Monday, badoobeedoo badoobadobadobeedoo....

This video isn't fun at all.  It stays that way the whole time but, the song is fun.  It makes me turn the volume up every time it comes on...even if it's the third time in one day I'm hearing it.

I'm also hoping that this turns in to a Nautie Mermate thing.  An island style song featured on Aloha Fridays.  That feels fun. 

HAPPY ALOHA FRIDAY!