Sunday, September 27, 2015

Bali, Indonesia: A Balinese Thanksgiving [2]

I have been reminiscing over our Thanksgiving Vacation last year lately, when I realized I never blogged the second portion of our trip ( or just never pressed publish). So, in honor of the best vacation ever and us coming back up on Thanksgiving this year I am sharing the second half of our trip. This was by far the most exciting with having so much fun with the elephants and then our final destination in paradise.

See the first part Here!

The second half of our Balinese visit encompassed some of the most beautiful creatures on this earth. 
When we decided to go on this trip I had been looking endless hours on pinterest of pictures in bali. One big thing was these elephants. In particular is Elephant Safari Lodge.
 
It was pricey.. so I wanted to splurge for my little Stella and go for it. The hotel is Elephant everything. You are picked up by an elephant and taken to dinner, you see an elephant show, you go on an elephant safari ride, and while you're swimming in the pool the elephants are just a couple feet away munching on their bamboo.
























Stella was in heaven, I mean she couldn't believe how nice these elephants were and that she got to touch them, feed them, bathe them and ride them!
My sweet husband however was not as impressed, he kinda thought they were dirty and dangerous. So, he opted out of giving the elephants a bath and going swimming with the elephants.
I however was not missing out on this once in a lifetime experience so I took a dip with the elephants and MAN are they STRONG and STINKY!!!!  


































I came back to the hotel room covered in dirt, elephant, and probably ( most likely) a bunch of poop. *yuck* BUT I got some great shots and I am happy to say that I have ridden and swam with elephants in my life.
When that fun all ended we landed at our last stop in Bali, and definitely the most luxurious.
The Conrad Bali
 











We had actually planned to leave Bali after 5 days and go straight back to Okinawa to spend Thanksgiving day with some friends but after the 5 days we had... and some nudging from our friends Annie and Victor we decided to jump in on their advice and stay 4 more days at The Conrad with them, and boy did it not disappoint.
The hotel was GORGEOUS with the breathtaking views and a massive pool. The kids were in heaven here because they could play in the sand in the pools while we hung out in our cabanas and ordered food and drinks.
The Conrad also had a great perk of having the Kura Kura Kids Club, where Stella ( Ian wasn't quite old enough) could go anytime from 9-5 and hang out in an amazing clubhouse where the "teachers" took them to all kinds of activities ( Balinese dancing class, cookie making class, swimming etc.) We didn't realize this was free of charge so the first day she didn't go, but every day after that she begged me to drop her off and I got some much needed one on one time with my handsome little guy.

Also, another perk of staying at a huge fancy smancy hotel is that they have a babysitting service. So, we obliged and had an amazing date night out in Kuta Bali dancing the night away at one of the fun clubs. It was a blast... and just may be why we have Henry LOL.
We spend Thanksgiving Day hanging out at the hotel pool and then had an elegant dinner overlooking the Ocean with our dear friends. We all said what we were thankful for this year and truly I believe I was the most thankful for these amazing friends we have made here on this island. They have pulled us out of our comfort zone and really prompted us to travel the world!