Beautiful Bali

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Good times in the most amazing small pool I've ever enjoyed

They brought a team of workers and prepared an Indonesian style BBQ for us at our Villa, such a treat

Our outdoor bathroom

I jumped out of last night at midnight, with only one thought in my mind: I need to get to a pharmacy, ASAP

It was a hypochondriac moment at its best. I wasn't in pain, I didn't feel sick.... I had just experienced flashes from moments from this trip where I was brushing my teeth, and the time I opened my mouth directly into the water-flow of the shower, or just hours ago, had gargled with salt water in the bathtub. Panicked, I realized that all this water, was Bali tap water.

I'm not a fan of prescription antibiotics, but I had packed a box of Rifaximin for our Asia trip to be sure that E. Coli was not going to wipe me out for a week. Still, reluctant to take this harsh medication if I had the possibility to self-medicate with natural methods, I called the front desk and ordered a taxi to bring me to the 'Apothek' which is the Bali pharmacy, open 24hrs. Simone looked amused as I grabbed my tactical flashlight and flip flops, and ran out the door.

A 2$ taxi ride took me about 10 minutes into the next town where the pharmacy was. I had my focus on locating probiotics, activated charcoal tablets, cayenne pepper, and raspberry juice. They had the first two items, but cayenne pepper and the juice is going to have to wait until tomorrow when the market opens. I'm adding turmeric, fennel seed and apple cider vinegar to that list. Oh, an tonic water for the quinine (anti malaria), if I can find a brand without sugar.
I'm also currently chewing xylitol gum, in hopes that it helps strengthen my 'good' stomach bacteria in case I have to take antibiotics in the near future.

Home now, it's 1am and I can't sleep... I'm too excited that I just killed the Parasite that tried to make my body it's new home. Sorry parasite, you messed with the wrong guy. (I hope)

Going back a day, I realize that jet lag has pretty seriously affected me for the first time. Waking up past 9am is a foreign concept to me, as my days in LA started before 5am, 6 days a week. In Europe, wake up was 8am -ish, unless it was a Zurich night. Here, the 3 mornings have started more as afternoons, as we have woken up at 1130 or noon all days. Yesterday at about 3pm, after having lunch on a beach where arrived at, I noticed a soccer game being played by local Balinesians. There must have been 15+ players per team, and they were all quite good. As much as I wanted to join in, I decided to watch instead, and observe the game as they play it. That way, the next time when I do join in, I will know what I'm getting myself into.

Their soccer field is a perimeter that has been scratched into the sand with a stick. The ocean-side perimeter had been washed away by the tide, but they all seemed to agree when the ball went 'out of bounds' on that side.  For goal posts, Team 'A' had a palm leaf sticking in one spot, and about 8 feet away, a tree-branch with a t-shirt hanging on it. Team 'B' made their goal posts out of a chair leg, on one side, and the other post appeared to be a small child who was playing in the sand. There was no yelling, no name calling, no rough play and not one dispute in the 90 minutes that i watched them play. The one piece of extreme action that I DID notice, happened to be the most unbelievable display of love for one's sport and loyalty to team-members that I have ever witnessed.

A few players stuck out as 'REALLY good'. You know... scissor kicks, great footwork, goals by hitting the ball off their head... And one of these players was wearing blue shorts that had lightning on the side. Naturally, I called him Blue Lightening. I was closely watching Blue Lightening, as he appeared to be the captain of team 'B', and he was the fastest runner out of both teams. Maybe a little too fast, because while trying to pull a maneuver around what looked like his identical twin on the opposite team, he tripped and fell to the ground... But his foot didn't follow his leg properly. Planted deep in the sand, his foot stayed in place while his leg thrusted sideways... the barefoot all-star had completely dislocated his ankle. About to jump out of my seat and help carry the poor guy off the beach and towards the hospital, I notice his friend (who is not a doctor) run up to him and take a knee in the sand. Oh good, I thought... This guy will hoist him over his shoulder and carry him to seek professional help. But no...That wasn't their plan today- they had a game to win. They exchanges a few words, and then I watched in disbelief as the friend put both hands on the injured guys foot, and with one quick snap and twist... he re-set the dislocated ankle. I nearly spit out my drink and started clapping.

So Blue Lightening gets pulled up to his feet by his friend, but clearly he's in pain and can't even put pressure on his recently 'fixed' foot. The soccer ball goes back in play, and Blue Lightening hobbles towards the outer perimeter, seeming to be getting away from the action that just resumed... Problem is, that someone deflects the ball, and next thing you know it's headed straight for our guy with one functioning lower limb. I expect him to dart out of the way and allow the ball to travel out of bounds, but Blue Lightening refuses to let that happen to his team. He hops to the right and pivots his weight onto the good leg, then amazingly he digs into the sand with the toe of his recently dislocated foot, sends the ball into the air, and jump-kicks it back into the other teams zone. This must have given him a natural shot of adrenaline, because he headed right back into the sand field and took his position. I watched for another 30minutes or so, and this relentless player continued to participate for the entire time. I wish the super league soccer stars could have seen that... Maybe the words Blue Lightening would flash in their minds the next time they fake an injury and fall to the ground looking like a child that just crashed on his rollerblades.

Today, we are in Ubud. Ubud is known as the artistic area of Bali. The town center is surrounded by farmers and rice paddys, and every shop sells stunning pieces of handmade crafts, locally made sculptures, clothing and accessories. The attention to detail and the uniqueness of each piece, whether it's Balinesian furniture, hand woven home decorations or tiny carvings of Hindu religious symbols, is astonishing. On a side note- My feet hurt from shifting gears in flip flops while touring the Ubud village center on my Motorbike.


 Our house is not accessible by car, and it's directly in the center of a small village of local farmers. The house is charming and authentic Balinese- and has no air conditioning. It's 94 degrees today. Luckily, our house sits above a rice paddy field, and we get air circulation from all directions- our house is an open concept, so there are no complete ceiling-to-floor walls in the entire property. The space is magical, and I slept deeply last night for the first time since arriving.

This is the entrance to the house we rented for the next month

The pool wraps around the patio 'Island'

It's Impossible not to smile here

It's humbling to live among the Balinesian people. The women work in the fields and also do most of the construction preparation. There is no 'retiring' in Bali. I just watched a woman who must be in her 80's carry a full 5 gallon water jug on her head. I don't know where she was going, but the direction that she came from had only one possible path: An uphill staircase that earlier, had me gasping for air only 1/2 way up.

I can't help but think of my brother in law, Rivers, while living here in Bali. He continues to inspire me in many aspects of life. As my life is now, I think about him often, and deeply appreciate his ability to integrate himself into any situation he finds himself in- without compromising his personality. What I mean by that, is that Rivers can survive anywhere- and will always do so with a smile on his face. It's a gift that he has, and it reflects the trueness of his inner peace. Also, Rivers is an elite endurance athlete and knows more about the scientific mechanisms of human anatomy than I do... And that is impressive. Oh Rivers, my peaceful and seasonally emaciated brother in-law... You need to come down here with Steph and Harper and open a medical clinic- I'll be the resident naturopath and dietician.

He is still considered 'heavily muscled' as Champion runner... and tis is the fist time i've seen him without a smile

 There are no high-elevation mountains here like the ones you lived amongst in Costa Rica, but inspired by your voluntary work as a porter in the Chirripo mountains, I recently requested to work a day in the rice field nearby. They laughed politely and cheerfully at my enquiry, and told me that it's not 'Buli' work... (Buli is what white tourists are respectfully called here in Bali) But apparently our village manager knows a friend who will get me work. I hope it's an organic brown-rice field;)


Love to all

I try to make friends with all the Bali dogs... this is the first that wanted to be touched

5 hours in Amsterdam- And Bali begins

Lets talk about Amsterdam.

There are at least as many bicycles in Amsterdam as I had imagined. What I had not imagined, was how dangerous this city is if you are NOT on a bicycle. The reason, I believe, is because as a walking pedestrian, you do not have a bell.

Its been a long time since I've been scared for my personal safety... But I can honestly say that as a walking tourist in Amsterdam, I was worried. I would have felt safer on my unstoppable and invisible Zurich bike for those few hours i spent on Dutch grounds.

We quickly took refuge in a pub, where we had a surprisingly great meal, and not surprisingly, a great  beer and coffee.

Our next stop in the city was a Coffee Shop. In Amsterdam, there are Cafes, and there are 'Coffee Shops'

Cafes serve small meals, fresh juice, pastries, and great coffee

'Coffee Shops' sell chocolate bars, chips, Marijuana, and great coffee

So sorry mom, but I had to do it.

The first thing I observed as I entered the 'Coffee shop' was a pair of teenagers, no older than 16 years old. Both appeared to be in a comatose state- in fact, one of the boys looked completely unconscious and a little ill. His friend looked somewhat coherent, but If I was the employee working the joint bar that day... I would have cut him off long ago.

Then I saw the Space Cake. This short trip to Amsterdam was no time for a journey into fairy-land, so instead I asked to see the 'menu'

Top of the list;

G-13 Red Sativa. For 7 Euros, 1/3rd of a gram is rolled into a joint for you, right in front of your eyes. While scanning the menu, I must have looked overwhelmed or maybe a little too excited at all the choices, because Simone stepped in and quickly said to the bar owner: "We have a flight to catch in less than 5 hours- which one will be the smartest choice so that we are OK to get on the plane"

The barmaid responsibly selected 'Vanilla Haze, Purple X' for us, and proceeded to roll it into a flawless doobie.

Now, I've never been a pot smoker. In fact, this was my first time paying for weed since high-school. But like they say, "When in Rome"....

And let's be honest, it's not like I'm running for Governor or anything like that... Although, Arnold WAS known to enjoy the occasional puff to 'Stimulate his appetite' while bodybuilding. 

And If I remember correctly, didn't G.W. Bush Jr. indulge in the occasional (Or frequent) party favor? And Bill Clinton, we know that you 'Didn't inhale', but It still counts. Wow, looking at the history of America's recent leaders, I might have just gained potential votes by visiting that Coffee Shop!

As for the rest, I'll let the pictures do the talking.

Step 1

Step 2

Step 3

Step 4

Step 5

Step 6

Then we got up and walked it off like champs, and got on our plane. Those little airline peanuts never tasted so good;)

Bali adventure begins

I love it here. It's only been 24 hours since we arrived, but we have already seen a lot. Of course, the first thing I did when we arrived, is get a motorcycle. Bali is my paradise for driving. There are no enforced rules of the road here- it's perfect. You drive defensively, keep up with the pace of traffic, and communicate respectfully to the other drivers. In Bali culture, you drive on the left side of the road. That is the easy part... In reality, here, you drive wherever there is an opening in traffic. The road width is no larger than any other 2 lane road, yet at most times, there are 4-5 vehicles driving side-by-side- in traffic going in both directions. And when I say side by side, I mean that peoples knees are scraping against my motorcycle, and cars are so close to you while driving, that you could lean your elbow on their window. The scary part (for Simone) is that I love this. This is real driving. It's like back when I used to race motocross. You pick a line, and you gas it. Commit to a maneuver, and be ready to dodge a car that wanted to make the same move. 

Oh, and something else here that is exciting to see, is an entire family riding on a 2 seat motorbike. A 3 year old sitting on the speedometer/gas gauge area, dad driving, mom on the back, with 12 year old daughter holding on to her... and no helmets. Better still- mom is carrying groceries, dad is carrying a 25 foot long extension cord, and they are all smiling. I would be too.

We had our first dinner at Ku De Ka, which is one of Bali's finest dinner-clubs and lounges. Not very 'local' of us, but we needed a good meal after our 27 hours of traveling, and it was right beside Villa Lumbung where we are staying for the first 2 nights. Its now midnight , and we take a walk down the beach, and stumble upon a really happening club called 'Potato Head'. naturally, we had to check it out. Happy we did, because it is amazing. Infinity pool only 15 meters from the ocean, unbelievable architecture, and amazing food (It was our dinner destination just a few hours ago) 

Tomorrow is a new adventure as we do not have accommodations reserved anywhere. We will drive down the coast towards Jimbaran

I'll report back soon

Love to all

Journey of a lost Indian, part 3

The deaf dog

Missing Monroe

I woke up this morning to an email from Expedia, and it put a smile on my face. It was an updated itinerary report, stating that one of our layover times has changed. I opened the attachment to discover that we now have an 8 hour break between flights, in Amsterdam. Two thoughts went through my mind at such a speed, that I can't recall which one came first. There was the reminder for me decline any offer to try a Space Cookie, and the excitement of now being able to find out if there are actually as many bicycles in the city as I have imagined.

Fact: Dutch people are known for having flat butts. This picture could explain why.

Fact: Kim Kardashian is not Dutch 

So much has happened in the past 2 weeks since I last posted. Although I have been writing almost every day, it's not until now that I have the opportunity to piece my daily entries together and form them into this blog. And, since I leave for Bali early tomorrow morning, I realize that this is my last submission from Europe, for at least several months.

So, I want to start by explaining a portion of this blog's title, that is,  'The deaf dog'.
Bailey is a very special creature. She is extremely sweet and loving, very patient and intelligent, and she seems to possess a deep and peaceful understanding and appreciation for so many aspects of this life. In certain situations, it makes me think that she has a spiritual intelligence that is even greater than what many humans have been able to achieve. Sometimes when I talk to her, I find myself surprised when she doesn't answer or add her own thoughts- In a voice that I imagine would sound like the Dalai Lama, as an adolescent.
Bailey has been with Simone for 9 years, and I have been with Simone and Bailey for the past 2. In my time with them, I have been to many veterinarians in California for routine check-ups and a few minor surgeries,  vaccinations, and on several occasions I have taken Bailey to a vet for her frequent ear infections. In almost 10 years of Doctor visits, we have never been given any indication that Bailey has any 'defect' or condition to provoke these infections.

4 days after arriving in Europe, we took Bailey to a local veterinarian because she was experiencing itchy and irritated skin. This vet was only 5 minutes from our house, and was operated by a 3rd generation veterinary family that has serviced the villagers and farmers for the past century. At this vet,  you could bring a horse, your cow, chickens or pigs... or even your goat and sheep. I'm sure if you had an exotic bird or even a monkey, they would be able to help you.

Within 60 seconds of having Bailey up on their observation table, I noticed a puzzled look on the doctors face. I began to get really interested as he called over to the Senior Vet to come have a look in our dog's ear. A quick look in both ears, a short discussion in Swiss-German scientific talk, and then he turned to me and said, in surprisingly good English: "Your dog is missing an eardrum."

There's not much more to this story, but I still find myself wondering how a missing eardrum could have gone undiagnosed for 10 years in America. And its not as if it burst and simply disappeared, or fell out at some point... The European doctors said without question, that Bailey was born with this defect. So there is the story of our (1/2) deaf dog.

 Its O.K Bailey, we still love you... It could have been much worse.

Last time I wrote, we had planned to go to visit one of Simone's family houses in Italy. That did not work out, as Simone had visa and document preparations that had to be handled in a far-away city in Switzerland. While she went to take care of that, I went Snowboarding in the Swiss Alps with her brother, Marc and his friend, Ludio. They decided on Davos, which is the highest elevation city in Europe. The resort was called Parsennes, which has 200sq. kilometers of ski trails... that's more area than the entire country of Liechtenstein.

The view from 2600m, and there's still 1 more lift to the top.

Even at the top of the highest peak that I could legally reach, the temperature was almost warm enough to void the fact that I had forgotten to bring a jacket to the ski hill that day. * By legally reach, I mean that traversing to off-trail zones in search of virgin powder is my favorite thing to do on a high-elevation ski hill. I would happily trek through knee-deep snow for a couple hours for the joy of a 10 minute descent through untouched snow... However, part of our group that day has been a safety patrol guide in the Alps for over 15 years- and he assured me that on this hill in the spring-melt season, I would either become buried in an avalanche or get lost and end up somewhere in Austria. Both of these seemed less than ideal to me, so I stuck with the groomed trails and just once, snuck into the restricted border-cross competition area:)

Of course, being new to Europe, I didn't have any of my own equipment. Quite opposite of what I was used to, as the last time that I had a winter snowboard season in Canada, I was Managing a Ski shop that I had opened with 2 partners. We designed snowboard parks for local resorts and hosted numerous snowboard competitions throughout the season, put on Demos at the hills and even had our own team of local riders. We were also constantly given free products to demo and enjoy for ourselves... Jump forward about 4-5 years, and now I'm borrowing my girlfriends snowpants from her teenage years, 1970 retro gloves, and a snowboard made for a giant person. The best part: I loved it all, and had one of the best days I've ever had on a ski hill.

Yes, the gloves are pink and neon green. And no, the pants did not fit over my boots.

The giant snowboard worked great. The suspenders, even better

Again, so much has happened in 2 weeks that its hard to cover it all, so I'll start with our trips to Zurich. Daniela, Simones close friend, has lived in Zurich most of her life. She is such an amazing person, and between her and Simone, they seem to knows everyone in the restaurant and club scene in the city. Here is a play-by-play breakdown of how events unfolded as we arrived in Zurich:

The first trip:

Purpose:

To party in Zurich at a club where Daniela periodically organizes events.


The 2nd trip:

Purpose:

To attend Daniela's Birthday party in the park, and to fulfill her 6 year old Son's wish list of things to do when Simone and I come to town.


The first adventure started at  Daniela's home, which is directly in the center of Zurich city, on the lake. Simone, Daniela, and myself set out on bicycles, which to many says: Wow, these are active people going out to experience the city like a 'local'. To me, It spoke a different tune. More like 'None of us are driving tonight, so drink up'. And that's exactly what happened.

The first stop was a restaurant on the waterfront, called the red factory. Only a short time ago, it was inhabited by Zurich 'street kids' who were heroin or crack addicts, living in the abandoned work factory. We had a prosseco to start the evening. Wondering why the service was so slow, I asked Simone what the deal was. She replied "You know how I said that the Heroin addicts used to live here?" I said yes.... "Well, now they work here, so it takes a while to get your order"

I still don't know if that's a fact, but it certainly makes sense.



After one glass of Prosecco, we mounted our bikes and headed towards Zurich's bar and restaurant district. Being an observer, I noticed that everyone on bicycles communicated using those cute little bells that I always removed from my bike as a kid. The thing is, in a busy European city, the bicycle bell is an indespensible tool- its a safety device. One quick and friendly ring of the bell is all it takes to get a walking pedestrian to move a step over, or to let a car know that you are nearby. This little bell is all it takes to avoid major collisions on the road

Hate to say I told you so, but you could have avoided this with a little flick of the bell

Now, my bike did not have breaks. I knew it when I started out of the garage at Daniela's... And I was prepared for that. You know what else my Bike didn't have? If you're thinking 'lights', you'd be right. If you said 'A bell', you'd also be right. So here I am, in a foreign city riding a bike without lights, a bell, or breaks, and we are stopping at what seemed like every bar and restaurant to have a drink- before our 9pm dinner reservation at 'Italia'

Win or lose, my battle is just beginning.  Drinking while riding an un-stoppable, invisible and silent bike through Zurich is a recipe for dangerously good times

I made it safely across the bridge, and now we enter the busy part of town. The girls decide that with 40 minutes to spare before dinner, it would be a good idea to check out a Tapas bar and have a drink. I can't object or separate from the girls- my life practically depended on it...They had the lights and the bells, so I go where they go.

It turned out to be a great little place. But the wait was about 30-45 minutes long. Unless you're with Daniela and Simone... They don't wait. I distracted the hostess by asking her all about the wine list, in English. Meanwhile the girls have succeeded in commandeering a table that was currently occupied by about 4 people, but we somehow managed to all squeeze in and make friends. Luckily, the waiter who responded to our signal somehow must have read our minds, because he appeared seconds later with a 1/2L of Red wine, and an assortment of Tapas from the chef's recommendation. Another drink down, and appetizers already taken care of, and we leave the bar with 5 minutes to spare before our dinner reservation.

Only Daniela got a chair at our seized table. Thankfully, the bike seat left my butt numb, so I didn't care where I sat.

This night was so eventful, that I could go on for pages trying to explain all the action. After our Dinner, we headed out to a lounge not too far away and met up with friends. The picture below is the last taken that night- thankfully. I'll itemize the events that unfolded after, without much explanation.. but I think you'll get the idea of the pace of our adventure.

We all ordered the same dish,  but I forget what it was. The wine was good

We were then requested by a friend to show up at a club, 15 minutes after his first date encounter started, to intervene if necessary.  It was necessary, and we intervened.

After that we ended up at the club where Daniela sometime coordinates events. We partied hard until just before closing time at about 3am.

The night got interesting as we ended up at 'The party bakery' to get a shnitzel. I'll never forget the people and the action at that bakery.

Then, we tried to go into The Future. They could not find Simone's name on the lifetime guestlist in The Future, so we did not go.

About an hour later, we arrive home safely. 

The next day we spent in the park, with what seemed like the entire population of the city. Beautiful and sunny that day, it was shown how good weather brings the people of Zurich to the outdoors. With free BBQ grills, clean and safe areas for all ages and complimentary beach access and parking to all, it truly is a success story of well spent government funding.

Still in this Zurich trip was one of my favorite experiences, but it truly is a 'You had to be there' story. The best I can do is to tell you that we (Simone, Daniela and myself) sat at an upscale establishment for a quick bite to eat and drink at a Yatch-club style restaurant called 'Searose', where we had the pleasure to observe a man that I can only describe as a 'Royal European Sea-man'.  If there was such a thing as Tobacco smoking competitions, he would be the undisputed World Champion. I really wish you were there to see it. He made it very clear to us that he was packin' a pretty hefty bank acccount, as he laid out his snake-skin wallet on the table, only inches from where we were eating. This wallet was bursting open with cash, goldcards, and I think I even saw a diamond poke out of the coin section.  It gets even better, when he started to argue with what could have been his sister, or his girlfriend. When I asked Daniela and Simone to translate, they tried between giggles of disbelief. He was telling this girl that he wanted his millions wired to his numbered account- and aggressively reminded her how much he hates to have that much money laying around in cash. That was fun to watch. Oh, one more thing... He was literally lighting one cigarette off another- there was no break in his smoking. The funny thing is, he didn't inhale the smoke. I found that to be very interesting. He was on to us, so I couldn't take a picture... But this one pretty much explains it

The Next trip to Zurick was to celebrate Daniela's Birthday party, and to fulfill her son's wish list of things to do when Simone and I come to town. Top of his list: Take a bath with Simone. My first thought was, this is a very cool kid. Good one.

Also on his list: Penalty shots

Romeo is a 6yr old athlete who is passionate about Soccer, spongebob squarepants, and my 34 year old girlfriend. I logged about 5 solid hours of soccer in the park with Romeo, and he could have continued to play. Between my duties as the grillmaster for the party guests, and taking multiple direct hits to the groin area in the park- I had to finally call it a game and shake hands with the winner. Wish I had a picture of that, but we had an Iphone incident the day prior, as Simones niece unknowingly placed a lock-code on her iphone while playing Ninja-Fruit, rendering it useless to us for the weekend.

Apart from the Zurich trips and Mr Bargetze's wine cellar, the past 6 weeks have been increasingly active for me. Especially since my discovery of the professionally built parcour course in the forest beside our house, and the amazing bike that I have had the pleasure of using while here. I anticipate a serious reduction in red wine drinking and premium bread eating in Bali, so I'm happy that I enjoyed it while it was available to me.

I have to wrap this one up, bed time... Bali is waiting.

Heres a link to our updated picture gallery, it'll be getting additions frequently!

http://s1119.photobucket.com/albums/k627/nativedavid514/