Change of plans and pictures of a house

I recently posted about attending a cooking class and taking a scuba diving trip with Simone- both things did not happen. One by choice, and the other had to be missed due to doctors orders. (From a real doctor, not my self-diagnosis)

Simone and I showed up to the cooking class two nights ago... It was raining so hard that the steps through the pond from the entrance to our house were under water. We really wanted to cook smoked duck and make coconut ice-cream, so we battled the rain and caught a taxi ride to the location. It stopped raining as soon as we showed up- and thank goodness... Because we ended up leaving 1 minute later, and our transport had already driven out of site. What we showed up to, was a large table with 16 other people seated, each of them with a confused and frustrated expression on their face. It turns out that we were all victims of misleading advertising- Or as Simone explained to the event organizer, "A really not-cool scam."
And that's exactly what it was. The cooking lesson that we had all pre-registered to attend was advertised as: "Learn how to create traditional Balinese dishes as you cook with experienced local chefs who teach you the tips and tricks of preparing authentic gourmet feasts. This is a 3.5 hour class, and in that time you will learn to create your own 4 course dinner with the help of our resident chefs." 
 The advertisement SHOULD have read: "Come sit at a wood table in an abandoned house, where you can awkwardly twist your neck to look past the tall guy seated beside you in hopes of catching a glimpse of the unpleasant woman with the chopping board, as she adds 3 ingredients to the pot that contains your pre-cooked meal."  
If she had explained it like that, the event organizer would have avoided the hassle of having to refund 16 unpleased customers.We walked across the street and were happily surprised to find a French-inspired bistro that served fresh fish and offered organic salads. We had a good laugh when we noticed 'Smoked Duck' on the menu, especially as it was written that it needed to be ordered a day in advance. Was it because they needed to organize a 'Cooking class' to prepare it for them?? I still wonder about that...

As for the action missed due to doctors orders, I have developed a really bad ear-infection. The good news is that this event can be recorded as the first time in history where I have adhered to the entire duration of a Doctor-recommended recovery time. I guess I really have grown up a bit in the last couple years.... I remember cutting off my own cast with a metal-grinder less than 3 weeks after breaking my ankle at a motocross track- just to be able to go into a hottub at a friends party. And that wasn't the first time I removed my own cast... A year or so later, I was told by my Doctor that weightlifting needed to wait 4-6 months after surgery for my torn shoulder and bicep tendon- and that intense workouts were out of the question for at least 8-10 months. However, following my own injury rehabilitation protocol, I was back in the gym at week six and deadlifting over 400lbs by week fourteen. ** I had a little help from my Mexican friends, Dianabol & SuperTest 400 ... But hey, in my follow-up at week eight, the Doc said that I was healing like a "Superhero" and gave me his blessing to continue my chosen method of rehabilitation. +1 point for Doctor Coughlin.

So it turns out that Scuba diving is #1 on the banned-activities list when nursing an inner and outer ear infection, so the trip had to be delayed. The suspected cause was from the day I went surfing in Canggu, the morning after heavy rainstorms. I guess the dirty water from the river had flowed into the ocean that day and found it's way into my head... So gross. After turning down the Doctors attempt to sell me on generic Azithromycin that was manufactured in Thailand and had been removed from its original packaging, we settled on a 5 day course of Amoxicillin with Clavulanic acid- which is made in Germany and was sealed in blister-packs. Then I went out on my own to find Quinolone topical eardrops for insurance. I'm not in pain anymore, but my ear pops every time I swallow. Unfortunately, I'm still waiting for the relieving pop that tells me this is all over.

The same Doctor advised me that wearing earplugs while surfing in Bali is a good idea, but I'm not sure I like the sound of that- no pun intended. I like to perform my extreme activities with all my senses firing. I know that temporarily taking away one sense can greatly heighten another.... but which one corresponds to which?
Ray Charles proved the correlation between sight and sound. But then, I know of a restaurant where you eat in complete darkness- because your lack of vision makes your sense of taste much more intense. What if taking away my hearing does the same? I already see perfect now... and I love sea salt, but I don't need to savor it while trying to catch a wave. A heightened sense of touch seems a bit of a waste while surfing, and now the only remaining sense is smell- which is completely useless while surfing. Balance is part of our vestibular sense, and it's a fact that hearing and balance are directly related. The better you can hear, the better your ability to balance- It's proven science. Earplugs now seem like a bad idea while surfing. I'll reserve them for the bedside table and airplanes. Sorry Doctor Nyoman... -2 for you.




The only pictures we took recently were of our house. Not too exciting, but they're better than a picture of my ear infection.

In this picture, the steps are above the water-line. We are looking for a waterproof camera so that we can capture the rainy day action

This is my favorite part of the house, the outdoor shower/bathroom and random art wall

This is the day bed area- Simone's favorite. I vowed never to return to it, because I hit my head every time I enter.

This is the guesthouse area of our home. It goes mostly unused- especially since the day where the snake challenged Simone, and held its ground in the high grass. The scariest thing about this snake is that it appeared fearless, and it could jump.

This is a green Pit Viper, one of Bali's most common and venomous snake. I've been told that it keeps to itself and rarely attacks. As long as it stays out of our house and doesn't jump, I'm happy.