Do you know where I went...? Bali!

Exactly! I was sure that you wouldn't figure it out - I was in Bali. It is really far away, we had to take three different airplanes to get there. It was good - we were at one airport for longer, but it was a nice big airport (I think the city was called "Istanbul") with lots of space to run around. Then there was a really long flight, but it was night, so I slept all the time. Perhaps because of that, I was tired the next day, and I fell and had a big booboo - Mama and Papa were afraid that I'd carry the scar above my eye all my life...

When we arrived, we went up to a village in the mountains... and they had some kind of play going on in the evening, with good music and lots of dancers in colorful costumes - despite the fact I was tired, I kept awake for the whole show!

We then went on a bike ride - they even had a helmet for me. Way too big, but who cares?!? They day started out with jeeps bringing us up the mountain, and my Papa tastes freshly roasted coffee, while my Mama had a strange - but tasty - tea. Then we went downhill with our bikes, and the landscape was amazing. And I got a first impression of the kindness of the people, especially in the villages that don't see many tourists. In Bali, babies are send from the gods, and I as a  blue-eyed, blond girl definitely stuck out. They all wanted to touch me and play with me, and I very much enjoyed it!

We went to a number of animal parks; I saw lots of birds and crocodiles, and I even rode on an elephant! Because the elephant had such a difficult job carrying me (and Mama and Papa), I later on gave him some peanuts...

Then we did another exciting thing: We went to a funeral. It was a big party, starting out with a parade, and then all people gathered on a big place and made music - and waited...

I could have gotten bored, if it hadn't been for all those nice Balinese people. They asked my Mama and my Papa whether I could go with them, and then I went from family to family, and they entertained me all afternoon.

Finally, there were many big fires, which unfortunately also meant the end to the party...

We then went to a different village at the East coast... on they way there, I was able to see some of the natural beauty of the island... at least I know now where rice comes from - and no wonder that almost all I ate during the vacation was - in fact - rice!

We finally arrived at our next accomodations. Bad news first: Lots of stairs, but luckily Mama and Papa carried me all the time. But then the good news: It was a very small place, with about 5 cottages build right into the mountain, with a fantastic few of the ocean!

It even had an outdoor shower, so I could watch the stars from there - which kind of reimbursed me for the fact that there had only cold water....

Most of all, the people were really nice - they had about five or six employees there, and all of them were kind - and fun. They played with me whenever I was down at the reception, and when I got bored at the table while Mama and Papa were eating fabulous food, I went over to them.

They even gave me my very own birhtday party: They did not only get the cake my Mama had asked for, but decorated it nicely and celebrated with me!

I did not even mind not being able to celebrate with my friends at home.

Then it was "temple time". Not that much fun for me, but hey: You've got to give your parents some space as well.

I even went so far and gave them a whole day off! I stayed with my Balinese friends, while Mama and Papa went diving! It was the first time for both of them, and they said that they'd do it again if possible.

They said that they saw many many fish, a shipwreck, and lots of other things. And I think that my Mama was much better at it than my Papa, who really had trouble getting used to not being able to breath through his nose.

They even considered to stay longer there to do a whole course, but then they decided that it would be more fun spending time with me....

And you know what came next? We visited a monkey park... lots and lots and lots of monkeys - everywhere! And they really liked my Mama and jumped on her shoulder, and I was allowed to feed them. Not as much fun as feeding the elephants, but still...

But that was not all: We then went to another temple, where something strange happened. A group of teenagers approached us, and ask us to take pictures of them - but with my Mama and me in the picture. Later on, after we talked to the teenagers for a while and saw them again in the complex, my Mama and Papa figured out that all they actually wanted was to take a picture of me - and then they took lots of pictures of me....

Walking around, I then say a strange animal - it was really loooong, and it was called a "snake"!

Well, that was almost it! The last few days, we went to the South and stayed in a touristy place to enjoy the beach...

On our way back, we stopped for a few days in a big city - it was called Singapore. The daughter of one of Mama's friends lives there, and while they themselves were on vacation, we could use their apaprtment, and they even asked their maid to take care of us. She was a very nice lady, and took good care of us!

I very much enjoyed this vacation, and hope to return to Bali someday...