Bali friends

Poolparty at Studio 8 d

This part of the blog is dedicated to the amazing people we met in Bali.

We made good friends with our neighbours where we stayed, with whom we spent a lot of time and had some great parties at our pool :) The dutch girls Janne and Henrijetta both work in Bali, and Nigel we distracted from working way too often :)

We had a kind of dinner arrangement for a while. between us neighbours, everyone cooks in turn and the other once get to just eat and enjoy. It was really nice to have that beeing-at-home-with-a-family feeling this far away from home. I even miss the 'goodmornings' and 'goodnights' shouted across the courtyard everyday.

BBQ Master Nigel

We also had a couple of barbeque nights with BBQ master Nigel at the grill and lots of messing around at the pool. Henrijettas sister Jannemieke, who was visiting, had a waterproof camera with her and we spent quite a long time in the pool taking pictures while diving or making a human pyramid. It is really fun to play like a kid from time to time :)

Nigel, Henrijetta and Sonja drinking Bintang

Plus I of course enjoyed doing the mis en place, like pickeling onions and making garlicmayo (which I had to make more of even before dinner had started :), dutch like mayo apparently). And eventhough I'm enjoying the food here in China a lot, I still miss cooking. Even on that one little burner we had, with one pot and one pan. :)

Jannes neurotic little Chihuahua Jagger was a source of delight for everyone. Always scared and wary of everyone and still curious and social.

Jagger and Janne

Janne practicing with Poi

I was planning to practise with my Pois a lot, that didn't happen, but I might have gotten Janne bitten by the Poi bug. She was really determined to learn, and with me being a bad teacher that wasn't the easiest but she did do well before long. Hope you will keep it up Janne! :)

A lot of time was also spent at La Plancha on the beach, a nice spanish restaurant/bar. They held a surfing film festival there which we all went to. I wish it was possible to do something like that in Finland. It was so nice sitting in our beanbags at the beach, sipping beer and watching movies. And the restaurant had really made an effort to make the place look nice. Lots of colored lanterns and hundreds of beanbags scattered around the beach with small alluminous tables between. Sunsets at Doublesix beach are beautiful at any time, but the nice atmosphere that evening made it even better :)

Chilling in beanbags at La Plancha

Sunset at Double Six Beach

We have met more dutch people on this trip than any other nationality (other than locals of course), and it now seems inevitable that we'll go to Holland at some point. Sooner rather than later :) And we also hope that we will have visitors to Finland sometime, especially since I've promised to make glögi for Jannemieke ;)

We already had kind of a rendez vouz with Nigel. We had two days in Bangkok before we flew into China, and he was there at the same time with a friend of his. We spent the day at Chatuchak market stocking up on cheap (surprisingly good quality) t-shirts. And went for dinner at the same restaurant in chinatown we visited in march, Tang Yai Joo. And we ate the same thing, the amazingly good suckling pig :) I think we will visit that resturant to eat that same dish anytime we are in Bangkok.

The sisters, Janne Mieke and Hendrijetta

We throughly enjoyed our stay in Bali but after six weeks we were quite anxious to get travelling again. It was still a bit sad to say goodbye to our new friends.

So, take care you guys and don't forget about us :) We thank you all for the time we spent together, we missyou and do hope to see you again sometime – somewhere!

La Plancha at Double Six Beach

Another sunset at Double Six Beach

-Sonja-