Sunrise hike to Mt Batur...or, longest and greatest day in Bali

I love it when I have way too many pictures and love them all too much to narrow down which ones to post...therefore, my trip to the volcano, Mt Batur, will have to be a series. I hope you all enjoy taking the trip with me!

The girls with Lanang, an employee at the Villa, love of our lives, and ex tour guide who came out of retirement to take us up the volcano that his family has lived near for generations. 

The fog ebbed and flowed all morning, changing the view every few minutes.

Alexa in front of the scene of the crime...and by crime I mean the moldy bread and banana sandwiches that Lanang proudly made us for breakfast after hiking in the dark for 2 hours.

sun a little bit higher...

Warriors.

I promise she's not superimposed, the lighting was THAT good!

Mountain and valley below

we had a good time with the photoshoot, so please excuse gratuitous sassiness.

Alexa in the hills

Guess which one is the fitness instructor, the ballerina, and the Japanese tourist!

While Marianne, Jay, and Alexa did the vertical climb to the very top of the volcano, Sally and I took the (sort of) leisurely route down...hot springs and ice cream awaited and we have priorities.

to be continued...

Birthdays in Bali

It's been the week of birthdays here at the villa, so naturally we've been celebrating like girls on holiday should...lots of dinners, wine, and pampering. 

some of the ladies at Cafe Bali in Seminyak

Marianne, Sally, and Karine

Happy Birthday Jess!

I just liked this gallery in Seminyak

at Sukerti for Marianne's birthday

Luckily my birthday fell on one of our days off, so with 8 ladies in tow, we started off with lunch on the beach then had a half day at the spa (which words can't even describe how amazing it was!) followed by dinner in Seminyak.  It's going to be hard to top this birthday next year, that's for sure!

birthday kiss

celebratory ice cream at Echo Beach

pretty chandelier at dinner

all of the birthday girls: jess, me, marianne, and jackie

sushi, dumplings, and kir royale...yummm

birthday song

and yes there were sparklers involved...

not a bad way to turn 26, eh?

Blue Bali

Just really enjoyed the shades of blue after the sun went down yesterday. Here's a little preview:

Marianne and Karine

Day trip to Ubud

For our first day off, a bunch of the girls did a day trip to Ubud, the spiritual and cultural center of Bali. It's only a little over an hour away, so with our trusty driver Putu, we headed off for a fun day of eating and shopping in the market.

With some of my new friends at lunch: Tania and Karine

lunch of spiced fish wrapped in banana leaves, beans, and yellow rice with coconut chutney...Mmmmmm

at the market

sooooo tempted to add this cute little teapot to my collection

decorative door handles

lots of natural oils for sale

view of the street outside of the market

carving on a temple

gamelan practice outside of the palace

photo opp. with Karine, Marianne, and Sally

FYI Balinese wine is not the greatest

The next day is just a rest day to catch up on some studying and get to the beach to mentally prepare for another intense week. 

Rainy day in paradise

End of day 6 and we are all ready for a couple of well-deserved days off. Here's a little run-down of how my days have been going:

My day starts at 7am with an asana and pranayama practice (breathing with postures) and that goes 'til 9:30. We get an hour for breakfast, then back to class which is sometimes lecture, but the last couple days has been foundation of postures which means you're learning by doing the movements and breaking them apart to know how to teach them. Break for lunch at 12:30, back at 2, and then more class til 6:30pm. I am gaining so much knowledge but by the end of the day I'm basically just mentally, physically, and energetically exhausted! It's all pretty amazing though, can't wait to see what the next week brings...I may never want to leave here. ;)

View from the yoga shala--over some thatched roofs is the Indian Ocean.

stretching those hammies

practicing our balance

Tomorrow some of the girls and I are heading up to Ubud for the day to get a sense of the culture...and the markets too of course.

Jalan-Jalan

Translation in Indonesian: to go for a stroll...

Also, my favorite new phrase. So the first full day everyone started arriving and naturally congregated to the pool--28 women and 2 guys. Why more men don't do yoga with those statistics, I'll never understand. Bali is hot and humid and there are bugs galore, but it's the most lush place you'll ever see and the smells are just fantastic. Also, the fruit here is divine and you can get a lassi anywhere, which really just makes it all worth it.

pool party

3 minutes down the road is Canggu beach

I love how the temples blend in with the environment

temple on the beach

one of our guardians

one of my new friends at the beach after our venture out to the local warong for papaya lassis and banana pancakes (and yes, they are as delicious as they sound!)

another couple of the girls surfing

more surfers

my favorite little guardian

banana tree forest

some of the orchids at the villa