Saturday, October 1 – Bali, Indonesia

Bali.  A dozen of us went snorkeling this morning. It was quite the adventure. A mini-van delivered us to the harbour in two loads; we signed away our first-born and boarded two small boats. Most of us had done a fair amount of snorkeling before and were fine, but a few who were less-experienced found it harder as conditions were less than ideal.
We did not get the kind of instruction and assistance we would have in North America. At least one person stayed on the boat. When it came to getting back to and into the boats it was far more challenging!
It took 2 strong men to heave me in [Larry included] and I landed on my back in the bottom of the boat with my feet waving in the air. I’m told it was quite a sight!
There were some fish, though not great schools of them, but interesting coral formations. We think the tide turned while we were out, because suddenly there were strong currents sweeping us away from the boats. So swimming back was a real challenge and we arrived tired. Then there were no ladders or platforms to climb out, just a curved slippery bulge in the boat and no hand-holds.
We also got a great kick out of watching the para-sailors, the banana boaters, and the people on “flying mattresses” -- all going in every direction across the crowded harbour. Para-sailors were taking off landing on the sand among vendors’ huts.
Eventually we landed, hosed off a bit and all piled into 1 load in the minivan (2 trips took us) to return to our peaceful, lovely hotel. There’s such a contrast between this resort area at Nusa Dua and everything else we’ve seen on the island.

Our farewell dinner at Jimbaran Bay was a real seafood feast! Our tables were set in the sand near the surf and cold drinks were served from a sailboat near our tables. The sail read "Exotic Intrepids Group". We watched the sunset and the kids playing in the surf. Many of us took off our shoes and stood at the edge of the ocean. The moon was a thin crescent above and we could see some stars.
There were two dance shows – one at the restaurant next store and one at ours. The food was abundant and good – we actually thought the platters were for sharing but they were individual! Prawns, mussels, lobster, calamari, scallops, steamed spinach, rice and lots of fruit. Wow!
Margo shared her poetic account of the trip. We stood in the sand sang: “Go Now In Peace”. Myna B asked for the personalized sail and carried it home.
On the bus, Sally-Jo thanked Cathy for all her work putting together this trip and read a poem to her from our poet laureate (how many travel groups have one of those!). Cathy thanked West and our driver. We all trouped into one of the bars to here the rest of Margo’s travelogue poem then dispersed.

Photos 1 Oct