Happy New Year from Bali!

We just returned from 10 days in Bali, Indonesia for Christmas and New Years (and a much belated honeymoon!). Bali is known for art, diving, surfing, and a unique Hindu-influenced culture with amazing music, dance, and architecture. We tried to absorb as much as possible! Our itinerary included:

- 4 days in Ubud - relaxed artistic center amidst picturesque rice fields. We took a cooking class, drove a scooter to temples, and hiked Mt Batur (2 am wake up call!). We also enjoyed shopping in local markets and beautiful musical and dance performances.
- 4 days in Pemuteran - three days of scuba diving and one morning dolphin watching from a traditional boat. Visited local hot springs and one of the only buddhist monasteries on the island. Enjoyed a new years eve feast with dancing and traditional music and avoided blowing our hands off with local fireworks.
- 2 days in Seminyak - beach town on the south side with plenty of waves, international restaurants, and shopping. Lots of surfing for Evan, cute purchases for Nikki, and delicious food for both.

Thanks to Nikki's planning, we stayed in the most amazing hotels we have ever seen. Balinese-style places with big windows, outdoor showers, and in two cases, private swimming pools. Even our travel around the island was fun, and we made time to visit many temples, a clove/coffee plantation, stunning rice terraces, and some cool surf spots. The food was, of course, amazing and we enjoyed all the ginger, lemongrass, and chili infused dishes. We even learned how to make a few things during our cooking class in Ubud (a major highlight of the trip).

We had a wonderful, romantic, and overall super fun vacation and are already trying to figure out when we can get back!