Yoga anyone?

After the whirlwind of the first week and the focus around getting here then getting our diving certification the idea was to start sloooowwwwing down a bit. So today we decided to grab a paddle board and Kayaks and paddle to the neighboring island Gili Meno. This island is smaller than Trawangan and significantly less populated and "developed."  Keep in mind "developed" is a relative term. The trip over was very nice and relaxing.  Of course we needed to celebrate the achievement by visiting a local establishment called the "wud up" bar for some food and a drink. 

I'm not sure why, but I often get called upon to hold the camera during the selfie and my already big head looks ginormous. 

Following our return from Meno, I got talked into doing yet one more thing I have never done before (all about getting out of the comfort zone) and took a yoga class.  We went to a place where Marv knows the owner so we got the "local price" of 60,000 Rupiah (or about 5 bucks).

It was all fun and games and I was having a great time until Jenna said "why don't you do some stretching before class started."  She hands me this block and places it under my back and tells me to "open my heart."  Not sure how much the heart was opening but my rib cage was about to crack down the middle. 

The class was really good except we had another power outage during class so the generator kicked in. In addition there is a Mosque close by that plays religious singing at various times during the day. So right at the time I'm supposed to be getting my Zen on, I've got a generator in my right ear and a Mosque loud speaker in my left. Sort of killed the mood. 

Since it was Jenna's last night with us we decided to hit one of the nicest places on the island for dinner (ko-ko-ne). We also decided to splurge and have a bottle of wine. Everything here is way cheaper than home except for the wine. We had a bottle of their cheapest Pino Gris and it cost us 600,000 Rupah ($50). Oh well, it's vacation. Besides, with this view, with a table on the beach, I consider it a bargain. 

I was smart this time and decided to forgo the "big head selfie" and opted for the server to take our picture. I actually wore a collared shirt for the occasion. First time in over a week!  

May 9th and Jenna's final few hours as she is catching the fast boat back to Bali at noon for her first leg home (*sigh*). The day started by me taking the "good" kayak out for float AROUND Meno. I'm not the experienced kayaking guy but never one to back down from a challenge. 

These kayaks are very streamlined and even have steering pedals!  The narrow hull makes it difficult to balance and I was barely pushed from the shore and fell over. It didn't help that I had Marv and two of his buddies were waiting for me. Come on Chris, you can do this. Focus. Remember the yoga breathing (inhale....exhale.....). I actually did pretty well. The humidity was really high (go figure) and I was hot and dripping in sweat. I would have jumped in the water but a) it is so warm you don't cool off and b) I was afraid I couldn't get back in the kayak!  So I powered through!  Definitely got my workout in for today. 

After a moment of recovery, we gathered Jenna's baggage and put her in the boat to Bali

It was such a special treat having her join us for part of our excursion to Indonesia. Jenna, I hope you had as much fun with us as we had with you. Safe travels back home. Love you!

We have a couple of Marvs friends from Canada joining us this evening so we thought we'd do a little bike maintenance so our primary mode of transportation is ready to go when they arrive. 

There are two really nice cruisers and one beater. Guess which on I get?  The front tire literally had all of the rubber worn off and I was riding on the fibers so I figured a change of tire was warranted. 

A slightly different experience than working on my Cannondale back home but I'm not complaining. This baby is a life saver!  Cheryl pitched in and had cleaning duty. I didn't have her clean mine as I think the dirt is all that is holding it together. Besides I get a little street cred with it looking this way.   

We are nearing the halfway point of the trip and all is going terrific. Marv is a terrific host. My stomach is even in pretty good shape and have avoided unexpected sprints to the toilet!  We certainly miss everyone back home and are able to periodically catch up with short bursts of Internet service. We plan to take a few more dives before heading to Komoto and we still have many more adventures planned!  Can't wait!!