Bali, Indonesia and Darwin, Australia

Merry Christmas from Australia! I hope you're all enjoying the holiday season, where ever you may be in the world. :-)

BALI:

On this day, I visited Ubud, a town known as the artistic hub of the area: painting schools, stores selling thousands of handmade wood and stone carvings, etc.  The first thing that I noticed about Bali were the temples everywhere- literally on every block! The temple of a private residence we visited happened to be celebrating its “birthday” (every 210 days in Indonesia), which was a special treat. 

Next, were were entertained by the somewhat aggressive monkeys wandering freely among us at the Monkey Sanctuary.  Lunch was served at a 5-star hotel/spa built on a lush and sprawling compound overlooking the biggest river in the area.  It reminded me of the views while white water rafting in Costa Rica in 2009.

DARWIN:

Located in the Northern Territory, Darwin is near the national park where Steve Irwin (The Croc Hunter) taped his famous show.  My friends and I visited the Crocodylous Park in Darwin, home to thousands of crocodiles.  I got to feed raw chicken to the baby crocs from a fishing pole and also held one for a photo shoot (see pics below).  A very entertaining way to start my time in Australia! 

A monkey just hanging out on the trail in the Monkey Sanctuary (Bali)

This monkey made a mess of his coconut (Bali)

One of the temples I'd see on every block in Bali and Ubud.

The incredible view from the 5-star hotel I had lunch in (Ubud)

More incredible views of the river valley from the 5-star hotel (Ubud)

Look, Ma!  I caught a baby croc!  :-) (Darwin)

Holding a baby croc at the Crocodylous Park (Darwin)