(Wo)man vs. Bat – Stop with the poop already!

Fruit bat with outstretched wing
This is the kind of creature we’re up against – Image by Tanja Marx from Pixabay

BALI, INDONESIA – We’re big fans of nature and wildlife, especially birds and butterflies. We also enjoy seeing small lizards, non-rodent mammals, the occasional beetle, and other curious-looking insects.

Mosquitos and flies – and now bats – are not on that list.

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Happy Meal: Why is my morning toast smiling at me?

smiley face on toasted bread
My morning toast is smiling at me – AI art generated by MidJourney

BALI, INDONESIA – We recently moved into an unfurnished villa after several years of traveling around the world and staying in fully furnished apartments, condos, hostels, hotels and Air BnBs.

Every one of those places was outfitted with all the standard trappings. Not necessarily lavish, but we rarely lacked any of the necessities for daily living.

The villa where we stayed for the past year was totally furnished – OVER-FURNISHED, to be honest.

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Balinese culture on display during Kuningan Day

Stone figures adorned with flowers beside an altar piled high with prayer offerings for Kuningan Day in Bali Indonesia
BALI, INDONESIA – During a recent midday walk we passed dozens of altars piled high with colorful prayer offerings for Kuningan day.
Decorated with intricate woven fabrics, ornate palm frond banners and rosettes, tropical flower blossoms, piles of exotic fruits and coconuts, each altar seemed determined to outdo the one next door.
Balinese people believe Kuningan is the day their ancestors return to heaven after visiting the earth during the 10-day Galungan celebration.

Passport Photos and So Much More

Our photo studio find - a battery-powered mosquito zapper
Sometimes you find the things you need in the most unexpected places

BALI, INDONESIA – Last week Melanie and I went to a local photo studio to get ‘mugshots’ for our new visa application. The required package included four photos in three different sizes – 12 photos in all – for each of us.

I can only guess why they need so many photos. One of the smaller ones will go on our new ID cards. Another one could be incorporated into the new visa sticker that goes inside our passports.

As for the other 10 pictures, I suppose they will be attached to terribly important paperwork and filed away in various official government archives. How could we survive without bureaucracy?

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