This first month of our year around the world has gone by so incredibly fast!
We haven’t been traveling much around Bali this year. We decided to take this first month a little slower in preparation for the ones to come. However this doesn’t mean we haven’t seen some beautiful places, learned some valuable lessons and have had our share of excitement. Let me tell you one by one!
Massy
He has been busy with his workshop, which has been great just like last year. Lots of new teachings that he can apply to his craft. We have been away from him for 12 days.
He had to deal with one of the biggest challenges, worrying about us! We love him for all the patience and care he gives us everyday. Unfortunately he often forgets to take time for himself.
Once he reached us after his workshop he has had to deal with a few challenging moments. Giving Luca all his medicine (I’ll tell you more in a second). Deciding that the place we had rented for 3 nights was just too raw for us. Once 2 of our kids got pretty sick, he moved us in another hotel the next morning. We tried to be tough and be ok with the place. We thought we would make these days a little more adventurous but once Cosimo’s fever spiked up in the middle of the night, we knew what our limits were. The place was way too basic for us and we moved out.
I’ve really admired him in that moment. For the way he took care of the matter and how he stuck up for his family and most of all for the well-being of his kids! He is a great travel partner!
Cosimo
In this month he has decided that he wants to learn how to surf and get the Padi certificate for scuba diving! For the first one he just needs to find the courage to start. For the second he has to wait till he is 10 and he already started the countdown!
He is amazed by how light his hair is turning from the sun. We did spend everyday at the beach or in the pool so that isn’t surprising at all!
He finished reading all the books he brought with him. Now he is impatiently waiting to get to Australia to buy more! I love watching him get a book and read every time there is a quiet moment. He didn’t care for reading a few months ago!
During our stay on Gili Meno, he got a really high fever. He couldn’t understand why, once he took the pill and the fever went away, then it would come back after a few hours! Anyway he was a good patient, listened to daddy, went to the doctor, took his medicine and rested. He was better in a couple of days.
Emma
She has been graceful and sweet as usual. Trying to teach Luca to behave. We also realized that every time one of her brothers isn’t well she is really sad.
Of course she had her share of misfortune too. While we were in Candidasa she stepped on a cactus on the beach. We asked the owner of the little restaurant if he had something to take the thorns out with. The ordeal became a beach effort. With a couple of new fish hooks and lots of eyes checking, he took out all 3 of them! She was such a trooper all through it. I kept on telling her that it was like piercing her ears all over again but taking a little longer!
She has been drawing non stop on her little book. Sometimes when we are waiting for our food at a restaurant, she will sketch someone and Cosimo has to guess who it is.
Emma loves the beach, she will put the mask on and find shells all over the place or she will dig holes with Luca and put herself in them.
Luca
He is in the terrible twos and you can tell!
Luca is the first child to make us go to a doctor in a foreign country twice in a month! First on Gili Trawangan we found out that he had a lesion in is eardrum. He was prescribed antibiotics and no pool or ocean for a month! Two days later on Gili Meno, he was playing with a stick. We are not sure how, but he hit his nose against it really hard. Half of his face was so swollen up! I thought be broke his nose. Luckily he didn’t. We got to try Gili Meno island doctor as well! He was little ugly for a few days but turned back to normal. However Cosimo and Emma were very worried that he would be like that forever!
In this past month he has started to say so many more words, it is pretty amazing. Although we did realize that he is probably thinking in both languages. Mostly he says words in English but at times he will add some Italian words to the mix. He also yells a lot more when he doesn’t get things his way. I really hope this is a phase otherwise I’m going to become deaf before he turns 3!
He hates the wavy ocean but loves playing on the beach and swimming in the pool but most of all he loves to be anywhere around his brother and sister.
Sarah
I found my rhythm in writing this blog, or at least I try! Although I must admit that when we have connection issues it becomes really frustrating. In fact all I want to do is write and share but it doesn’t work! This month I had to learn patience and acceptance of the limits of the place I am in, maybe it simply means I get more time to relax!
Something really painful happened though. We went snorkeling in a place where you could see lots of Dorys. I went underwater with my professional camera. Unfortunately my underwater casing failed me! I took some lovely pictures that day. However now my camera is dead for good. I was so upset. This forced me to get out of my comfort zone and figure out an alternative to get some good shots while on the Gili Islands (which was our next stop). I finally started using my Gopro and my iPhone! I then figured out that we had a great exchange rate in Bali. So I was able to buy another camera the day before leaving. The rest of our trip around the world is safe and will be documented, although my wallet is a little lighter than planned!
During this month I also realized how much I love snorkeling, I just cannot stop and the most amazing moment was when I found a turtle and just stayed around her for what I felt was the longest time. I fell in love with her movements, her gentleness and the depth of her look when our eyes met, it was truly a magical moment. That is what inspired me to get my first tattoo! I want to remember that feeling of slowing down every time I’m going through life in a rush. I want to carry that feeling with me forever!
About the tattoo
I got a bamboo tattoo in Gili Meno. This is an ancient tattooing technique that has been used for centuries in many parts of the world. It is a primitive method done using a bamboo stick and a precise hand-eye coordination. Due to the controlled and light handed motion of the artists this type of technique is much more comfortable and not as painful. The process of bamboo tattooing is a fine needle is firmly attached to the end of a thin piece of bamboo using cotton. Then the needle is dipped into the ink and gently tapped into the skin. Bamboo Tattooing has an unbelievable healing process, as there is no bleeding or scabbing. The healing process is practically immediate!
When I got there I was pretty nervous and not sure to how much pain to expect, but I’ll be honest I never yelled out or cried. It was just a constant sting and painful only in some parts because I had a sunburn! It took him only an hour and there was no bleeding at all!
Concluding
Wow what a month!
In only 30 days we did so many different things that we had never thought we would before starting! Biking across 2 islands, moving around on a cidomo, traveling on a scooter with 3 of us riding together, brought a thrill to our adventure. Going on traditional Balinese boats more than once connected us even more to the ocean. Doing some fun activities, like watching the The Incredibles 2 at a movie theater was fun. Exploring new places and meeting new people, was fulfilling. Living in different homes and hotels, trying new foods were all interesting parts of our day. Getting sick and going to more than once to the doctor showed us that we can manage anything where we are.
We experienced different forms of traveling, but the best of it all is that we have done it together as a family and all these moments are going to be ours to share forever….
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