Brooke comes to visit

We finally had our first visitor! My sister made it halfway around the world to see us and check out Indonesia. When I met her at the airport, you never would have guessed she'd just been traveling for almost 30 hours. What a trouper! We left the very next day for 5 nights in Bali and had a great time. Perfect weather the whole trip. One highlight was this amazing hidden beach we discovered (with a little help). The area is famous with surfers, although it is reef-protected, so the waves break far from shore and keep the water crystal clear and perfect for swimming!

Towards the center of the large island of Bali is a town called Ubud, which is Bali's cultural area. Lots of art, dance, rituals, performances, etc happen here. First thing on our agenda? The Monkey Forest, of course! This is a dedicated area that surrounds old Hindu temples deep in the forest. It is inhabited by a TON of long-tailed macaque monkeys. They are not shy, and will do anything to get food from you. One of them rummaged through my sister's purse and stole off with her entrance ticket! In the photo below, you can see one of them starting to take Brooke's sunglasses off her head. Just like that, the monkey had them in its hands and took off, disappearing over a wall with them. Apparently, sunglasses are their favorite thing to steal after food!After Bali it was back to Jakarta for 4 more nights before Brooke went home. We spent the time relaxing, taking her to some of our favorite spots to eat, and of course got her a massage. So what's next? She just might come visit again next year!