This is one of my last posts on the Bali honeymoon. We spent one month traveling around the island – and off the island – that it took several weeks to recount the details of the experience here for you. On our last week in Bali, we decided to hop on a “fast boat” and head over to Lombok’s famous little islands – the Gilis. We were not interested in the party scene, so we skipped Gili T – instead, we settled in at Gili Air and spent almost every day out in the ocean. We dove at least twice a day, sometimes three times, and experienced something new every dive. We are amazed at the beautyl of the corals, the fish, the diversity. It was breathtaking. Our dive operators were so friendly, and after realizing we did this for a living, they made sure we were given ample time underwater to explore. No quick 45 minute dive for us! The one thing I wanted to see and experience more than anything in Bali was….. …

I love Eastern cultures. The vibrancy of the offerings, temples, songs, wardrobe… I am always just in awe of the amount of time and attention to detail that go into these aspects of life. It is truly as though your faith comes first, everything else is only secondary. I love that. This was particularly true for Bali. One day, we were taken to a waterfall that our driver referred to simply as “500 steps”. We didn’t count the steps down, but it certainly felt like 500 as we hauled our tired, jet-lagged, dehydrated selves back up to the top. We didn’t get in the water, except to wet our feet and feel the powerful mist of the falls from several yards away. We love to hike to waterfalls, but we pretty rarely swim in their pools.  I haven’t found a waterfall yet that feels like a bath tub, so alas, we enjoy from the distance. But the majesty of the falls was something awe inspiring. The fact that this place was obviously something special to …

Six days after arriving in Bali, we journeyed from Ubud and the central mountains out over to the coast. I was definitely not prepared for the beauty that awaited us on the west side of the island. Pictures do not do is justice. Your presence is required to soak. this. in. We stayed three nights at the gorgeous and unique Temple Lodge, perched atop the cliffside over Bingin Beach. Serene, isolated, breezy, island-like. With just a handful of rooms, we rarely encountered many guests except at eating times. While Evan surfed, I would explore the Balinese art of massage (several days in a row..) or wander down the cliffside staircase to the water below. We snorkeled out over the reef, ate fresh caught fish-dinner right on the beach, and walked from one cliff to the next in the soft white sands. We rented a scooter and toured the Uluwatu – Pecatu area, stopping over at Single Fin bar for a drink at sunset, and wandering down their cliff side to check out the swell at …

Evan and I just recently returned from the island of Barbados. It was a work trip, seriously. No really, it was. We both presented our research at the Gulf & Caribbean Fisheries Institute conference, and spent a little time exploring Barbados on the side. The island is so beautiful: clean water, clear and blue. White sands, no trash. Easy to explore, we felt safe and everyone was friendly. The food was expensive, but that was to be expected. The diving was expensive, but we expected that too. I do want to go back. Here are just a few snippets of our week, which including sailing through the late afternoon, touring the oldest rum distillery in the world, snacking on soursop while getting lost through Bridgetown, entertained by a monkey on the beach, trying their local flavor Mauby as a vegan ice cream, and site seeing the other Caribbean islands as we hopped back up to Puerto Rico.