catherine and ben arrive in indonesia!

There are times when things just seem to good to be true. And this is one of them... I'm in an amazing part of the world and I get to see someone I love and care for immensely. In Indonesia! I just can't get over how wonderful it is that the travel plans of my lovely cousin and her main man accidentally came together with mine. (Not to say that I didn't work some serious Jeti mind-tricks to convince them to get over here) They were nice enough to let me tag along for a solid part of their trip- they were too sweet to never make me feel like the ultimate 3rd-wheeler I was :)

they're here!

We spent our time first in Kuta where we met up- Catherine and Ben surfing, I making trips to the immigration office in the town over to renew my visa. Then we were off to the Gilis... I told yall I'd go back! For the super-active, busy-body selves that they are, I was very happy when both Ben and Catherine sank into the island no-schedule-schedule pretty easily. As we have discussed, I now know I am good at this, but was thrilled to have them on board as well.

traditional long-boat ride to the Gilis

Each morning on Gili Meno was spent with a morning chat session between Catherine and I. While Ben meditated and did his thing Catherine and I probed into every topic under the sun. Most centered around our strong wanderlust spirits, the need for a constantly stimulating environment, speculating where in the hell our lives will end up, and our amazing (and crazy) family.  Even though I've always known we were similiar, it was a comforting realization and blessing to discover exactly how much we really do have in common and how easily she and I can relate. I feel lucky beyond measure to call her family and friend :)

lotus temple in the center of Ubud

After a few days of beach going Catherine and Ben both had the itch to get to Ubud, a place they both had been looking forward to very much. And with good reason. Ubud is an incredible place. While it may not be what it once was, who can really argue against a culturally and artistically rich town surrounded by lush rice paddy fields and temples? Not us! so we headed straight there from the Gilis. I was actually suppossed to be on my way to Sanur but in a hitch-hiking misunderstanding (weird, how could that happen?)  it just ended up being easier for me to go with them. I didn't need to have my arm twisted and if anything on this trip I've learned to be flexible and go with the flow.


After just a night in Ubud I let them finally have some time together and headed back to the coast to Sanur. Catherine and Ben spent the rest of their trip in and around Ubud enjoying all the fantastic activities it has to offer- great food, yoga, spas, walks along rice fields, more temples than you could ever imagine... you can hear about their trip on Catherine's amazing blog:  http://desphotosetmots.blogspot.com/ She an absolutely remarkable photographer and writer so I suggest you check it out. 


It was tough to say goodbye but the astonishing fact that we were lucky enough to share some time together in Indonesia made it easier. I'll hang out in Sanur for a few days until I leave for Taiwan (more on that later) for about 2 weeks. They'll head back to their lives in beautiful Jackson Hole, Wyoming to continue adventuring and doing the good things that good people like them do.