The next destination on our Balinese exploration was the famous rice terraces of Bali!  “Subak” is the cooperative social system that controls the water that irrigates the agriculture of Bali, and it is interconnected with the Balinese water temples. Water from natural springs and river canals flow through the temples, and then is divvied out to the rice terraces. It is therefore easy to understand why temples and worship is so...

After leaving the Strawberry fields with a box of berries that we picked, our next stop was Pura Ulun Dana Bratan, otherwise known as one of Bali’s water temples. This temple is used for offering ceremonies to the Balinese water, lake and river goddess, Dewi Danu. It was built in 1663, is located on Lake Bratan, and enjoys an elevation of 4000 feet. This lake is central to much of Balinese irrigation, which is why this temple is quite...

One of the perks of staying in our beautiful rental in Bali was that our landlord also happened to be a independent tour guide/driver!  He has operated his own tour/taxi service for years, and since he is also a Bali native, we turned to him for advice about what was worth seeing in Bali during our 3 1/2 week stay. We went on several all-day trips with him, fully trusting him to show us Bali at its best! First of all, I must strongly...

Bali captured our hearts the same day we arrived. The daily scenes seemed like a snapshot out of National Geographic. As we drove from the Denpasar airport to Ubud, and then in other areas throughout the island…I dreamt of capturing it all from a camera strapped to my forehead. The struggle between the urge to capture and preserve the images I saw via photos, and the desire to simply enjoy life in the moment, was constant. In Bali, I felt...

Okay, admittedly we were expats living in Bali for only 3 1/2 weeks…but it was a lovely 3 1/2 weeks!  When people ask us where our favorite place has been in our travels thus far, Jared and I always answer, “Bali!” Since most things are best shared with photos…I will share our life through a photographic essay. For starters…motorbikes were our preferred mode of transportation. Jared took two of the kids on his bike, and I took...

One week during our stay in Ubud, my friend Sabina suggested that we ditch the hubbies and kids and go out on a photo shoot to practice our photography skills! We jumped on a motorbike together, and off we went! Me on my motorbike… We started driving, and ended up going to one place, and one place only: Ubud’s Monkey Forest. In fact, we opted to not even go in the monkey sanctuary, but simply park our bikes and walk on the free...