Ever since visiting the Big Island, we have been in love with Hawaii and now want others to enjoy the place as we do. You can do so in our condo which is in the center of Kona. With its 1BR / 1 pullout couch the place can comfortably host 2 adults and up to 2 children.
The condo is in walking distance to stores (~5 minutes) and the beach (~10-15') and offers stunning evening views from its Lanai.
Find more information here; book your spot on the typical vacation rental platforms including AirBnB - Slice of Paradise in Kona or through our direct booking site at Kona-Rental.
Currently: Summer time in Hawaii - it is the warmest time to head to the beach and we see the island getting busier with visitors again.
I finally get to make these pictures available after having uploaded the pictures quite some time ago.
As you may recall, 2024 is our year of travel. We have decided to go and see Bali, a place we have long avoided. There are so many people from Australia who go there and these people are not always the best representatives of Australia.
In preparation to the trip we got a lot of recommendations from a good friend of ours who used to live there. She hooked us up with a great driver, Christy booked a nice house for use, we were ready to go.
The flight was uneventful and the driver met us at the airport as arranged. On the way to our place, we made a stop to get new SIM cards to ensure we would be hooked up to the network and could use the internet. We reached our place and were excited about its layout, setup and equipment. We would welcome the Swan Villas anytime again.
Over the next 10 days we undertook several adventures. Most of them have been documented separately on this blog. Here just some pictures from Bali and our dive trip to Gili T.
Throughout the trip we avoided the Australian dominated bars and party spots. This way we got to enjoy more local food and people. We had a memorable time and enjoyed our trip to Indonesia (first time for Sydney and Christy).
After Sydney's graduation (see "OLSH Graduation Class of 2024") there was one final formal act to be performed, the Final Assembly. Schools in Australia, particularly parochial and private colleges hold regularly assemblies. They start and finish the school year this way and also have assemblies throughout the year.
(click on individual pictures to get a downloadable, large version of a picture)
This time, parents for the year 12 students were present as they answered to the roll-call one last time in front of the rest of the school. Afterwards there was some cake and drinks outside in the wonderfully sunny weather.
Over the last years the American custom of celebrating Halloween has become more and more popular in Australia (even though the late sunset in summer is not necessarily helpful...)
(click on individual pictures to get a downloadable, large version of a picture)
This year, members or our church organized a Trunk or Treat which plays on the Halloween's Trick or Treat. Trunk or Treat consist of a number of people who meet in a parking lot and open up their cars' trunks (boots for my Aussie friends.) They decorate the car's trunk and the kids can go trick or treating from car to car. This is a wholesome experience, fun for the kids, an opportunity for adults to catch up. This year we supported the activity with some snags (bbq-ed sausage on a slice of toast)
While in Bali, the objective was to build memories through adventures. One idea we had was to try out "ATV-ing" in the jungle. Our reliable driver, Wayan, took us to Batubulan where we hired ATVs with King Adventure.
(click on individual pictures to get a downloadable, large version of a picture)
After switching from the ever present flip-flops into gumboots (wearing plastic bags as socks) we were ready for the ride and each of us got his vehicle. We got a short briefing and then venture to the start of the park. The initial slop into the park was quite steep before we entered the forest. The park was well set up and consisted of a track that led through various wet (read mud) area to dry track segments of varying inclination.
About half way through the ATV track, we had a break, enjoyed some water before completing the course. Both, start and end of the course were at the company's office. After arrival and after having rinsed off all the mud, we enjoyed a Indonesian lunch (included in the ATV package.)
On request I can provide a higher resolution version of the movie.
Overall, we had a good time and all completed the adventure without any incident. Sydney had a little bit of help (see the movie above) but drove largely independently with supervision.
In addition to diving we spent some time for family activities that Sydney could enjoy as well. One of them was white water rafting on the Ayung river. We chose the Graha Adventure company. They had a good reputation. Pricing was what I would call adjusted to the Australian visitors (though we ended up getting a bit of a discount.)
(click on individual pictures to get a downloadable, large version of a picture)
A 10 minute truck ride takes the participants from the company's office to the entry point into the adventure. From there we descended through rice fields into the canyon. There were many stairs, which were unevenly spaced. After about 20 minutes we got to the water and our guides instructed us how to paddle. (this was the typical set of instructions, how to hold the paddle, paddle forward, backward, rest the paddle in the boat.)
On request I can provide a higher resolution version of the movie.
Shortly thereafter the trip started, we pushed off the bank and got to enjoy the serenity and beauty of the surrounding forest, the chirping of the birds and sounds of the running water. We had a good time, the current was not too rough and soon we arrived at a waterfall. Picture time for everybody before moving on. A few minutes farther down the river there was a stop to get drinks and snacks before we embarked on the final leg of the ride.
We arrived well and took many flights of stairs back up to the exit point where we were promptly picked up by the truck to head back to the company's office. A Lunch was included and consisted of some simple Indonesian dishes. Pictures taken by crews station along the journey (including some taken with drones) were for sale and we could also pay the bill for drinks / snacks purchased on the way.
All in all a very recommendable, easy but refreshing adventure.
