Christmas Holiday in Indonesia

This was the first year which I got to spend Christmas away from my big family.  After  a long flight from San Francisco(via Taipei), flight EVA Air landed in Bali International Airport. Upon clearing immigration, Michelle and I boarded a taxi airport to Novotel Hotel in Benoa, a place known for its long strip of sandy beach, affordable fresh seafood and water activities for all ages and comfort levels including parasailing and scuba diving.

At the hotel, staff hurriedly came to our aid, helping us with our luggage and scuba gears and greeting us with fresh tropical drinks and fruits- quenching our thirst from the rising barometer as we checked in to our humble abode for the next four days.

Later that day, after getting some needed rest and with our internal clock out of sync, we took a stroll around the neighboring streets and alleys where we found lines of endless food vendors perfuming the air with the delicious aroma of tantalizing delicacies, snack carts and fruit juices stands, stopping at almost every food stall to sample Balinese street food and tea to cool us down.

That night, eager to experience Balinese cuisine, a driver from a well know restaurant Bumbu Bali, picked us up from the hotel. With a big appetite and the thought of "eat like there's no tomorrow", we ordered two set dinner, a Balinese and Seafood. It was a delightful meal and plenty of left over, enough to feed the entire kitchen staff.