Into the groove

Finally by day four we are feeling pretty good and adjusting to all the new sights, sounds and smells! Ben has been surfing everyday and since we are staying at the south end of the island we wanted to take advantage of a couple of the surf/beach spots that are close. Uluwatu is a beautiful small white sand beach with a famous wave that breaks on the reef that can be easily seen from the beach. You park at the top of a 200 foot cliff and walk down these crazy paths they have built into the rock. There are warungs and little shops along the way, its pretty cool. Climbing down with a baby was interesting but once you get down to the beach it is so worth it!

Have I mentioned that traveling around Bali with Coco is like being with a celebrity?? We get stopped and surrounded by Balinese people, both men and women, all of them wanting to hold her and ask about her. They love babies here very much and Coco ham's it up when she is getting attention like that. She smiles and says "hi" to everyone. It is really cute, she is definitely not shy.

Coco and her fan club :)

That night we went back up to Uluwatu, this time to the temple to see the famous Kecak and Fire Dance. This temple is one of the most famous and spectacularly placed temples in Bali. It was built in the 10th century and stands atop a sheer cliff rising 200 feet above the Indian Ocean. It commands an amazing view of the ocean breaking against the base of the cliffs below, and a totally unforgettable sunset. At night they perform this special dance, they are basically acting out the Hindu Ramayana epic story. There are no instruments used, instead there are about 30 bare chested men sitting in a circle chanting, almost beat-boxing. It is trance-inducing and very cool. Coco was enthralled along with the rest of us. She watched the entire show and didn't even get scared when the bad guys came out with their crazy masks or when they started kicking around the fire and ash. It was so much fun and very entertaining.