Bali was supposed to be our first stop on our worldschooling adventure in 2019. Michael’s second cancer diagnosis derailed our plans, but we finally made it five years later.
We spent three nights in Padangbai with our friends Jill and Declan. Padangbai is a transportation hub and not where we would recommend staying for an extended period. We stayed there so Lucas, Henry, and Declan could go scuba diving. We stayed in a cozy dive resort called Absolute Scuba. Three days there were perfect. We went snorkeling and diving and relaxed at the pool. We also ran into our friends Trina, Jeff, Owen, and Ava (small world).
After Padangbai we took a van to Ubud for our fourth Forever Wild hub. We booked the Sowan Ubud with four families. It is a seven-bedroom villa with a pool. We booked it because it is next door to the Forever Wild hub. We reunited with several families from the previous hub, but we also met new families. Lucas and Henry jumped right back in with their friends.
The Bali hub was at the Bali Family Hangout. It is a modern space with an indoor playground, classrooms, a restaurant, and a water slide. The kids enjoyed having the hub there and spending several hours there outside of the hub. Lucas and Henry enjoyed the first week of the hub. The new kids fell right in step with the returning kids. With a classroom in Bali, the kids enjoyed doing science experiments. The after-hub clubs picked back up in Bali — Book club, Minecraft club, and art club.
Michael and Lucas found a place to play Padel this month since there is no pickleball in Ubud. Padel is a racket sport that is scored like tennis, but the court has walls, and the ball is played off the walls like in racquetball. They have a membership and play several times a week.
I get up every morning and walk with my friends Vicki and Jill through the rice fields. It gets hot in Bali, so we walk at 7 a.m. We hosted a round table at our villa. It allows the parents to get together and share ideas about travel, education, and parenting. There was a dad’s night out and a mom’s night out in the first week. At the end of the first week, we celebrated our friend Owen’s seventh birthday with a tubing adventure on the Pekerisan River at Tampaksiring Village. Lucas and Henry saw the original Jumanji at a vegan movie theater in Ubud that looks more like someone’s living room than a movie theater.
This week was the start of Galungan. It is the beginning of the most important recurring religious ceremonies. The spirits of deceased relatives who have died and been cremated return to visit their homelands, and the current inhabitants have a responsibility to be hospitable through prayers and offerings. The people work hard to decorate and put out the offerings every day. They have processionals to temple. It is beautiful.
The best part about Bali is the food. There is a lot of vegan food in Bali, and the food is fresh. Ubud has several different types of cuisine. Lucas, Henry, and their friends Jake and Declan have a food budget. They are responsible for all of their food. They had a food budget in Hoi An and Chiang Mai. It is a good exercise because they think more about what they eat. Their favorite chips (Doritos, Takis, Funions) are expensive in Bali, and they have to decide if exported chips fit into their budget. They have also decided to cook some at home instead of eating out (which is easy to do because the food in Bali is inexpensive).
We are enjoying the outdoor living in Bali and being back with our friends.
