Big Finale

The view from Julene's kitchen sink window reminds me of some of the highlights 

of being in their neighborhood for such a short time.

We stayed in a guesthouse on the compound and walked up this path to their house.

From this window you could see the little school bus come to pick up the kids.

And just outside this window we sat in a mesh enclosed porch,

enjoying scones and coffee.

The kids had their last day of school on May 31.

That night we were taken to the nearest city,

about an hour's drive, to a restaurant on the water.

It was a rustic and beautiful setting.

The food was served family style.

It was delicious. 

Just one of the highlights of our time together on Papua.

The next day we all packed up for a flight to the island of Bali

to spend some time at a resort.

Travelling together was a lot of fun and

we were happy to be accompanied for a small leg of our return trip.

The welcome was beautiful!

Yes, that is the beach in the background.

The courtyard with bougainvilleas drooping from the balconies,

ponds and lush tropical plants everywhere,

made me stop in admiration.

 And you already know that I love the water lilies.

We walked the beach to a spot where Chris and the kids could do some kite-boarding.

For our son-in-law anything that flies and works with the wind has to be tried and mastered.

The kite-boarder gets strapped into a harness that is attached to the kite.

There is a lot to learn in how to catch the wind and fly with it.

Once the kite is up, the boarder gets on a board and gets pulled

along on the water by the right pull on the kite.

That's a very amateur explanation, but the best I can do

from my observation. 

One day we hired a taxi to take us to the paragliding cliff.

We drove through rough roads and wild landscapes

enjoying the natural beauty.

We had lunch, gazing at the majestic ocean.

I enjoyed just looking at it!

But of course, this was a time to watch the paragliders, especially one who 

had really looked forward to this. 

I am posting this collage partly for Chris' mom.

In this sport the pilot lets the wind catch the glider

and then soars off the slope.

We spent a lot of time by the pool.

Makenna, a lot of time in the pool. 

 One night we had dinner by the ocean, to the sound of the waves crashing.

Other nights we ate in courtyard cafes off the resort

and spent time looking at the shops.

We had two rooms between all of us

with the kids taking turns coming to sleep in our room.

And that about sums up how we 

pack a year's worth of family time

into a holiday in Indonesia.