Last month brought a very special visitor to Hong Kong…. My cousin, Sweet Caroline. She arrived like most – jet-legged, but ready to go. I simply loved having family here and it was so special to share our new city with her. It was quite different seeing Hong Kong through her eyes. For instance, I am getting pretty used to the sights and sounds and got a kick out of her running away at the sight of dead fish and hanging chicken feet. If you haven’t met Caroline, well, you’re missing out. She has an energy and enthusiasm about her that is unmatched. So we spent her first two days in Hong Kong introducing her to our crazy friends and stuffing her full of S.E. Asian food, but come Sunday afternoon, we were Bali-bound! 
We arrived in Bali, got our Visa on arrival and only had to answer a few questions with immigration. Perhaps it was weird that Dom was traveling with two blonde beauties, but nonetheless we had the awkward (yet funny) opportunity to answer the “what’s your occupation?” and “what is the purpose of your trip?” questions. Dom and Caroline calmly answer and soon it’s my turn. Giggling, because that’s what I do in any serious moment, I nervously responded “housewife,” which is what I had circled on the previous visa application paperwork. Hey, I’m nothing if not consistent. And they didn’t have a box for former government employee plotting her next move. We get to our hotel in Bali and are lovingly welcomed by a card in our room from our friend’s Chris and Meghan. If you know this couple, I’ll leave the sentiments of the card to your imagination. Man, I love them. We relax on the beach for the evening and turn-in to prepare for our 6am departure to Gili T.
Gili Trawangan is an island about 2 hours by boat off the coast of Bali and it is a magical place. The boat ride there can be either amazing or awful – depending on your stomach’s ability to handle the sea. We faired pretty well. Chris and Meghan – who currently live in Sydney, Australia – have developed a solid base tan which allowed them to sit on the top of the boat for the full two hours and soak up the sun. Dom, Caroline and I sat on the inside of the boat like vampires. Except for the last 10 minutes of the ride when we climbed up top and it was wonderful. I mean, I burned, but it was beautiful up there.
Our time in Gili was spent at the lovely Villa Sama Lama near the center of the island and the property was breathtaking. The five of us spent the first day in the pool, playing games, and getting settled into our new norm.
The only way to get from our Villia to the city-center was by bike. Not motorbike, as those are forbidden on the island, but by a good old fashioned bicycle, complete with a basket, bell and kickstand. We rode into the night like 5 kids from Goonies with headlamps fastened to our heads and bike locks and backpacks in the basket. We only lost half of these items, which is to be expected when riding home after a few drinks at dinner.
Our days began with a stellar breakfast from the sweetest ladies on the Island who woke us up each day to hot coffee, orange juice (pretty sure it was Tang), fresh fruit, omelets, banana or papaya pancakes (don’t try papaya, yuck) and toast with jam. We ate like kings and the good people in our group went for a jog around the island following breakfast each morning. I joined them once and made sure it was a jog with a soft j.
Our last day in Gili was probably the best. We biked to another resort on the island and found a little slice of heaven. We ate all the thai food (weird because we were in Indonesia, we know) and drank all of the fruity drinks they would make us.
It was so hard to leave Gili, but when the boat arrived we loaded up and this time all of us sat on top. I had some SPF 50 (with zinc) to get rid of so no burn for me! Caroline on the other hand fell asleep and got some strong color. I’m not convinced we’re related. She can actually tan. Megan, I accept our differences. 
Back in Hong Kong for a few days before Caroline heads back to Pittsburgh and we crammed everything in that we could. Our favorite afternoon, or at least mine, was having high-tea at the Intercontinental in Kowloon. The lobby is beautiful and cozy and the view is uncompromising. We enjoyed delicious tea, snacks and cakes while facing Hong Kong Island and listened to a house band playing instrumental covers of Michael Jackson, Maroon 5 and Disney classics. Brilliant. 
We were so sad to see our sweet Caroline leave, but we had an amazing trip with her and the Speelman’s and think we need to go to Australia next to visit the Speelmans!
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