February 2018 Month In Review
Man, February always sneaks by me. Why does 28 days always feel so much different than 31? I was thinking about not writing this post this month, sneaking into March without marking the occasion. But February ushered in a long vacation to a new destination for us, and an injury that I’m still healing from, so it’s all worth commemorating, right?
Where We’ve Been
Indonesia: 12 days (Bali)
China: 16 days (2 days Shanghai, 14 days Shenzhen)
Highlights
Smoothie Bowls: There are a lot of things to love about the Balinese lifestyle, particularly for the many expats that find their way there to start hipster businesses and surf. Smoothie bowls, practically a staple food in some areas of Bali, are one of those things that I love to hate. It’s like a perfectly good food was ruined for the sake of social media or something. But, when it’s hot and humid and you’ve just sweat through your shirt on the way to breakfast, smoothie bowls look awfully refreshing and then boom! Smoothie bowls every day. My favorite was a peanut butter, banana, granola, coconut concoction (at Crate in Canggu…hilarious, I just went to put in a link to their website, but they don’t have one. They DO have a pretty great Instagram account, though!) that was filling enough to last me all morning.
Holiday Meet-Up: It’s one of the biggest coincidences ever. We had already booked our trip to Bali, plus all of our accommodation. Two weeks before departure, our friends from Dublin texted, saying that they were coming to Bali soon and would we think about coming down to meet them while they were there? Mild freak-out ensued as we put it all together – our days overlapped and we had actually booked hotels NEXT DOOR to each other without realizing it. It was such a fun treat, and our two days together flew by.
A Dose of Luxury: Thanks to, ahem, unforeseen circumstances (see below), we spent three nights in amazing hotels in Bali. My favorite kind of hotel of all time is what I call the ‘undiscovered gem’ – a typically good value, completely under the radar, no big brand name, locally-owned…well…gem. Our AirBnB in Canggu was exactly this – totally unique, quirky, a place that would be hard to replicate anywhere else. But, after my injury, when leaving the property to grab some food felt like too much, we needed to be in a place where everything was easy, convenient and very, very comfortable. Enter the high-end luxury resort – conveniently, my second favorite kind of hotel. One night at the Ayung Resort in Ubud, followed by two nights at the W Bali Seminyak and my spirits were high. Good food, good drink, golf carts to shuttle me around? Amazing.
Lowlights
Stupid Ankle: I feel like we’ve already covered in detail the dumb misstep that nearly ruined our vacation. What has been even more annoying is that a sprained ankle is kind of a slow-healing injury. I can walk just fine now (3 weeks later), but my ankle is still visibly swollen and by the end of the day, there is a tightness to my joint that I just wish would go away already. I have been working out a bit, but burpees and sideways shuffling and running and many other activities are pretty much out for now.
Oh Yeah, and Food Poisoning: Ok, it probably wasn’t food poisoning. That s*** is serious and being married to someone who spent so many years in the restaurant biz means that I would never throw that term around lightly. But at some point in Bali I ate something that didn’t agree with me, and spent about 24 hours confined to our hotel room. Yes, me and my bum ankle and my queasy stomach camped out yet again, this time binge watching reality TV shows and feeling sorry for myself. Drew also got a bit of the same bug, so he spent half the day with me, begging me to watch anything but reality TV, so I’m not sure if he had it worse with his sickness or with the entertainment. We were fine the next day.
What We’re Loving Lately
Smoothie Bowls: Kidding. Kind of.
A Few New Podcasts: I have been making some changes to my podcast line-up. A few new favorites: Young House Love Has a Podcast, By the Book, Slow Burn, The Nuanced Life, and What Page Are You On? I’ve also decided to get back into the audiobook game – a little dabble, if you will. I borrow audiobooks using Overdrive, and am currently working my way through One Hundred Years of Solitude. A classic I’ve been meaning to read.
Coming Up in March
March kicks off with a quick trip to the Philippines. My sister and her boyfriend are going on vacation and we are meeting them for the first half of their trip. We’re camping on a beach in Palawan, with no internet, limited electricity, and a tropical oasis to call our own. (Spoiler alert, we’re already back and it was totally amazing…and one of the reasons why this post is so late.)
After that, we’re back in China for the rest of the month. We have college friends to see in Hong Kong, we’re spending another weekend in Hong Kong to celebrate our wedding anniversary, and we have plans piling up here in Shenzhen. I’m looking forward to being pleasantly busy, reading, working out, the usual.
