11/11/2016 Bali # big surprise and reunion with friends and relatives

We arrive relatively on time at around 0:20 AM in Denpasar and, thanks to the seats in the first row, we are at the immigration counter before a queue forms. After five minutes, we are already at the baggage carousel waiting for our bags. However, it takes a while, so we only pass through customs after another half an hour. Unlike the old terminal, not every piece of luggage is X-rayed here, so we are not bothered after submitting our customs declarations.

In the arrivals area, the usual scene. Countless taxi drivers try to immediately offer their services to men and women. Some of them seem to suffer from hearing loss because a friendly rejection is often ignored, and you have to be careful that your luggage is not taken from your hands without permission due to eagerness. We look out for Dolok, our driver, and try to decipher the signs of the ordered pick-ups. Eventually, we decide to go out of the hustle and bustle first; somehow we will find each other. With a persistent taxi driver on our heels, we head towards the exit when Maike suddenly has her bag snatched from her hand. When we turn around, Herman, our host, Firman, his brother-in-law, and Dolok, our driver, are standing there, laughing at our bewildered faces. All three are good friends of ours, so there is a hearty hello in the greeting.

After a short stop in the city for a welcome beer, Dolok does his best and we arrive at our home for the next two weeks, Man's Homestay and Spa, around 4:45 AM. Maike and I are already here for the third time, and by now it feels like coming home. Our bungalow is lovingly decorated, everything feels very familiar. Actually, we don't want to go to bed at all, but the long day behind us takes its toll.

By noon, we are up and about again and immediately meet Tina and Monika, our friends from Cologne. They have been in Bali for a few days longer. There is a lot to talk about, so we sit together until evening.

The next morning, a big surprise. Suddenly, Paula and Philipp, our son and his girlfriend, are standing by the pool as if it were the most natural thing in the world. The two rascals secretly contacted Herman and flew here on their own:-) Of course, everyone knew about it again and was happy about the successful surprise. They couldn't have given us a better gift.

In the evening, Chit and Sandy from Myanmar also join us. The two have never been abroad, and it was Sandy's first flight ever. Therefore, they were even more delighted with our invitation.

The travel group from Germany, consisting of our dear friends Kati, Ida, Uwe, Jana, and Peter, Kati's parents Andrea and Jürgen, my mother Christina, as well as my brother Rico and his girlfriend Jacky, has landed in Kuala Lumpur with a little delay. For them, it continues to Denpasar the next morning. Maike, Philipp, Paula, Chit, Sandy, Tina, and Monika use the day for a trip to the Sekumpul Waterfall. Meanwhile, I am lazy and enjoy the last few hours by the pool before the hustle and bustle begins. In the late afternoon, the excursionists return and are pretty exhausted from climbing stairs. Meanwhile, we have less than three hours left until the expected arrival of the group from Kuala Lumpur, and we want to quickly create a welcome greeting. Miya, Herman's wife, has sponsored an old bedsheet. With watercolors, markers, and some finger painting, a work of art is created just in time, like no other.

The group arrives a little later because the pick-up driver was holding up a difficult-to-decipher sign, causing more time than necessary to pass until they finally found each other. Finally, all the effort and fatigue of the last two days is forgotten when the bus finally arrives at Man's. The reunion after more than three months is extremely warm. There is a lot to talk about, so it is not surprising that the first evening extends into the early morning in a big group. An older couple from Switzerland is not amused when we playfully splash around in the pool at an early hour. Sorry again for that, but it couldn't be controlled anymore :-) Well, from tomorrow on, we are alone in the resort and won't bother anyone. Herman has preemptively turned down all inquiries.

The next morning is all about relaxation. The stress of traveling is noticeable in the group, and everyone is glad to be able to rest a bit. For the evening, Herman has hired a live band, and we sit at the big table for the first time in this composition. The band gives their all and contributes to the magnificent atmosphere. Memories of last year come back when we experienced something similar already with Kati, Ida, and Uwe here. At some point, I sit in a corner and just watch the lively activity. It's great to see how everyone is immediately integrated and nobody feels like a stranger. That's exactly how we imagined it. Meanwhile, Chit sings a song together with the band, once again proving his multi-talent. The Arak-Lemon, the house drink here, seems to please everyone, and eventually, air guitars are unpacked (which Maike and I introduced here in 2013 :-) ). When the band has to stop much too early due to noise regulations, they are forced by the enthusiastic crowd to play an encore. Rico, my little brother and also a musician in a band, quickly passes around his hat and gives the boys and girls an extra tip. They deserve it. Of course, the evening is not over yet because only those who stay up late will go to bed early. As I said, we have the resort to ourselves.

The next day, Maike and I organize a trial dive in the pool. Since Herman also operates a dive center, it was not difficult to arrange the necessary equipment. When we drag ourselves to breakfast, the guys from the Pemuteran Divecenter have already left bottles, jackets, regulators, and weights for us at the pool. Terima Kasih !

We have eager "students" with Chit, Sandi, Paula, Jürgen, and Peter. With the exception of Peter, it was the first underwater experience with compressed air for everyone, and they did really well. After over four hours of training, they are all ready for the underwater ceremony planned for tomorrow on the occasion of our anniversary.

In the late afternoon, the festive party is complete. Maik, a friend and diving instructor from our home country, has come over with his Indonesian wife Ani and their daughter Samira from Sulawesi. It is also Ani and Samira's first big trip by plane outside of Sulawesi, and we are very happy that it worked out. Now the big day can come.