Bali

On Tuesday, my friend John and I decided to test a theory that it might actually be possible to motivate two aging, beer-logged bodies up the side of a volcano by use of self-locomotive power alone. we set out early on heavy, cheap Indonesian bikes, with coffee, then energy drinks, and finally just sheer stubbornness to propel us to the top. when we finally made it (some four hours later thanks to a disintegrating crank), we were rewarded with a view of Mount Batur across the big old hole that it had made for itself some time earlier. it was a stunning sight, from which we were almost immediately distracted by a very persistent mass of hawkers plying us with postcards and exhortations to eat the meal of our lives at their peerless restaurant. before hopping back on our bikes to escape the throng, we did catch a glimpse of a little wisp of smoke rising from the cone, reminding us that craters exist for a reason. at this point, the smart thing to do would have been to turn around immediately and take the downhill ticket at a leisurely pace. However, being foolhardy idiots, we decided in favour of cycling down to the floor of the crater, where, admittedly, we had a fine lunch of grilled fish, rice and beer while staring at the volcano in a sweaty stupor. We even had time for a quick swim in the lake, thinking it would prepare us for the ride back up the rim. This was a fairly flawed assumption, since you can't digest a whole fish and two beers in the space of twenty minutes. The 300m climb that followed was intense enough to require several stops and much contemplation of a lunch revisited. When we finally got back to the top, the locals chose to ignore our bulging eyes and wheezes of death in the hopes that we would…

As the pictures will attest, Egg's sixth birthday was a banner affair, which, by way of proof, tuckered the living heck out of all and sundry. still, a success on balance, given the unending flow of gifts, the various birthday meals and the barefoot wood carving. Best of all, we were joined by lots of classmates and parents from Pelangi School, making it a truly festive affair. thanks to all the aunties, uncles and grandfolk who weighed in with birthday greetings. well done to the missus for wrangling together a birthday jamboree on a dodgy stomach. also, as ever, Tash has posted much more comprehensively about the big day than i ever could...especially as we've had an intervening weekend of fairly mammoth proportions that will soon be requiring its own treatment. so on to the photos then...Happy Sixth Birthday to our not-so-little Egg. Birthday Brother was never far from the action Little Lula was first in with the presents....(a balinese thundermaker, no less) Still squeezable at six Possibly redundant gift of calculator Birthday Brother gets a look in on the gifts...and was a very good boy all day YongWu is a fan of Korean football (as an England supporter, i can only be envious) Elfie, the Moon Princess, flew in to convey her birthday wishes Egg and Wayan made a good start on a carved wood Dolphin named Jake. the formidable ladies of Class 1contributed their woodcarving skills Musical Statues...in one of their more animated moments Dumps proved very adept at pass the parcel: quick grab, slow pass.... The Birthday cake: carried off by a swarm One step closer to a Gamelan, Egg gets his own Balinese xylophone