Clapp Radical Sabbatical

We left the Tokyo station around 10 am on a high speed Shinkasen and 320 miles and a little less than 3 hours we arrived in Kyoto. When we arrived at our hotel our room wasn’t ready yet so headed to lunch across the street at what can only be described as a legit American diner with a slight Japanese twist. I ordered a cobb salad which had an egg, a strip of bacon, some fried chicken, shrimp and avocado on it and it was delicious! After we checked in and freshened up we walked down the street to the Nishi Hongan-Ji Temple.

The Nishi Hongan-Ji Temple was first established as a place to teach people about the Pure Land sect of Buddhism which is the enabling of all to live lives to the fullest. The temple is now the largest wooden structure in Japan and is quite beautiful. While walking around the grounds two sets of school children came up to Andrew and I separately to practice their English – it was kinda fun! The temple also had a really beautiful water purification area.

Then we hopped in a cab and headed to Yasaka Shrine, which is in the heart of the Gion region of Kyoto. Yasaka is a Shinto Shrine like the others we’ve seen in Japan however it was incredibly unique in that tons of people dress in tradition garb (kimonos – both women and men) and attend the shrine to pray and visit with friends and family. It was a unique experience especially seeing people ringing bells and I had to pry Andrew away from taking photos. We headed up the hill from the shrine and found an absolutely beautiful garden and a man playing a traditional Japanese flute in tradition garb and a dog with matching outfit.

Next we headed to the official Gion district and specifically Shirakawa-minami Street, which is so incredibly picturesque with traditional style Japanese houses (ryokan) and a cute stream and absolutely lovely bridges. Andrew had a field day taking pictures especially because this is another spot people who are in kimonos enjoy visiting.

As Andrew took pictures I wandered around the area and I actually saw a Geisha hurrying to her next location – unfortunately she was too quick for me to show Drew. Then we headed to Hanamikoji Street which is so known for Geishas that there were even signs in the neighborhood reminding you NOT to touch the Geishas! We were really lucky and saw another Geisha walking fast with a purpose. Gion Corner is located on this street and fairly famous for an hour long show of Geishas performing musical instruments and singing. We didn’t go to one of these performances but our next stop definitely more than made up for it.

We headed to Gion Hatanaka for a private Geisha (both Maiko and Geiko) dinner. We learned there that Maikos are Geisha in training and can be from 16 to 22 years of age and are required to have real hair as in their hairdo (which are done once a week). Also that Geikos are full Geishas that are allowed to wear wigs. The night included a beautiful performance of traditional Japanese music and dance, a traditional Japanese dinner and traditional Japanese drinking games. Drew and I both won the drinking games against the Geishas so that was exciting!

After the dinner and performance we walked back through the Yasaka Shrine and got some great night photos then we walked back through Gion Tatsumi Bridge area where again we saw a Geisha hurrying into a Ryokan with several businessmen. It was a neat experience but it was late so we headed back to the hotel.

The next day we slept in because you know traditional Japanese drinking games. Then we headed to the Fushimi Inari Shrine which has more torii gates than any other Shinto shrines (almost 10,000). The shrine is dedicated to Inari, the Shinto deity of rice and sake and in addition to all the gates has a fairly a beautiful lake and cemetery where locals pay respect to their ancestors. On the way down we also got to see a traditional Japanese wedding.

Next we headed to Arashiyama and on the way we got to see the Hollywood of Japan from the train where tons of movie studios were. The neighborhood is really cute with lots of ryokans and a beautiful bridge overlooking a gorgeous river. There were also lots of great shops and since this was our last country we decided to get some souvenirs – personalized chopsticks and a kimono. After crossing the river we made it to the monkey forest, paid our fee and started the climb up to see the monkeys. As long as we were in the shade it was a nice climb and once we reached the top we saw TONS of monkeys. They have a building where you can feed the monkeys and I went inside and bought some food and I even got the chance to feed a little baby monkey!

Andrew continued to take photos of all the monkeys – including a video of a monkey hanging off the roof and doing its business. Finally we decided to descend the mountain. On the way down we saw one of the more aggressive monkeys that the park employees had chased away from the top but we passed it closely and it seemed ok at least until we got below it and Drew decided it was a good idea to take some photos of it. I had already started further down the mountain but all of a sudden I heard Drew screaming and saw him running FAST down the path and soon he quickly grabbed me. As it turns out the monkey freaked out on him and jumped towards him.

After heading back across the river we walked along the river until we headed into a beautiful park and eventually made our way into the bamboo forest. Although it was quite a bit more packed than we had hoped for it was still beautiful and more Zen than I was expecting. That evening we decided to try some famous Kobe beef – we tried 3 different cuts that were all specialties of the evening and each one of them was incredibly delicious! It was worth every penny and we were able to walk home to burn off some of massive meal we had!

The next morning we were up early to head to Hiroshima but instead of getting off the train we took another to Miyajima where we were able to catch a ferry over to the island. The ferry maneuvers so that passengers can get quite an amazing view of the famous Itsukushima Shrine which was great because it was raining pretty hard so we got a great view without getting wet. We decided to brave the rain and head toward the shrine. On the way we saw lots of deer trying to escape from the rain and that was also kind of a cool experience.

While visiting the shrine the tide came in and it looked like the entire shrine including the gate was floating on water. We also got to see a family doing traditional Japanese wedding photos within the shrine. On the way back to the ferry terminal we walked through the town and sampled some delicious fares including the traditional maple cakes – we tried both chocolate and custard and a Hiroshima steamed beef bun.

When we got back to the train we headed to Hiroshima and at this point I was soaked from head to toe despite having a ‘rain coat’ on the entire day. There was still quite a bit we wanted to see in Hiroshima so after exiting the train station we found the tourist bus and we were able to use our JR pass to board. While traveling on the bus I was amazed at how large of a city Hiroshima is considering it was bombed only around 70 years ago. We got off the bus when we stopped at the Atomic Bomb Dome – although it is a sobering sight and a reminder of some of the darkest times in our history I’m glad it remains. I’m glad it remains because it is a stark reminder of what we are capable of as a race and hopefully what we will never again repeat. If it weren’t for the dome it would be hard to believe that on August 6^th 1945 in one bombing over 80,000 people died – sometimes we need those reminders.

After viewing the dome we headed to the memorial park. First we saw the Children’s Peace memorial, in memory of all the children that passed as a result of the atomic bomb and full of thousands of paper cranes from all over Japan. Then we headed down the Peace Memorial Park walkway until we reached National Peace Memorial Hall. The hall memorializes all that passed during the bombing and shows some absolutely unbelievable photos of Hiroshima before and after the bombing.

Afterwards we continued to walk around the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park and viewed the Flame of Peace and then to the Memorial Cenotaph which has the official record of all victims buried beneath it. There were lots of school children visiting and it was a little weird being an American visiting there. However Japan did a really great job memorializing the victims but also taking part of the blame for antagonizing the start of the war – I was impressed with the honesty especially when so many countries (including ours) view history only through their lens without respecting the other side.

Although I wouldn’t characterize our last day on our trip as ‘fun’ it was definitely an eye opener and I’m so glad we did it. On our actual final day we took A LOT of trains. We took a train from Kyoto to Tokyo for 4 hours and then we transferred to an airport train for an hour and finally we checked into our flight. It was hard to say goodbye to traveling but it was also exciting to head back to family, friends and of course Mexican food!

We heard that Japan was the only place in the world where you can see monkeys bathing in hot springs so of course we had to go see it for ourselves. We headed from Tokyo Station to Nagano in less than two hours on Japan’s super fast Shinkansen train! After exiting the train station we had to look around a bit to find the correct bus – in fact we were about to give up and take another train/bus combination when we saw signs for the ‘Snow Monkey Bus.’ After purchasing a bus/park combo ticket we boarded and headed toward the monkeys! The ride was about 30 minutes long but we got to see beautiful hay fields, majestic mountains and even the Olympic ice-skating rink – yup you might remember that 1998 Winter Olympic location.

When the bus dropped us off in front of a Roman Museum we were a little confused but then we saw a small sign pointing us in the right direction and started a 15-minute hike up a hill to the entrance of the park. The monkeys are nestled within Joshinetsu-Kogen National Park and our 15-minute hill was just the start of our hike, but once within the park it was a much more enjoyable hike. There was a canopy of trees overhead, a bubbling creek beside the trail, and a vibrant river below in the Yokoyu River Valley. There were also fascinating signs every so often letting you know how far you had left to go and facts about the monkeys.

After about a mile hike in the forest we reached a small village where there are Ryokans (traditional Japanese hotels) with hot spring pools from the same hot springs the monkeys enjoy. We started to see a few monkeys along the bridge to the village and proceeded up a hill to an area to lock anything you don’t want the monkeys to have. After securing our possessions we made our way to the hot spring river and pool that the monkeys have claimed.

The area the monkeys live in is actually buried in snow for about 1/3 of the year and one of the ways they endure this harsh environment is by taking respite in the warm hot springs. Although it was cool the day we went apparently it wasn’t cold enough because we didn’t get to see any monkeys bath in the water. We did however get to see lots of them drink the water and play around and chase each other. We also saw tons of baby monkeys and probably got the closest we’ve been to any monkeys (they are very docile since it is strictly forbidden to feed them). We still have a chance to see them in the water since there is actually a live camera on the bath they use and you can check it out by Googling ‘Snow Monkey Live Cam.’

Although we probably could have spent all day looking at the monkeys we had to head back to Tokyo. Once back at our hotel we had about 30 minutes to clean up and head to Shinjuku famous Robot Show. The area of Shinjuku is lit up like Times Square and was incredibly busy – we had to shove our way across the street to get to the show on time!

Once in the Robot Show building they had us watch a pre-show while having drinks. It was fairly entertaining with a Robot band and a female singer belting out every Disney song. After about 30 minutes they had us head downstairs and we were actually surprised how small the stage was but they packed us all in and gave us the oddest safety briefing I’ve ever been a part of – complete with the crowd ducking for a fake airplane as it passed by.

Although I had heard the food wasn’t good I went ahead and ordered the Bento Box because it was only $10 (and hey how bad could it be?) – well it wasn’t worth the $10. Luckily we also got a bucket of popcorn for dinner! And then suddenly the show started. For about the first 20 minutes I was like OMG why am I here? There were giant drums and unicorns and I thought this must be what it is like to be on drugs.

People say it is an assault on your senses. The best way I can describe it is as The Lego Movie in REAL life. The next 40 minutes were A LOT cooler and definitely worth it finally there were cool looking robots and story plot I could get behind.

The last 20 minutes were just kind of a way to recognize the performers and round out the show. Half of the fun of the experience was interacting with the other crowd members and being like ‘what just happened….’

After the show we decided to walk around the Shinjuku area, which is kind of the Red Light district of Japan. Drew walked away from me and was quickly accosted by numerous establishments looking to enhance his evening. As soon as I walked up to him though they all apologized and walked away – kind of funny. Shinjuku is also famous for the ‘Love Hotels’ where you can pay for a ‘Rest’ or a ‘Stay’ with 2 different prices.

We absolutely HAD to go by Hotel Gracery and see the massive Godzilla attacking the building. Although that’s where I learned that Andrew has never seen a Godzilla movie!!!! I know crazy right?! So I guess I know what he’s going to be doing with his time when we get back home…

Before we left Shinjuku we had to take a walk down the famous ‘Piss Alley’ or if you are being polite ‘Memory Lane’ and as it’s name describes most people enjoy a few too many adult beverages there. Since we had a long day and early morning the next day we didn’t imbibe but it was still neat to see the narrow street, the lanterns and all the meat grilling on sticks.

On our last day in Tokyo we did an organized day trip out to Mount Fuji. On the bus out from Tokyo to Mount Fuji we actually passed the Japanese train development and testing center which is where the fastest train in the world is finishing development. Our only stop on Mount Fuji was at the famous 5^th station. Our tour guide informed us that climbing season for the mountain ended on September 10^th so this was the furthest we could go. At the 5^th station there is Shinto Shrine that is said to enshrine the goddess of immortality. We visited but it was hard because there were crowds of people.

At the 5^th station we also tried the Mount Fuji Melon Cake and although it looked really cool it wasn’t exactly my favorite. We also got some bells that were blessed in the famous shrine we visited. Unfortunately the day we visited was extremely cloudy so we didn’t get great views of the mountain. Drew was lucky enough to climb to the observation deck and get a couple of photos before the clouds rolled all the way in!

Our next stop was lunch and it was a traditional Japanese lunch complete with sashimi and a vegetable Udon noodle hot pot – I’ve been having the sniffles for a while now so I really appreciated the hot pot. We also had a really lovely lake view and people were out enjoying the lake in these cute little swan boats!

After lunch we headed to Lake Ashi, which is actually a volcanic crater! We got to take a cruise on the lake before arriving at Mount Komagatake Rope Way, which we would call a gondola. On the lake we saw a small but beautiful Shinto Shrin Torii Gate right before we arrived at our destination. We took the aerial tram up the mountain and were really hoping we would breach the clouds and get a view of mount Fuji but unfortunately that did not happen.

When we arrived at the top of the mountain the clouds were so thick you could barely see a couple of feet in front of you. I thought it was kind of cool – it felt like you were walking in the clouds. Drew on the other hand was not amused and he waited for 20 minutes for the wind to blow the clouds away to get a good photo. There was another Shinto Shrine at the mountaintop and it was empty when we entered so I took the time to pray and say thank you for this absolutely amazing and once in a lifetime trip!

On the gondola ride down we got to see other stops along the lake – there’s even a beautiful golf course. And somewhere on the horizon we were told is the Pacific Ocean – it made me think of home. The drive home was long and made us feel that we got the real Tokyo traffic experience. When we finally arrived back at the hotel we knew we could see and do so much more with more time in Tokyo but were also happy with what we accomplished with the time we had.

We had not originally planned to go to Japan because it is very expensive but we couldn’t find any decent flights from Asia to South America so we decided to forgo South America and splurge on Japan. Our flight arrived in Tokyo just before midnight and the immigration line was a nightmare so we didn’t get to our hotel room until almost 2 am so naturally we spent the next morning sleeping in. We finally left our hotel around noon, found a grocery store close to the hotel where we loaded up on snacks and drinks and headed to the Kokugikan sumo arena.

There are only 6 sumo tournaments a year, each one lasting 15 days and only 3 held in Tokyo. The last several days of the tournament are typically very popular and we attended the 12^th day so we were incredibly lucky to get seats! We arrived in the Ryogoku neighborhood around 1 pm and immediately Drew spotted a rikishi (wrestler) leaving and was lucky enough to get a photo with him!

When we found our seats the arena was pretty empty even though the basho (tournament) started at 8 am. This is because the beginner rikishi start the day off and the intermediate bouts do not start until 2:20 pm with the upper division starting at 3:45 and that’s when most people file in. This was fine with us because our seats weren’t close to the dohyo so this gave us an opportunity to sneak forward and get some great photos! We were also able to read up a bit on sumo, which is over 1500 years old and the only sport in the world based on religion. The movements rikishi make before each match all have meaning – showing their hands to the sky is to show respect to the gods and that they possess no weapons, while throwing rice into the ring is to purify it. The ring is considered a sacred place and women actually aren’t allowed in it.

As the day went on we enjoyed our food and drinks, learned more about sumo (how they train and live), and got more enthralled with each bout. We rooted for underdogs and since our seats were on the East side we decided that each East side rikishi was our guy. Between the different bout levels there is also a ceremony where all the rikishi come out into the ring – it was pretty cool to watch. The basho concludes with a bow-twirling ceremony and that was also neat to see. I don’t know if Drew was drunk on Asahi or just the fun of the day but he acquired a sumo mask and wore it while dancing around the hotel to ‘I’m Turning Japanese’ unfortunately I didn’t get any footage of that….

The next day was our only full day in Tokyo so we got up and headed out early. We had to stop at the Shinjuku station to trade our Japan Rail vouchers in for passes and get some reserved seats for other days. After that though we were on our way to the Meiji Shrine, located in the bustling urban jungle of Tokyo, it is a Shrine commemorating Emperor Meiji with over 250 acres of garden around it! We entered the gardens and it was a perfect day for a stroll with it being cool and crisp out. Eventually we made our way to the main shrine where we partook in the cleansing ceremony before entering. This included rinsing our left hand, right hand, mouth and then left hand again with water.

After entering the temple we saw that people were writing thanks and prayers on Ema (or little wooden plaques) and since we’ve had such an amazing trip we thought it was appropriate to write our thanks on a plaque too. Once written we took it to an area where we hung it and left it with lots of other ones.

The main part of the shrine was under construction but we got a really neat treat because we got to see a Shichi-Go-San or a traditional rite of passage. This takes place for three and seven year old girls or three and five year old boys where the child is dressed in a traditional kimono for the first time and brought to the shrine. Nowadays many people also bring a professional photographer to mark the occasion and the parents of this little girl were no exception.

While heading out of the shrine we saw a massive display of sake barrels. Apparently this is very common practice at Shinto Shrines because sake or rice wine plays an important part in Shinto festivals. Also there are certain rites that brewers take in order to have blessings on the industry. In addition to the display of sake barrels there were also French wine barrels because Emperor Meiji was the first to embrace western culture and was particularly fond of red wine (an Emperor after my own heart).

We continued to walk straight out of the gardens and back into the city. As we continued we noticed the buildings getting taller and the streets and sidewalks getting busier. Soon we were upon the famous Shibuya Crossing – known for being the world’s busiest intersection. We decided to enjoy the view from seats inside the second floor Starbucks with some warm tea and lunch. Although Drew did venture out to participate in the Shibuya Scramble right before it started pouring! Can you see him? In retrospect, he didn’t need to put his hands up to be found, he’s so much taller than the rest.

At a break in the rain we quickly ran to the entrance to the Shibuya train station and safely underground we boarded a train for our last site of the day. We headed to the Tokyo Skytree – a tall observation tower that is actually taller than the Tokyo Tower. We got a fun shot of us ‘falling’ from the tower before heading up. We got to the observation deck right before the clouds rolled in and got views of the Asahi headquarters, the Imperial Palace, and rivers. Before heading down we walked across the glass floor, which was definitely creepier than when we did it in the Tower Bridge in London!

We raced back to the hotel to clean up for dinner. We were lucky enough to get a reservation at the small (14 person) restaurant owned and operated by Anthony Bourdain’s favorite sushi chef Yasuda. The menu is limited- you can only order Omakase (a chef selected meal) or the Sushi Assortment (2 tuna, 2 white fish, salmon, blue skin fish, shrimp, clam, squid, eel, see urchin, salmon roe, omelet, scallion sprout) so we ordered one of each and some sake from the chef’s hometown and rice beer to wash it down. Although I’d say I’m a seafood beginner I really enjoyed the meal! In fact I’ve never liked any salmon until this meal.

We enjoyed it so much that we each also ended up order chef Yasuda’s signature roll in addition to the set menu. Yasuda-san was also very captivating as he showed and explained how real wasabi is made. He also informed us all that Taiwanese wasabi has no flavor and is essentially an imposture while the stuff you buy in a tube in the states is actually just green horseradish. It was a fun and delicious night – one we won’t soon forget!

Our flight from Bali left at 11 pm and arrived in Kuala Lumpur at 2 am, we had to change airports but with a 5-hour layover we still had plenty of time to be exhausted before our next flight at 7 am! I did try to pep up with Starbucks and was hoping for a Pumpkin Spice Latte but all they had was ‘Autumn’ flavor – I’m starting to miss home! We finally arrived in Hong Kong at 11 am and thankfully immigration, customs, and baggage pickup was a breeze! The airport is a couple of islands away and we actually decided to stay in Kowloon, which is across the bay from Hong Kong proper. Since we spent the evening traveling we crashed as soon as we found our Airbnb but not before we saw an awesome sign in the stairwell saying not to pee in the stairwell because there are cameras – the next morning we saw why the sign was necessary.

The last time I was in Hong Kong was about 10 years ago and it has already changed a bit. In fact Kowloon was much more like China than the Hong Kong I remember. Hong Kong is owned by China. However, it was a British territory until about 20 years ago and to this day it has a different currency, language, and immigration policy. The following morning we decided to trek back towards the airport to Lantau Island where we boarded the Ngong Ping 360, an over 3-mile cable car! We decided to splurge and bought the Crystal Carriage and it was well worth it to see all the amazing views of the bay and forest on our way out to the Ngong Ping Village.

The Ngong Ping Village is pretty commercial and touristy – it even has a Starbucks! However as you leave the village you start to transition to more of a monastery feel. In fact we saw cattle hanging out around the walkway and even one in a small store!

We decided to head into the Po Lin Monastery first to the Grand Hall of Ten Thousand Buddhas. We were able to see lots of different Buddha Statues but definitely not Ten Thousand since visitors are not able to visit all of the monastery.

For lunch we wanted a unique experience so we went to the monastery restaurant for lunch. It is a set menu and of course because Buddhists’ runs it it is vegetarian. After paying we were escorted to a table and waited for our feast to arrive, which included egg rolls, soup, and some other great dishes!

After lunch we headed up to the Tian Tan Buddha or the Big Buddha, a very large statue that overlooks mainland China and was completed almost 25 years ago. It is up over 250 stairs and in the afternoon heat it was quite a feat! However the view from the top was astounding and there were other great Buddha statues.

We decided to trek out to the Wisdom Path, a trail with 38 wooden monuments, that have verse from the Heart Sutra – one of the best known prayers enjoyed by Confucians. Then we headed back to the Ngong Ping Village and back on the cable car for another exciting trek down the mountain!

Once back in Kowloon I wanted to experience a Hot Pot dinner since that wasn’t something I was able to do the last two times I went to China. We went to a really highly rated hot pot place a short walk away called Drunken Pot. We ordered a set menu and were brought several different appetizers, 4 different broths, different slices of beef, some different dumplings, tons of vegetables, and lots of various seafood! It was an amazing experience and they even made cuttlefish look like adorable black bears!

After dinner we headed to the Intercontinental to watch the Hong Kong Bay Light Show – it wasn’t as great as the last time I saw it (there are a lot fewer buildings involved now) but it was still a great view and the cocktails were spectacular!

The next morning we ventured to a street known for selling mostly fish but they also sold  animals and reptiles. There were a lot of small fish and other lifeforms in small bags hanging everywhere. We were impressed by all of the tiny turtles as well. We did feel bad for some of the confined spaces some of these creatures were limited to.

After that we decided on a high speed ferry day trip out of Hong Kong to Macau, another territory that is now owned by China but previously owned by the European country Portugal – again we had to go through immigration. We headed to Senado Square, a large Portuguese square and honestly due to the building architecture we weren’t sure if we were in Europe or Asia! We headed through the streets that reminded us of Portugal – especially with all of the Pastel de Nata bakeries!

Eventually the streets led us to the Ruins of Saint Paul’s Cathedral a pretty astounding site to see. The ruins are next to Monte Forte, which used to be a Portuguese fort but is now mostly a museum about Macau except for the roof, which is still an old fort and has an awesome view of Macau!

While Drew took photos I enjoyed a Pastel de Nata and then we headed to the Venetian Hotel and Casino and it literally looks the exact same as it does in Las Vegas! While the décor is the same there are a few key differences: there are barriers and security guards before the casino floor (dress codes are enforced), there are a lot fewer bars and people, and this leads to a lot fewer drunk people!

We decided to have a full casino experience and bet 200 Hong Kong Dollars on roulette – black AND lost….so then we decided to head home but it was still a great experience!

On our final day we headed to Hong Kong proper and took the famous Peak Tram up to Victoria’s Peak! Although I had done it before it was still a thrilling experience since it seems like the tram takes you vertically up the peak. Once you get to the peak you still have to take several escalators up to see the amazing views of Hong Kong.

Before heading back down we decided to have pizza for lunch at Wildfire and enjoyed some great views. When we finally got to the airport we realized we had airline lounge access and it was great to relax, upload photos (that’s Drew speaking), and enjoy some delicious snacks!

Since we got to our place so late from Nusa we didn’t do much our first day.  So the next day we got up early to take a taxi to Seminyak (only about 20 miles away but it took an hour to get there with the roads and traffic). We went to Seminyak to watch the Broncos first game of the season (against the now LA Chargers), which started out great but got a little too close for comfort for me. While in town we did some other errands like souvenir and grocery shopping. Also on the way back from Seminyak we stopped by Kuta to get Japanese rail passes for our last adventure before heading back to Uluwatu.

While back in Uluwatu we decided to go to the Outside Corner for Tijuana Tuesday (not to be confused with Taco Tuesday!), which included $1.5 chicken, pulled pork or fish tacos, and 2 for 1 margaritas! We tried all three types of tacos but I think the chicken were the best. Afterwards we decided to go by a place called Summer for some live Reggae music by the Uluwatu Roots. The stage was downstairs in an area surrounded by forest and we felt a little dirty hippyish so after the first set we headed back to the hotel.

Uluwatu is known for it’s surfing and the next day we went to the famous Padang Padang Beach for some sun and relaxing. You have to pay a small fee to enter the beach and then you head pass a temple before going down some steep stairs between two giant boulders. The beach itself is gorgeous and there were tons of people offering surfing instructions though neither of us took them up on the offer. We did however venture out into the water and braved the rocks to cool down.

That evening we went to the Uluwatu Temple before sunset and although it was covered in people we got some great photos and some great views. While walking along the cliff we also got to see lots more of monkeys and great statues outside of the temple.

Oh and Drew had to wear a skirt (he claims it’s a sarong!). Right before sunset we headed to the theatre for the Kecak & Fire Dance. The dance is actually part of the Bali Hinduism culture and tells the story of Rama and his wife Sita who is abducted by the evil Ravana, King of the Demons.

The Monkey King helps Rama try to get Sita back and he was definitely one of the best characters of the whole story! He made fun of the real monkeys and stole one of the spectator’s sunglasses. The entire Kecak is narrated via a group of men singing and the end includes the Monkey King setting Ravana’s house on fire and they actually use real fire!

The next day we did some errands and then headed over to Single Fin for lunch – an awesome poke bowl and some great chicken nachos. We were lucky enough to get some great seats and got to watch tons of beautiful waves and amazing surfers! We decided to head down to Pantai Uluwatu beach which entailed climbing down some rickety stairs past tons of cafes and stores.

When we finally made it down to the beach there wasn’t a whole lot of space for getting some sun but there were gorgeous cliff views and tons of surfers getting ready to head out. While Drew took more photos of monkeys eating some chips I decided to explore and found a secret beach through a tunnel.

After going around a rock in the water the beach opened up and there was cool a shipwreck on the beach. We decided to spend some time relaxing on the beach and enjoying the water.

When the tide started to come in we decided to head up to the Delphi café, which sits on a island rock in the ocean for a beer. Then while Drew continued to take beach and surf photos I went and enjoyed a relaxing Balinese massage.

To end the evening we met up at the Single Fin for what Drew called ‘the BEST sunset he’s ever seen’! Upon further reflection he thinks he may have gotten a little carried away after I reminded him of Sorrento and Santorini. Needless to say, the pictures speak for themselves and we’ve been blessed with some amazing sunsets this trip!

Our final full day we decided to enjoy the amazing pool and views that our hotel had to offer. We relaxed poolside, did some laps and then went and got an awesome hot rock massage. It was a great day and the views were awesome!

The next morning we had to check out of our hotel but our flight wasn’t until late in the evening so Drew scored us an awesome poolside pagoda – complete with electrical outlets! We hung out there most of the day reading, watching TV on our tablets and swimming. I also got a manicure, pedicure and massage – I mean with the prices how could I not?!

That evening we headed to the airport and again there was tons of traffic, which made leaving beautiful Bali a little bit easier.

The next morning we packed, had breakfast and were prepared to be picked up at 10 am as we had arranged. By 10:30 we started emailing and calling to see where our ride was and finally by 10:50 we were on our way to the coast. Unfortunately by the time we got to the beach we had missed the 11:30 boat and had to wait for the 1:30 boat. Fortunately however, the beach had great views and we got to enjoy a delicious lunch while using the free wifi to book some more of our trip!

The boat ride over to Nusa Lembongan (a small island off of Bali) was extremely bumpy (thankfully we both took some Dramamine) and of course was longer than expected (at this point we realized we needed to get used to ‘island time’). We finally made it to our Airbnb – a super cute four bungalow place with a small pool close to the ocean.

We walked along the road and found the cutest little puppy who I quickly made friends with and enjoyed the view.

The next morning I woke up to my birthday and we got up early and headed out for some scuba diving. It was just us, the dive masters, boat crew and one other couple from New York on our boat (she had stitches from a scooter accident on the main land). We made our way out to the first dive spot, Manta Bay, as soon as we got there we could see manta rays hitting their fins on the rocks and gliding underneath the water. We descended only like 15 feet and kinda just sat there in a strong surge for 50 minutes waiting for manta rays to swim over top and they did not disappoint – we saw at least 10 manta rays! They kind of look like they are just floating through the water – SO cool!

DCIM101GOPRO

After the dive we headed to our next spot and on the way we saw a school of dolphins swimming beside us. Several of them even jumped into the air and did tricks – best birthday gift you could ask for. Our next dive site was Crystal Bay – the most famous spot on Nusa Penida we enjoyed both the views and some watermelon while waiting for our next dive.

This dive spot was a lot deeper and had a TON of divers! Drew actually started following another dive group for a while – luckily we found him. There was some great coral though, tons of fish and I got to see a type of fish I’ve never seen before – it was bright purple. We also had some fun with the camera – doing yoga poses or bubble shots.

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I wasn’t sure the day could get better but we enjoyed some sangria poolside with lunch and then cleaned up and headed the Mushroom Bay for dinner. There we enjoyed some cocktails while watching the sunset followed by a delicious dinner at the Bali Hai. It was a wonderful birthday!

The next morning it was Drew’s birthday and he decided it was time for some adventure so we rented our first scooter on the trip! It was a little scary at first especially when we made a few wrong turns and ended up at the dead end to Mangrove forest. But eventually we made it to the suspension bridge to head over to Ceningan Island. The bridge itself was an adventure, barely wide enough for two people passing, they allow scooters and people to go in each direction. Apparently Drew had decided 36 years was enough because we barreled across!

Our first stop on Ceningan was a beautiful beach with a fun swing out in the water. I had a good time playing on it while Drew did a photo shoot from the safety of the shore.

We headed to our next destination but the road was under construction so we had to take a long way around through a forest – Drew really showed his scooter skills going up a trail like, windy, dirt incline! Finally though we made it to the Blue Lagoon where we had a little lunch and I got to enjoy cliff jumping! I’d say Drew was too scared to cliff jump but it was his birthday…(Drew here-I just didn’t want to get wet on a TINY man-made jump!)

Then we headed back to Nusa Lembongan where we headed to Sunset beach and another fun beach swing! There were tons of tourists there so we headed around the cliffs to Devil’s Tear where there was no one and got some great photos of the rocks and ocean.

On the way home we made more than a couple of wrong turns. At one point we were heading up over a hill on the island and we saw some giant flames and tons of people. Navigating through the crowd slowly Drew turned to tell me to take a picture of the BBQ until he looked to his left and saw all the gravestones and realized it was a cremation. That was probably the most awkward part of our entire trip. He quickly put it behind us though when we saw the beautiful view of the island from the hill and got to race down it saying his new catchphrase ‘beep beep bitches’!

That evening we watched the sunset from the beach sitting on comfy bean bag chairs and sipping cocktails. Then we enjoyed a great band while eating a delicious dinner. Drew even got his favorite, tiramisu, while the band sang him ‘happy birthday’ and ‘Despacito’ (the summer anthem he’s obsessed with). All in all he said it was a great birthday and I’m just happy we didn’t have an incident on the motorbike!

Our final day on the island was rainy so we enjoyed a relaxing day watching DVDs, writing blogs, and booking more of our trip. The last morning again we were supposed to be picked up at 10 am and again they didn’t show up on time and again we didn’t get to our next destination until late in the day but who can complain after such an amazing couple of days?

We arrived in Denpasar just before midnight but with the immigration line and long wait for our luggage we didn’t get out of the airport until close to 1 am. Luckily we had booked a hotel right next to the airport so we headed there to get some shut eye. The next morning we were awoken by a knock on the door and low and behold it was my friend and Matron of Honor Holly. After waking up and getting cleaned up we headed to the hotel poolside restaurant for lunch where more friends (Ashley and Julie) met us! After getting all the details about Bali from Ashley and Julie we made our way to Ubud.

Our first stop was the Onion Collective (our home for a week) and a homestay/hostel/restaurant that was recommended to us by our friend and Maid of Honor Darcie. Our room was a little Balinese with the bathroom outside but it was very comfortable. Next we took Holly to her accommodations, which were much more lavish than ours: five pools, lots of awesome artwork, and amazing statues.

Later that evening we went out for dinner and walked around the town a little bit. We came across a spa that had fish tanks that eat your dead foot skin. Holly and I tried it while Drew laughed at our hysterics as they started nibbling our toes.

The next morning we all got up early to head to the Ubud Monkey Sanctuary for the opening. Even before entering the sanctuary we saw tons of monkeys walking across the road, sitting on shop roofs, and hanging out. Once inside we were greeted by tons of cute baby monkeys. In addition to all the cute monkeys, the sanctuary is also an amazing old temple with beautiful architecture and old bridges. We had a great time exploring it!

We had heard tons of horror stories about the monkeys so we were very careful not to bring any food or things the monkeys could steal from us. We headed back to the Onion and had some delicious lunch then we headed out on an afternoon tour. Our first stop on the tour was another monkey sanctuary – the Sangeh Monkey Forest. This one was much smaller though and didn’t have as many monkeys but there were lots of locals taking wedding photos which was really interesting to see.

Our next stop was Taman Ayun or the beautiful garden temple, which sits on a beautiful lake. The temple is quite large and does in fact have some beautiful gardens. I was surprised however that there were large signs saying that menstruating women could not enter the temple – something I hadn’t seen in any other country.

Our final stop of the day was the Tanah Lot temple which sits on a tiny island just barely out into the breaking surf. The beach and cliff side is absolutely beautiful however it was completely covered in people and that detracted from the beauty a bit. In addition to the temple there was also a lovely arch and men walking around with giant pythons that you could take pictures with – none of us were brave enough to do that though!

That night we had to try the local Mexican cuisine so we went to Taco Casa and it was the first time we’ve had real sour cream since Scotland! It’s the little things in life : )

The next day we got up early and did a full day tour! Our first stop was Goa Gajah or the Elephant Temple. It had some large water holy water fountains but the most impressive part was the carved cave in which there are alters for offerings

Our next stop was the Gunung Kawi an ancient temple that is about 400 steps down. On the way down to the temple we also got some awesome views of rice terraces. In fact Holly and I even did a fun photo shoot. The temple felt like it was in a forest and had a peaceful creek running by but I think the coolest part was seeing locals prepare temple decorations and offerings. We even got to see some perform with local instruments.

Before heading to our next destination our driver took us through his village. It was really neat to see the locals harvesting rice – we even got out of the car and walked along and met some people.

Next we went to a Bali Coffee Company where we got to taste tons of different coffees and some very interesting teas. My favorite was the vanilla Bali coffee, Holly’s favorite was the ginger tea, and Drew’s favorite was the coconut coffee and lemongrass tea. We also tried the luwak coffee – a luwak is an animal that kind of looks like a cat or a ferrate and the luwaks eat the coffee bean and the defecate it. The luwak coffee is made from the defecate beans – yup that’s right – and we tried it! We also got to try some Balinese dark chocolate which was delicious and Drew made friends with a luwak.

We had lunch at a great lookout over Mount Batur right before the fog rolled in! Then we headed to Bukit Jambul for what are considered the most beautiful rice terrace views and they did not disappoint. There were tons of tourists though so after taking in the views we decided to head back to Ubud.

For dinner that night we headed to CP’s Lounge (another recommendation from Darcie). The food and live music were great but the best part was Andrew finally got to have some shisha (flavored tobacco) because Holly was willing to split it with him and after some peer pressure even I gave in and tried some (and I never give in to peer pressure!).

The next day Holly and I did a girls day at the spa and it was a full and fun experience. It started with a wonderful massage and then we got a chocolate body scrub followed by a chocolate body mask – my childhood Willy Wonka fantasies were totally fulfilled! Our next experience was a beautiful flower bath followed by a relaxing facial. The last part of our amazing day was a hair mask and head massage.

By the end of the relaxing experience we were super hungry so we met Drew at a place called Bridges, which is located on a cliff overlooking a river. Before we got there Drew explored the bridge and another wonderful temple but we all went to lunch. Holly and I ordered the Balinese sample lunch and got to try all sorts of different cuisines.

When we left the restaurant we started walking toward town and stumbled across a Balinese procession from a temple complete with a drum celebration. It was one of those awesome experiences that you just happen upon and it was a great end to our relaxing day.

In the evening we had a lady come to Holly’s hotel to give us Henna tattoos. She worked pretty quickly and it turned out as good as I expected! The difficult part was not getting ink on everything for the next 1.5 hours until it completely dried.

After almost a week in Bali we hadn’t seen much of the sun, so for Holly’s last day in Bali we decided to head to the coast (Seminyak) for some fun. Our driver suggested a beach club called Potato Head and we followed his lead. The place ended up being really amazing. They had tons of specialty cocktails that came in coconuts, wood tiki cups, and even giant shells. They also had an amazing pool with ocean views. It was an amazing, fun, and relaxing day at the beach!

After a great day we said goodbye to Holly and headed back to the Onion for our last night in Ubud!

After the excitement of doing an Amazing Race style flight booking I was completely exhausted and all I could manage for the rest of the day was getting into a cab and heading to the hotel. However, even with that little experience I could tell Singapore was extremely different than any other country we’ve been in. Singapore is a first world country in that its infrastructure, cleanliness, and modern buildings is more similar to the U.S. than any other country we’ve been in. It is very different from the U.S. though in that it has even more laws than we do! One of the most famous laws is that chewing gum is illegal. Leaving the airport we saw signs for other interesting illegal things – all nicotine based products are illegal including cigarettes, Nicorette gum, and vaporizers or e-cigarettes. All these laws though result in an amazingly clean city that has a surprising amount of well-groomed vegetation.

After a goodnights rest I was ready to explore some of Singapore. I called this post ‘Singapore My Savior’ because with how sick I was feeling it was just what I needed. Unlike other South East Asian countries there are no Durian (stinky fruit) street vendors or weird smells wafting from sewers, trashcans, or random storefronts and this was great because my stomach could no longer take that. We decided that our first stop would be Singapore’s number one tourist attraction Gardens By the Bay, which is a cool mixture of nature and engineering.

The gardens are massive and are themed around different types of landscapes and terrains from around the world. We started by going into the two large domes that are essentially massive greenhouses. The first was the Cloud Forest Dome and it simulates a rain forest on a mountain that gets humidity from cloud formations. When you walk in there is a large simulated mountain with a waterfall falling from it. From there we took an elevator up to the top where there was a large display of carnivorous plants interspersed with Legos made to look like them.

From the top we made our way down walking along bridges jutting out into the dome so that we could get better views of the various trees and other plant life. At the bottom there were tiny succulents and orchids as well as some incredible woodcarvings.

The second dome was the Flower Dome and it is the largest greenhouse in the world. We saw more orchids here than I have ever seen in my life!  They were also starting to setup a harvest theme which had a pretty creepy farmer made out of different vegetables but it did make us a little nostalgic for Halloween with all the pumpkins.

Probably one of the most recognizable parts of the Gardens By The Bay are the Supertrees which are man made and have a sky bridge among them. We took the elevator up and got some amazing views of the entire garden.

Our final stop in the Gardens was an art piece called ‘The Planet’ which is a giant sculpture of a floating baby. We saw it featured in a photo contest show so we had to see it.

Then we walked across a bridge into an iconic Singapore building that has a large garden on top of it and into a mall. The mall is unique because in addition to a bunch of high-end stores it also has a canal running through it and you can get a gondola ride. Since we did a gondola ride in Venice we decided to forgo the mall one but Andrew did get lots of good pictures.

The mall sits on Marina Bay so we decided to walk around it and soak in some of the great views. There were tons of people out running, biking, and enjoying the nice weather. We made our way to Merlion Park where the famous fountain sits along the bay edge. Andrew had lots of fun taking funny pictures but at this point I had run out of energy so we decided to head back to the hotel so I could rest.

That evening we went across the street for dinner and enjoyed some live music. The next morning we decided to head to Orchard Road a huge commercial avenue with a massive mall. While I was sick in Kuala Lumpur I saw a commercial for an awesome brunch spot called Wild Honey, which originated in Singapore so we decided to check it out. It was located in the massive Orchard Road mall and had a slight wait time so we were able to check out the mall a little bit. Wild Honey definitely did not disappoint! I got the Parisian and Drew had waffles – both were delicious!

After brunch we went to the Singapore Botanic Gardens and if I thought I saw a lot of orchids the day before I was wrong! We walked through garden after garden of beautiful orchids and then went to an area where they create new hybrid orchids which they name after famous people who have visited the gardens including Laura Bush and Michelle Obama.

We strolled through the rest of the gardens and saw some squirrels (that Drew swears were chipmunks but weren’t), the famous Singapore tree which is on their 2 dollar bill and a lake full of cat fish. The highlight though was when we were exiting the garden and saw a massive lizard.

We headed back to the hotel and relaxed poolside for a bit while Drew enjoyed a Singapore Sling – when in Rome right? Then we headed to the airport for a late night flight. It was a short trip to Singapore made even shorter by missing a day due to my illness but we got a lot in!

Although Megan was not feeling well, we were able to make the quick flight to Kuala Lumpur. This city is unique in that there is a large mix of ethnicities and religions with the top three ethnicities being Malays, Chinese, and Indian.  We had a nice hotel in the Bukit Bintang district which was right in the heart of the action.  The first thing we did was take Megan to a medical clinic for some medication and back to the hotel for some rest.  Since she was being lame and taking a nap, I decided to go exploring!  The first thing you have to do in “the KL” is go stare at the Petronas twin towers which is exactly what I did!

From the hotel, I walked down the sidewalks, and crossed the busy streets until I reached the Pavilion shopping mall (KL has a lot of malls!). While trying to figure out how to get across the street from the mall to the towers, I stumbled upon something most bustling metropolis’s should have: a raised, air-conditioned walkway. This walkway is so beneficial it is presently in the top 5 of Trip Advisor’s things to do in KL.  It traversed the streets above the city and took me to the convention center.

Still not to the towers, I saw more signs to enter the convention center. Well this was no ordinary convention center. Going down the escalator took me to a food court and aquarium. When I crossed the food court I was on the other side of the convention center and now in the city park.  The park was huge and has walking trails with rubber running lanes, playgrounds, water park, and picnic areas. Best of all it had views of…the towers!  I spent quite a bit of time in the park taking photos of the towers as the sun set and the fountain light/music show came on.  To get inside the towers, you have to go through a different mall and so I wanted to wait to see if Megan would come with me another day.

I retraced my steps back to the hotel through the pedestrian walkway, brought Megan a popsicle dinner, and then made my way to another recommended spot- a busy street market called Jalon Alor. The street is lined with vendors and various asian restaurants which were all very crowded.  The smells of all of the different foods was almost overwhelming, especially with all of the durian (stinky fruit) vendors.  I walked up and down the street and decided on a few selections of dim sum dumplings and a sugar cane/lemon drink as my dinner.

Having seen a lot of the recommended to-do things of KL on the first day, I decided to nurse my ailing wife the next day at the hotel since she still wasn’t up to exploring.  We didn’t feel too badly as we got to catch the finale of Game of Thrones.

As Megan was feeling a little better the next morning, we took a cab to the Batu Caves/Hindu temple. There is a giant statue in front of the hundred plus stairs leading to the cave.  Inside the cave were a bunch of Hindu statues, shrines, and the temple.  At the back end of the cave which is open to the air, about 20 monkeys were all playing on the hillside and man-made structures. We enjoyed the monkeys for a while until Megan reminded me she was sick and we decided to head back.

After the cave Megan still had some energy, so I showed her the towers and market I had seen two days before.  While at the mall we saw a giant group of tiger figurines outside which was the mascot for the SEA games going on in the city.  We also got to have some Mexican food in the mall which we thought for sure would cure Megan : ).

Well it didn’t.  The following day we were supposed to fly to our next destination. I got up early to go on the tower sky bridge and observation deck (which was closed the day we went) since Megan’s illness came roaring back. I guess the sightseeing and Mexican food was a little premature.  We ended up canceling our flight and going to the hospital to get her some fluids which seemed to work better than the Mexican food (go figure!). The next day we were able to get to the airport to fly to our next destination…or so we thought. Megan, being a fan of the Amazing Race, apparently wanted to add a little drama and pressure to our scenario. While trying to check our bags, we found out that while rushing to rebook our flight before heading to the hospital, she had accidentaly selected the wrong day.  Unfortunately the next two flights out on that airline were completely booked.  Not wanting to spend another additional day in KL, our own Amazing Race was on! We took a train to the next terminal with additional airlines and Megan scoured the internet while I checked out the departure boards. We ended up finding a flight from the departure boards that had room.  We won the challenge!

We arrived in Siem Reap, Cambodia in the evening and were met by a driver to bring us to our hotel. We checked in and requested a breakfast box for our sunrise tour of Angkor Wat, the area’s most popular tourist attraction, scheduled for the next morning. Angkor Wat (meaning “Temple City”) is the largest religious monument in the world, residing on a site of 400 acres, and originally constructed for the Khmer Empire as a Hindu temple. Eventually it converted to a Buddhist temple as it remains today.

As planned, our tour guide was at our hotel at 5:30 am to meet us. We drove a short distance to an off-site location to purchase our Angkor pass. We drove through the dark and around the outer moat of the temple until we reached the entrance. We perched on an outer wall of the moat and watched the sun come up behind the temple. It was a beautiful site to witness and worth getting up so early.

Once we were able to see the floating bridge across the moat, we crossed onto the temple grounds. We stopped to take reflection photos of the pond and sat down in the outdoor eating area to have our box breakfast. Following breakfast, our guide took us on a 1-2 hour tour of the temple and was very informative and showed us the various statues and carvings as we walked through the three main galleries.

The highlights of the tour were the monk and monkey we saw by one of the empty baths and climbing up to the top of the temple which provided a great view of the temple and surrounding area.

Next we went to nearby Angkor Thom (meaning “Great City”) which was the capital of the Khmer Empire and consists of over 30 temples within the city gates. We started at the furthest gate first and made our way back past the Terrace of the Elephants, and finishing at the impressive Prasat Bayon.

At Prasat Bayon, we got to view the unique face carvings on the temples and get some good photos as our guide was telling us some history.

While leaving Prasat Bayon, we came across some monkeys by the road and stopped to check them out. They were quite entertaining as one of the was chugging a can of soda.

One of the temples we visited had a real dog standing guard in place of the missing lion and we got to witness a monk blessing two girls on temple stairs.

Following that, we went to another temple that was not as popular, as it had not been restored and has a lot of ruins covered in moss. It was neat to see and provided for some good photo opportunities.

The final temple of the day, Ta Prohm, was featured in Lara Croft Tomb Raider. Its unique feature is several trees that had grown on the temples and the sprawling roots over the temples made for a very unique and cool visual. Unfortunately, this place was very popular, making it difficult to take pictures, but with patience we were able to get some good ones, including this “Tomb Raider” action scene!

By this time we had seen quite a lot in one morning/afternoon and were ready to get back to the hotel as we had another busy day of guided sight seeing the next morning…thankfully not so early.

The following morning we had a several hour drive to witness the floating villages of Kompong Khleang. I didn’t know what to expect of this tour but it turned out to be as fun and impressive as the temples. As Andrew put it, “it’s a photographer’s dream.” We boarded a covered boat that had several wooden chairs secured to the deck and off we went up the Tonle Sap River to the Tonle Sap Lake.

The Kompong Khleang floating village consists of houses, markets, temples, schools, etc. either on stilts, floating, or on an island. We got to pass by many locals out doing their daily routines and the coolest thing was watching the children canoe as fast as they could leaving the temple and boys playing in the water using a group of empty soda bottles tied together as a floatation device.

After the wonderful visit to the floating villages, we went to Beng Mealea, another large Hindu to Buddhist temple that hasn’t been restored. While I was feeling under the weather, our tour guide and Andrew explored the temple. The temple had a lot of ruins and was covered in moss. Andrew got to explore through one of the dark passageways and climb through the rubble to access the center of the temple. He also found this nice vine to swing on! The temple had some wooden stairs and guideways built throughout the site so that it was easier to get around all of the rubble. When they were done exploring, we headed back to the car and made the hour drive back to the hotel.

On the way back, there were a couple of interesting things along the road we noticed. One was that there was one stretch of road about a mile long that had carts of sticky rice being sold, one cart after the next. We were wondering how they could get enough business to sustain themselves all selling the exact same thing without much to differentiate themselves. We felt bad for them after a big storm blew through and they had to take cover! The other thing that was interesting was they sold gasoline in clear bottles (mostly Johnnie Walker for whatever reason) in stands alongside the road as well. Hopefully those two industries don’t get destroyed when the “truck stop” finally opens along this main road as they were pretty unique to see.

One of the carvings we saw at Prasat Bayon had the Apsara dancing figures (I tried my best to imitate!). The Apsara dance dates back to the Khmer temples when these dances were performed for the royals consisting of slow gestures to narrate stories. The curling of their fingers and toes are the prominent feature of this dance style. We saw there was an Apsara dance with a dinner buffet at a restaurant near our hotel, so we decided to check that out for dinner. Unfortunately, I got too sick to stay for the show, so I left Andrew alone to the entertainment and he was really impressed. The dancing was broken up into four costumed segments and included male and female dancers. As expected, the dancers were extremely graceful and received great applause at the end of the show.