Halloween Party in Bali??

Yes, a Halloween Party in Bali!A Fundraiser, sponsored by the Rotary Club of Bali Ubud, toward buying an ambulance for a local fee-free birthing clinic.

Yes, that’s Tandy “in the pink”. What’s my costume? “A clinging vine” – a long green knitted (of course!) vine braided into my almost-waist-length hair, then looped and pinned around my head and shoulders. I had fun trying out a variety of flower and leaf patterns – roses, sunflowers, trumpet flowers, sort-of-poppy, oak leaf, and more. Oh, in case you’re wondering, that is not a large-ego sized TANDY in red-and-white in front of me. It’s a Tango cookie tin – just happened to be perfectly positioned for the photo!

Who is with me? Well, Daisy from Java is in the Kabuki makeup taking money. She’s our current Treasurer. And sitting beside me is Reki of Lady Bamboo Villa – hence the bamboo leaves in her hair!
Who attended? A WIDE variety - from Bali, from other parts of Indonesia, from Singapore, Australia, India, Germany, France, USA, Canada, and more. Some who live in Bali, some who live part-time in Bali, and some who were just in Bali for vacation!
More costumes and party-ers:

New Year's Eve in Bali

Panorama Hotel in Ubud, Bali, holds a New Year's Eve party every year. Last year, I arrived jet-lagged and my photos reflected it. This year, I was so well-rested that I did a bit of dancing, and even led the Limbo line. (No photo of me doing that, of course!)

Being Bali, the decorations are an interesting mixture. Bali is primarily Hindu. Many tourists are Chinese (the Buddha) or Christian (the Christmas tree).

This year's celebration included a local rock-and-roll band, playing old standards as well as current Indonesian "Dangdut" - pop music.

Panorama is proud to have several guests who return every year.

They were presented with small gift baskets as a token of appreciation.

In spite of a thunderstorm (or maybe because of it!), there were a variety of other guests, too.

From the very young,

to the young-at-heart,

to those using wheelchairs (Panorama is one of the few restaurants in Ubud without steps to climb).

Some dancers were Competitive Ballroom quality,

others a bit more free-wheeling.

Conga lines with restaurant and kitchen staff...

Limbo with both guests...

and staff.

As you see, a real melting pot (or salad bowl?) of nationalities, races, ages, religions, sizes, shapes, and abilities.

My Birthday Party in Bali

The staff at Bhanuswari held a Pool Party for my birthday! And it was so much more than I expected.

First, they decorated the area between the salt water pool and the Villa with a combination of crepe paper streamers and traditional Balinese decorations made from young coconut leaves.

Can you see the archway?

Tables had balloons with both Happy Birthday and "Selamat Datang" - Indonesian for "Welcome!"

You can see the staff were relaxing. (And this is a better view of that archway!)


We had a great time playing in the pool (yes, that's my back) - recorded pop music, volley balls,


and mattress floats.

At sunset, I went in to change and came out to find that the setting had changed! Candle light now surrounded the pool.

Of course there was a cake - beautiful!

I had requested catering in the form of "nasi campur" (literally "mixed rice" - the Indonesian "blue plate special") so that the kitchen staff could join the party. What I actually got was "bebek betutu", the Balinese smoked spiced steamed duck - delicious.

And I got presents - totally unexpected! I had just wanted a party so we could play together.


The packages were beautifully wrapped and practical: sandalwood folding fans and cotton face cloths (I still sweat a lot), a new handbag (my pink-striped one is getting tired), and chocolates (yes, I’m still addicted).


Am I still loving living in Ubud, Bali? You bet!!