Merriment, Muumuus and Motorbikes

Mosquitos probably should have been an added to the above alliteration as well.  Apparently intaking my body weight in fresh fruit juice everyday has made my sweet, sweet blood irresistible to the local mosquitos.  They are impervious to bug spray, citronella candles and my fierce hatred for them.  Bastards.  I look like a festering leper.  No offense fellow lepers, but when the biters have become bold enough to get you in the stomach, titties and EYELIDS, it starts to take a toll on a lady.  It also doesn't help that I have exactly 0% self control; scratching the bites into highly irritated volcanos of red flesh.  That's why I am glad to announce that I have officially replaced the nutritious fruit juices for Johnny Walker Red Label.  

We are abundantly fortunate this Christmas since our friend Jade flew all the way from the motherland to meet us in Bali.  I was not previously aware of the bet, but I guess a special award goes to Jade for beating our other friend Nicolle to the blog.  A very prestigious accomplishment indeed.  You people need a hobby.  I suppose the draw of two hot females, a tropical beach and the birthday celebration of Sweet Baby Jesus was too much for her to resist. And how do you celebrate Christmas in a hot, Hindu land?  Muumuus.  Jade was the glowing recipient of a smoking, chartreuse muumuu from Saint Nicholas this morning.  I guess she narrowly escaped the Naughty List this year.  

Donning our new muumuu uniforms, we set out on motorbikes this morning to Dream Beach on Nusa Lembongan island.  In general, I am against putting my body on a motorbike in a country where there are almost as many motorbikes as people (unlike many of my statements, is not an exaggerated statistic).  The dense motorbike traffic is enough to intimidate me, especially when half of the operators are under twelve years old (a slightly exaggerated statistic) and motorbikes being the leading cause of hospital visits for tourists in this country (absolutely true).  Being the more economic way to travel, due to the superb gas milage, often you will see an entire family traveling down the freeway on a motorbike.  Dad drives with the baby on his lap, mom sits in modest and fancy side saddle position on the back, while the toddler stands up between them, clinging onto dad's back; no one is wearing a helmet.  I guess when you start driving these machines in primary school you tend to be pretty comfortable skirting around in this bustling metropolis.  Luckily the island of Nusa Lembongan is sparsely populated and prohibits any motorized vehicles besides the motorbikes.  Despite all this, it is still a Christmas miracle that I came home without any road rash or collision damage to pay for.  Hallelujah.  

I will admit, a touch of homesickness has crept into our tropical adventure.  I genuinely miss my family and friends during the holidays.  That said, I have zero complaints about spending Christmas getting a sunburn, breezing around on motorbikes and toasting Johnny Walker with some my favorite people on this earth.  

Merry Christmas!