Looking Sweet Upon the Seat

by Nancy Bestor

When we travel to foreign countries, our family likes to do things on our own. We’ve never been super keen on taking group or private tours, choosing instead to find our own way and figure things out for ourselves. Bob, however, convinced Emily, Sarah and I on our trip to Bali that we could benefit from a guided bicycle tour. It would be fun, he suggested, and we might just learn something along the way. He was right, on both counts.

We booked a day-long bike tour with Sobek Adventures out of Ubud. The tour included breakfast, lunch, bike rentals, and transportation, and cost $79 each for Bob and I, and $52 each for Emily and Sarah. It was very well worth it. Sobek’s van picked us up at our Airbnb villa ( read more about this fantastic abode located just outside Ubud here ) at 8:30 on the morning of our tour. Our driver and our guide chatted with us along the way to our first stop, a coffee plantation specializing in coffee made from beans eaten by a Paradoxurus, (aka an Asian Palm Civet or Luwak) and then cleaned and roasted after the critter poops the beans out. Yes indeed, you read that correctly. We all were treated to a cup of what is commonly known as Luwak coffee. We drank it and it was good. I kid you not. We were also treated to a tasting of a dozen or so other flavored coffees including coconut, vanilla and ginseng and they were all distinctive and delicious.

After this not even slightly crappy stop (I couldn’t help myself) we headed to Mount Batur where we picked up our bicycles. Now my husband is a cyclist, and enjoys a high quality, well-tuned bicycle. These were not those. They did however have seats, brakes, and air in their tires, and since our ride was mostly downhill, that was really all we needed. The four of us rode with our guide Made, through villages, rice fields, and on some very rocky and bumpy dirt roads. Some of the routes we took went directly through rice fields, and locals with bundles of grasses and sticks on their backs eased out of our way and watched us roll by. Without a doubt, this was the best way to really see the 13 miles of back roads and trails that we covered that day.

We took a break from our downhill coasting to look in the gates of a local temple, mostly deserted and stunningly beautiful. Another stop was at a family compound, where seven locals were currently living, including two grandparents, two parents and three children. The family members were all at home, and sat out on the steps while we learned how Balinese live their everyday lives. This was the only part of the tour where I was uncomfortable. Frankly, it felt intrusive to be in their home, and it was never clear to me if we should have tipped the family, or brought some kind of offering to them.

Our final stop of the day was at a restaurant where we had a set menu. It was one of the better meals we ate in Bali, and included a delicious chicken soup with rice, chicken and vegetables. Our tour ended at 2:30 in the afternoon, right back where we started, at our great villa outside Ubud. I would highly recommend this tour to anyone, even a non-active person, as there is almost no work required.

We ended our day with massages in central Ubud. And how fitting it was after spending two hours on a somewhat uncomfortable bike seat on bumpy roads to get a massage on my aching gluteus maximus.

Sit Right Back, And You ll Hear a Tale

by Nancy Bestor

I ve never been a lover of boats. I don t know how to water-ski, I ve never been fishing and I ve never really had the urge to go sailing. I suppose that makes me a landlubber. But last weekend when Bob and I were out on a friend s boat in San Diego Bay, sipping a cocktail with the wind whipping through our hair (or, let s be real, MY hair, as Bob has very little hair), I thought to myself, “this isn t so bad.” That s right, I got so comfortable on “The Quartet” that I contemplated changing my name to Lovey as in Lovey Howell wife of Thurston .aka “the millionaire.”

Our friend s boat is docked at the Coronado Yacht Club, and we were fortunate enough to enjoy a boat ride that offered up-close views of the U.S.S. Midway, a pod of sea lions sleeping and sunning on the San Diego Bay bait dock, and near (but not too near) Naval Base Coronado. We finally anchored in an idyllic spot off Point Loma, where we overnighted with views of elaborate homes along the Point Loma shore. In the distance we could see the base and Naval helicopters regularly taking off and landing and I imagined Navy Seals underwater, tracking our EVERY movement. The Quartet s radio blared out a few messages over the course of our adventure, and although those messages may really have been akin to “there s great fishing to be had by Shelter Island right now,” I can t be certain that they weren t saying “we are tracking members of Isis off the shore of San Diego AT THIS MOMENT.” Of course, I have always had an active imagination.

Everything looks a bit more exciting from a boat. With its different perspective, things like neglected docks, abandoned boats and otherwise indistinctive bridges all take on a nostalgic aura of adventure, history and even a bit of mystery. And San Diego Bay is particularly enticing, partly due to its idyllic blue skies, its beautiful shoreline, and its fish and wildlife scattered throughout. But you don t need to be out on a boat to enjoy it. We sat one evening on benches in Shoreline Park on Shelter Island Drive, eating snacks and drinking beer while watching the sunset over the boats and Bay. It too was lovely.

I don t see myself buying a boat anytime soon—one reason being that we don t live near water. But I sure enjoy the opportunity to play the part of a seasoned boater when I can. I m certain I am believable in my role too, for as Thurston Howell III once said, “No one can pull the wool over my eyes. Cashmere maybe, but wool never.”

Checking and Rechecking

by Nancy Bestor

Last week Bob and I had to make a quick trip to Seattle for the day to attend a meeting. Oh the glamour. Our flights were booked by a third party, and we were sent copies of our itineraries and airline confirmation codes. We checked in online with ease about 12 hours before our outgoing flight, and planned to check in online again before our return flight late the same evening.

We were flying Alaska, and when I attempted to check us in for our return I was only able to check in Bob. The website could not seem to find my return flight, even though it had the same confirmation number as my outbound flight that morning. I figured the website was having a problem, and thought I would just wait and check in when I got to the airport. Bob’s sister Laura, smart woman that she is, said, “I recommend you go ahead and call Alaska.

I’m glad I took her advice! When I spoke to an Alaska agent and he was able to pull up my record, he found that my return flight was booked for one month later. Surprisingly, he changed my return flight in less than five minutes, without any charges. There were two seats remaining on that night’s flight, and he said he was glad I had called, rather than having waited until arriving at the airport. I was glad too!

I learned a few lessons here. When someone other than myself books a flight for me, I need to thoroughly check the itinerary once I receive it. Okay, the truth of the matter is, even if I book a flight myself, I need to thoroughly check the itinerary once I receive it. Hard as you may find this to believe, I do make mistakes too. Then, if the need arises, I should always call the airline if there is something wacky with my ticket or check-in. I won’t procrastinate on this in the future! Finally, having a smart and savvy sister-in-law is a great additional benefit of getting married.

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