Below is a summary of Thursday through Saturday, complete with pictures. I’ll probably make another picture upload tomorrow or Wednesday (have to get those surf pictures up, but it depends on the quality of my internet connection).

THURSDAY NIGHT

Thursday night at Michael’s house was something else. He has designed a beautiful house in Kuala Lumpur, complete with guest quarters so guests like me can have privacy. The house is amazing and well-suited for the climate. Since Michael is a lumber man, the house features woods from all over the world, which makes it very warm and inviting.

After welcome drinks, Michael and his wife, Doris, took me out for a good Chinese dinner and after a night cap it was time for a short night’s sleep before going to the airport early the next morning.

FRIDAY – BALI, DAY 1

I swam a few laps in Michael’s pool before his driver came to pick us up. The check-in at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) was quick and efficient (it’s very nice and modern).

Michael is a frequent flyer so I got to enjoy Malaysian Airlines’ lounge before takeoff.

The Airbus 330 to Bali was almost empty with plenty of room to stretch out. After completing the customs formalities we took a cab to the Hard Rock Hotel in Kuta. Traffic was insanely slow, with narrow streets and scooters and cars everywhere.

At the hotel we met up with APP’s Indonesia rep, Rudy, and the three of us went to see a potential new customer. There are many smaller furniture makers and craftsmen in Bali.

Then it was time to explore the hotel. I would recommend the the Hard Rock to anyone looking for a good time in Bali. It’s not a quiet resort but right in the hustle and bustle of Kuta. Their pool is amazing, with sand beaches, in-water bar, no chlorine, and just overall coolness. It’s very kid friendly and I saw lots of families. The staff is first class and as nice as can be. The rooms are big and clean. It made for two very good nights.

One of the attractions there is the main bar, which features a live cover band every night. Michael is good friends with the manager of the hotel, and we hung out with him and his crew. I got some insight into the workings of the hotel and the prompt attention of staff, which is always a nice thing.

The cover band was excellent and their repertoire impressive, with everything from Queen and Metallica, to a Grease performance. The crowd was friendly and just having a good time. None of the debauchery you see at other places.

Here are the pictures from Friday:

SATURDAY – BALI, DAY 2

Rudy and I had an appointment with another new prospective customer in the morning, while Michael went for a Harley ride with some old friends. After our appointment I had a decision to make: either go back to the hotel and the beach or let our driver take us north to see some of the island. I opted for the latter.

First up was a trip to one of the monkey forests. Let’s just say there were 100 monkeys to every tourist, which was A LOT. Our driver told us this was one of the forests with “friendly” monkeys. These animals are so used to tourist they steal glasses and cameras, but these were (supposedly) not that aggressive.

Parental Warning: One Australian couple thought it would be fun to take pictures with monkeys climbing on their son. By the time we walked by the boy was really agitated, as four or five monkeys were tearing away at him. Finally, one of the beasts bit him and drew blood. The not-so-bright mommy got angry at the monkey and asked the guide if that was dangerous. My thought was: get the kid to a hospital. They talk about the Ugly American. This was was a case of the Ugly Australian.

I hissed my way through the throng of monkeys and they never touched me.

At the end of the path there was an old temple. You had to wear a sarong to get in, so I let the gentle Indonesian man wrap one around my waist and did some walking around. It was pretty cool. In Europe you go into big cathedrals, in Bali you walk old temple grounds.

After that we were off to some rice fields. The local kids were doing their best to pawn off stuff on me and I caved in and bought some post cards from a little girl (she has a future in sales).

Our last stop was the top of a volcano, where we ate a delicious Indonesian buffet and enjoyed the view.

After lunch we headed back to the hotel. With the traffic, it took a couple of hours and Rudy and I had good conversations in the back. He’s a terrific guy and almost the same age as me. Our backgrounds are completely different but we’re in a similar situation in life and have much in common. I’ve made a very good friend, which is the part of my job I like the most.

Back at the hotel: I squeezed in a hard workout, then went to the pool for a beer with Michael and Rudy. We had dinner with Michael’s old neighbors from Kuala Lumpur, an Irish/Australian couple with two young kids. Finished the evening with a couple of hours of live cover music at the Hard Rock, where the band impressed me once again.

My first couple of days in Bali were outstanding but not a moment for rest.

Hagg Lake is not known for its sandy beaches. As the water recedes, it reveals some sort of clay/mud mixture along the shore. This time of year the water is still a bit to high, but we found a spot that the kids liked well enough. It was also a good place to start a swim.

As I settled down, things improved, but it’s still a completely different experience from pool swimming and I’m nowhere near where I need to be to put in a decent swim time during a race. So, the struggles in the water continues. The good news that is I’m ahead of where I was last year and there’s still time to work on it.

After the swim, we biked a lap around the lake to simulate the race and this is what I’m really excited about. This is a recovery week for both Sven and me, so we went at an easy pace. When I got home and analyzed the data (see picture below), I learned that I was only 7 sec/km slower than my race pace last year. This almost seems too good to be true, because this was a light-medium efford ride and I feel there is lots of room to improve on the bike still. This bodes well for Hagg Lake 2008, which is my A priority race.

After the bike we did a quick 2 km-run. That’s approximately how long it took me to get my running legs going during last year’s race. The transition from a hard bike ride to a hard run is always tough (especially when you start the run with a tough hill), but my legs feel strong this year and I expect to place high in the run.

We had to wait for three hours in Stockholm for our train and took the opportunity to do some sightseeing around the train station. Stockholm is a gorgeous city.

Sweden Day #1 Photo Album

I’m ready to hit the sack after 30 hours without sleep. Trek was out cold two minutes after I tucked him in. I think I’ll join him now.

I found the video below on YouTube and after watching it I can only say: Wow!

I don’t know what I looked like but I know I DID NOT look like that. These guys glide through the water, using very short strokes and limited leg kicks. If I had a stroke like that I probably would have spent half the energy and finished with better times in all three disciplines. I have some work to do…

Of course, freestyle is the way to go, so I picked up the Total Immersion (TI) book from Powell’s yesterday and will try the first TI drills at Beaverton Swim Center tomorrow. With less than two months until Vancouver there’s not enough time to become a solid swimmer, but there’s certainly time for improvement.

This is an instructional video from Total Immersion.