Hi all. We are back, and the trip was great.
Non-rev side: LAX-TPE-DPS-TPE-LAX( that's LA, Taipei, Denpasar) we got all 4 flights we wanted on EVA and China Air. though they were not generous with first or business class seats, but can beggars be choosers? Going over (14 hours!) my wife & I were lucky enough to get 3 seats each, so we slept plenty.
Bali side: great as always. Besides the incredible luck of being able to spend 12 days at my cousin's seaside house on the unspoiled north shore, we also managed three mini-stays: first 2 days at fishing village called Jemeluk near Amed, with the best reef snorkeling right from te beach I've ever seen anywhere, then 2 days in the beautiful area on the south slpe of Mt. Agung, near Bessaki temple, and finally 3 days in our old favorite, Ubud, where we found a dirt-cheap ($15/night for 2, incl brkfst) bungalows in a spectacular ravine setting : Gusti's Bungalows. The Balinese we met were wonderful, friendly, and hospitable as always.