January 30th cont’d

Well, what is it that they say about the best laid plans......yep.....they’re meant to change.  So change a little our did.  I’m now sitting in a lounge within the ARMA gardens not too far from the water garden where the Scent and Sound performance will take place in about an hour.  I’m sitting beside a pool and the sound of waterfalls are all around me.  It is so serene and beautiful.  There have been a few sprinkles of rain so the air is cool and clean and at 6:10 pm the light is beginning to fade so the “jungle” here in the gardens is taking on a mystical vibe.  Barb is out hunting for the perfect photo and she is practicing taking shots of moving water in an attempt to catch it in action.  I’m sitting on a luxurious bamboo seat (complete with overstuffed cushion) and there is not another soul in sight.  It is truly magical.  

The change of plans was that we didn’t get to the salt room in time to have an appointment.  We missed it by just a few minutes but heh....I guess they want to go home from work on time just like the rest of us.  :-). There will be another day for salt therapy.

I wish I could embed a photo of this place where I’m sitting so you could experience it too but for some reason....that function seems to elude me whenever I attempt it so here goes.....

“To my left I look out over the half wall of the room I’m sitting in.  I can see tropical trees of all shape and size with a backdrop of the oversized gazebo where we’ll be heading later for our event.  Some of the trees are bamboo, others of them are palms,  most of them have guests living on them.  There are stag horn ferns and climbing vines and orchids all calling the trees home.  The jungle seems to have a lot of symbiotic relationships within it.  Perhaps that is required by all for survival.  After every experience I’ve ever had with jungle I’ve said it is soooo beautiful but at the same time so unforgiving!  The fading light over the gazebo has actually created the illusion of a spot light shining above it.  The light reflecting off the copper trim at the edge of the roofline looks downright regal and as though visitors are being called to visit it.  To my right the pool is an azure colour of blue and there is a long set of stairs leading up to the museum and the rest of the ARMA gardens.  All of the man-made concrete work (statues etc) are covered in a light layer of moss which adds to the vibe that exists here.  There is a large frangipani tree beside the pool and a red umbrella that gives the whole place a pop of man made colour.  As we entered the gardens earlier we were met by the man who’s vision this place was built on.  He is the benefactor and every time I’ve visited ARMA I’ve had the pleasure of chatting with him.  During our conversation he commented that everything in this place is intended to complement everything else....ie: the man made with nature and function with aesthetic.  There are healing plants and fruits mixed in with the flowers and statues.  It truly is a magical place.  (If you’d like to know more about ARMA I encourage you to google it as it’s a really inspiring story). 

Well, it is almost time to head in the direction of our Scent and Sound Healing event so I’ll sign off again.  

Lorrie and Barb

January 30, 2018

Here we sit in yet another gorgeous little cafe!  This one is called the Tropical View Restaurant and it is just a few steps past the monkey forest (far enough to have escaped the “aroma” that can come from too many monkeys in one place).  We’ve ordered lunch and fancy lattes and now Barb is off taking photos of the most beautiful lotus flowers I’ve ever seen.  The pink in these blossoms is breathtaking!  And the size....they’re actually HUGE!  Seriously....it is a magical view from our vantage shaded from the sun but looking out over the water pond and lilies, the rice field, and a pool in the near distance.  Yummy.....they’ve just brought our lattes and along with them a complimentary plate of cassava chips.  They are very much like a thick very crispy potato chip.  Cassava is a root that is used extensively in the tropics.  The most common application I’ve seen for it here is as a chip but I know they also use it like potatoes or for dessert.  We know it as tapioca and for those of you who thought tapioca was little round balls....well....its not.....its a root that looks very much like a large sweet potato (and even larger).  Once you’ve had sweet tapioca cooked the way they make it anywhere that it grows...those little balls will never be the same for you!

Speaking of things never being the same for people....well Barb can’t go back to her former stance on motor bikes.  LOL. Last year when she arrived here she was literally TERRIFIED to get on the back of a bike and this year she can hardly wait to climb on the back of another one.  After our 90 minute tour around the local roads and rice fields the other day she’s ogling every bike taxi we pass!  In fact when I suggested that perhaps we take bikes to the pyramids tomorrow she practically jumped on me as she screamed “YES!”  I admit that I may be exaggerating just a little but honestly.....I think she’s contemplating the purchase of one for herself once she gets home.  I had the same thought when I went home last year and almost did it but in the end....one never found its way into my possession.  Maybe 2018 will be a different story.  LOL.

It’s been a couple of days since we last checked in with this blog and so a little update is in order.  The last time I wrote we were heading out to Sedona Spa for chocolate (for me) and green clay (for Barb) massages, facials, and hair cream treatment.  Little can be said except that it was AMAZING!  As we’d requested we were given rooms that look out over the rice fields and where there is a massive copper tub that is filled with perfectly warm water and flower petals for you to soak in after you’ve scrubbed all of the clay/chocolate off in the shower.  The rooms are partly open to the outside and the wall adjacent to the rice field is only about waist high.  This is all very beautiful and exotic until you stand up from the table beside your tub and realize you’re not alone!  There on the other side of the wall are several workers planting rice in the field!  Yikes!  Not sure if the one closest to my room or I was more shocked to see the other!

Jati picked us up from Sedona at the pre-arranged time and then dropped us off at a little French creperie (Le Moulin) in Pengosekin (near ARMA for those of you who know your way around Ubud) where Barb and I had an amazing supper of steak and blue cheese and duck, orange, and carmelized onions crepes.  We shared them as neither of us could make up our mind but in the end we both agreed that while they were both amazing....it would be the duck and orange if we were to come back here again.  During our meal there was a CRASH that neither of us could identify.  It was one of the servers who explained that a coconut had just fallen over our heads onto the roof!  This prompted a discussion about the number of deaths there are each year as a direct result of falling coconuts.  We were very grateful for the roof overhead!  That falling coconut also prompted conversation with a fellow diner who’d just arrived moments prior.  Her name was Helina and she was travelling on her own for six weeks so far.  She had no return ticket (she was from London) and no plan to head home any time soon.  She was just going where the wind blew and opportunity presented.  Our best guess is that Helina would be about 65-70 years old.  What an interesting woman!  Afterward we strolled home and appreciated the dry skies and quiet roads and cooler temps.  Walking by Monkey Forest in the dark is a bit creepy though and since there are no lights on that stretch of the road....its even a little creepier than if there were.  On the upside all of the monkeys go to bed at sunset so there weren’t any of those little buggers on the road trying to steal our stuff!

We both slept like the dead after having that awesome massage and meal and the next morning were ready to do it all again.  So after a typical lazy morning of yoga, meditation time, a walk for Barb, and breakfast served on our patio we set off in the direction of Monkey Forest again.  We were headed for another little French place ( Cafe du Monyet) where we located a seat on the edge of yet another rice field and enjoyed Taro Lattes.  Taro is another starchy root (like cassava) and in Hawaii it is the stuff they use to make poi for those of you who’ve been to a luau.  Taro is a beautiful shade of lavender and the flavour of that Taro latte is almost indescribable.  Maybe a little bit vanilla’ish with a super smooth finish.  Bottom line....we’ll order it again!

From the Cafe du Monyet we headed to a little bakery in Pengoseken as I remembered they have great air conditioning and I was MELTING!  After a curry donut for me and a cinnamon bun for Barb we’d come up with a plan for the rest of the day.  We called my friend Komang who used to work at the Reflexology place I went every Monday last year.   That place has since closed and so Komang is out of work and focused on getting taxi gigs with his scooter.  We asked Komang to find another scooter taxi and pick us up at the bakery.  From there we were off and loving the cool breezes that accompany being on the back of a bike.  The boys took us along local roads where we could see the people up close as they went about living their daily lives.  When I say up close....I mean up close.....the roads in that area are just barely wide enough for a single car but on bikes we had no problem.  We zipped through rice fields that were in all states of growth.  Some were just being prepped for planting and others were almost at the ready for harvest.  In the fields that were being prepped we saw men and women up to their knees in mud.  Some were using a rake like tool to smooth the mud and others had a giant rototiller that had tires bigger than the user.  What a hard life these people have!  But...having said that....when I asked one of them for a photo she smiled for the camera and in truth all of them seem happy in their work.  Also along our bike journey we drove through Petulu (the village that is home to tens of thousands of white herons every night).  They’re still in their nesting season so there are lots in the village during the day too.  As a result we had to be sure to keep our mouths closed and faces averted from the sky or risk getting a mouth full of poop!  At one point the road was actually washed out by a mud slide which meant that we’d have to back track and on the back track it meant that Barb and I would have to walk up a very very steep hill that was much longer than it appeared at first glance.  As Barb says....the going up was a helluva lot longer than the going down was!  On the upside....the views were stunning and we got our exercise for the day in too.    By the end of our 90 minute tour our bums were numb and our smiles were from ear to ear.  It was a great day!  We’d spent enough money this day that we decided it was time to hit Warung Local for Nasi Goreng.  The total bill for two meals and two bottles of water was under $4 Canadian.

The next day we had a plan to take Julie for dinner at Batubara, the Argentinian Steak House in Ubud.  Batubara has been identified as one of the top 10 places to eat here by those in the know and visitors alike.  It didn’t disappoint!  Our meal of Flap (some kind sirloin tip steak from Wagu beef, which is like Kobi) was melt in your mouth perfect.  The accompanying green beans were crispy fresh and the fries were tender in the middle and crunchy on the outside.  All in all....it was a HIT!

From Batubara we were off for drinks at Gin 1717 where I discovered a breakfast martini.  It was delicious.  They rimmed the glass with a light marmalade and then added lime juice and palm sugar to gin for the drink itself.  After drinks it was into the gin lab where we were invited to try every version of infusion the gin maker had in progress.  We were even invited to come up with a name for our favourite as it was his newest creation of coffee, orange zest, and palm sugar.  He’s seriously considering Orange Bean or Mandarin Bean as he moves to the next stage with it.  I wonder if we’ll get a cut of the profits for our creative genius?  LOL.

Just as a few drops of rain began to fall, Jati picked us up at the Coco’s parking lot and it was another great sleep once we arrived back home.

Today has been more of the same and as I started this post with....we’re still sitting in the Tropical View Restaurant with a plan to head to the salt room for some healthy breathing followed by a visit to the water gardens at ARMA for an evening of Scent and Sound.  We’ll report in on all of that next time....unless something changes between now and when we were set to arrive at either of those stops.  

Till next time,

Lorrie and Barb

January 27, 2018

Mother Nature can be cruel sometimes but heh.....when you’ve got a bunch of lemons what can you do but make lemonade.....or in other words.....go swimming in the rain.  :-). This rainy season has been unbelievably rainy, even locals admit this year has been wetter than usual and as January is the rainiest of all the months we’ve been experiencing the season at it’s finest.  There has not been a day (other than the day we went south to the coast and Canggu) that we haven’t had a downpour and a follow up drizzle night and day.  Well, even that day at the coast we drove home in a downpour and driving in the dark where there are no street lights and the road is skinnier than you need for two cars to pass and where the edge of the road drops off to a rather muddy steep shoulder and where trees are waiting at the side to reach out and grab you as you pass and where you can’t see ANYTHING because it is just so damn dark and with the rain making it all that much more difficult well.....driving in the rain here is no picnic!

I know it sounds as though I’m complaining and I guess I am just a little but we’re also making lemonade with our rainy lemons and so spending a day at poolside playing cards in our little covered table and then floating on your back while the rain slaps you in the face is a whole new kind of adventure!  LOL. Honestly, the floating on your back part wasn’t so great but the plain old swimming in it was actually really nice and since you’re already wet you don’t mind getting wet from the rain.  As well, the temperature never really drops so its not cold at all no matter how wet you are.  Yep....lemonade it is.  :-). And in truth most mornings are rain free so as we sit on the patio being served our breakfast of fresh fruit and whatever else we choose (usually eggs) we are grateful to be here for another day in paradise, rainy or not.

Upon our return to Rumah Kita from the pool we decided that we’d had enough water for one day and that pizza delivery would be our dinner.  Bagus Pizza delivered on their promise and 45 minutes after some pretty detailed description of how to find us down our tiny alley the delivery man showed up with our pizza in hand.  He was covered from nose to toes in rain gear and our pizza boxes were cuddled up under his gear to keep some semblance of dry.  Keeping cardboard dry during the monsoons must be a challenge!  

I should add in here that our pizza night was a total of $20 and included two small pizzas, a large Greek salad (that was amazing!) and two specialty desserts.  A great deal but not as great as the night before when we fed five people for less than $10!  I may already have mentioned this but in case not.....That night Made and Jati had come over to see if Made could get a little practice with his English.  (Our reputation from last year is alive and well Lynda). After we’d practiced for as long as we could Jati and Made agreed to hop on their scooter to go to the petrol station to pick up some corn on the cob, chicken satay with peanut sauce, sticky rice, and a treat made from eggs with chocolate and peanuts in it.  It was more than enough for the four of us and so when Putu joined us....it was perfect!  Yes....a feast for less than $2/person!

Bali really is a special kind of paradise.  For those of you who followed along on my blog from last year you’ll recall my reference to it as the “love bubble” and that feeling/vibe hasn’t changed a bit.  Bali’s economy has suffered a bit from the threat of Mt Agung (volcano) so the people have had more of a struggle these past months but the constant of the offerings, the ceremony, the gratitude, and the ever present smiles is the foundation that maintains the magic of this special place on earth.  I often wonder if the tourists who are only here for a few days really get to feel the “love bubble” effect or if it takes a month or more of sitting in one place to truly experience it.

Yesterday we attended day one of the Indigenous Film Festival and were treated to an excellent showing of a documentary (Long Sa’an) about a group of men and women who were transported back to their childhood village that has been deserted and untouched since they left it almost 50 years ago.  The journey there was challenging for sure and dangerous at times as they braved the rapids that would take them inland to their childhood home.  Afterward the director and a photographer were available for Q and A.  It was during the Q & A that we learned the local drivers of the boats drank a LOT of Arak (local moonshine) every day.  The photographer was pretty sure that was the only way they could get the courage to face those rapids!  I’m grateful to have been able to see the footage without having to make that journey!!

Prior to the Indonesian documentary we were treated to a live performance by local dancers and two Maori guests who performed a Haka for us.  Powerful!  After Long Sa’an there were a series of short films from India about a few of the conflicts underway in that country but in truth they were pretty disheartening and without a clear message and so we decided to leave before the last one finished.  We emerged from Paradiso to discover.....yes you guessed it......a lot of rain and so once again we located a taxi and coughed up another $5 (50,000 IDR) for a dry ride home.  Once here we decided a cup of tea and a chocolate brownie would be a good way to round off the evening and since Icip Icip is right across the road....it was easy to make that happen.  :-)

Other things that have happened in the past couple of days include:

Our air conditioner decided to die.  Well it sort of still works but I have to turn it on with a long stick versus the remote and the preset temperature of 26 degrees is as low as it will go.

We’re sad to learn that one of our group (there was to be four of us) has had an unexpected change that has resulted in her not being able to join us.

Lorrie has been reminded that she shouldn’t have nail polish on her fingers.  LOL!

The Dragon Bowl (and all the food) at Kismet (across from Paradiso) is amazingly delicious. (But then....so is pretty much everywhere in Ubud.)

When it rains there are an abundance of frogs and snails and puddles (thought I was going to say puppy dog tails didn’t you?)

Sidewalks are very very slippery in the rain so walking on the road is the way to go.

Flip flops are the footwear of choice for good reason.

We’ve been reminded that we both prefer to have our breakfast made and served on the patio versus making it for ourselves.

Barb’s been busy finding hearts for her photos.  In fact, yesterday she discovered that even the birds in Bali shit love.  LOL.....she found a splot of bird poop that was in the shape of a perfect heart.  Yes....more evidence of the love bubble effect.

The thin line between here and there is very thin in Bali! (for those of you who are law of attraction followers...this will make sense) 

I know there are many many other things that I’ve forgotten to record in here but for now it’s all you’re going to get as we’ve just secured appointments at the Sedona Spa for massages, facials, and a hair cream treatment.  Barb has opted for Green Clay and I’m going for my favourite....chocolate.  We’ve confirmed that we’ll have the copper tubs overlooking the rice fields so for the rest of the afternoon (this will take about 3 1/2 hours at least) Barb and I will be living the hard life in Bali.  :-). All we have to do now is walk out to the road to find a taxi.  Oh....and I should really mention.....it’s not raining!  Wahoo!

Till next time,

Lorrie and Barb

January 24, 2018

Wow!  Two days in a row....don’t get too used to it.  :-)

After the crazy downpour yesterday and all through the night, today’s dry spell has been a reprieve.  What a treat to not have to try to dodge the puddles and find that an impossible task.  In truth....after the first few minutes of trying to dodge puddles/virtual creeks running down the road you just give in to the reality that you’re going to get wet....very very wet.  Perhaps that is one of the reasons locals all wear flip flops all of the time....it doesn’t really matter how wet they get, they’re just rubber.

This morning Barb and I decided today felt like a sound healing kind of day and so arrangements were made for Jati (driver) to pick us up at 10:30 out front.  So after another great breakfast (on our patio) of omelet and fresh fruit we were off to the Pyramids of Chi - one of my favourite places to visit.

Today’s session was led by Didi.  Peter started us off with a short lesson on pyramids, the instruments used (gongs and drums for the most part), and the premise behind sound healing.  From there we headed to the pyramid of the sun (they have two pyramids on site).  This pyramid is an exact replica at 1/16 scale of the great pyramid at Giza.  Barb and I each located a mat that called to us and within minutes we were deeply immersed in a vibrational therapy that is compounded by the power of the pyramids.  An hour later we emerged to discover that the rain was still holding off and so we were able to take our time wandering back inside along the path that leads past the ponds surrounding the pyramids.

Once inside we found a table and settled in for a delicious lunch and some herbal tea.  Some time later Jati returned and joined us inside for a coffee and a special treat.  The chef at the Pyramids of Chi is pastry trained and it shows in their display case!  His treats are both works of art and tasty little bites of sweet sugary goodness perfect to finish off any meal or accompany a great cup of coffee.   Bali has no shortage of great coffee so it’s pretty hard to say no to the lattes, cappuccinos, and mochas that seem to be everywhere.  Not that I’m complaining mind you.  :-)

After the pyramids we decided to take a small detour along a very small road that weaves it’s way through the middle of a fairly large area that is virtually filled with rice fields.  Most of the fields in this area had just been planted in the past couple of weeks so it was interesting to see them in this state....very different than what you usually see in pictures when they’re fully grown and nearing harvest time.  Rice takes 3-6 months to mature depending on the type.  The slower ripening one is the traditional type here but it is rarely grown any longer as they’re wanting to earn as much revenue from the land as they can.  If you are able to find the longer ripening type....it will be much more expensive BUT not twice as expensive so.....the grower is better off financially to grow the fast growing type.  We watched a few farmers working their fields.  I can’t imagine doing that job!  They’re mid-calf deep in water and mud all day long and bent over at the waist regardless of whether they’re planting or harvesting.  As well, their work day is long and they’ve got to show up regardless of hot hot sun or torrential rains.  The only shade/protection they have is what they carry with them and it usually takes the form of a hat.  Yes, not a job I’d want to do!

While in the rice fields we came across a restaurant called GreenKubu.  We parked the car and walked through the rice terraces to check it out.  Did I ever wish I was hungry!  The aromas coming out of that kitchen were divine and when I looked at the menu I was shocked to discover the incredibly reasonable prices.  This is definitely a place I will return to....perhaps it will be a perfect excuse to hire a couple of bikes to go for a ride through the terraces with a planned stop for lunch.  Yummy!

Speaking of hiring a couple of bikes....both Barb and I had considered renting bikes while here this time but in truth with the weather we’ve had to date there is no way that either of us want to be on a bike at all.  At least on the back of a Balinese drivers bike we know that they’re uber competent.

From the rice terraces we took a little detour through a nearby village (Petulu) that is home to tens of thousands of white herons. They are the birds that you see in the rice fields every day and each night they all fly in to roost at this little village for some reason.  It was Barbs first time to see them in Petulu and so her camera was working overtime as there are plenty of opportunities for great photos when there is that much wildlife in such a small space!

Tonight after our return to Rumah Kita we received visitors.  Jati and Made (Paseks nephew who works at Julie’s) stopped by as Made (pronounced Maday) wanted to learn some English.  I guess word travelled from our visit here last year!  LOL. We were happy to do it though and so Barb brought out a couple of the books she’d purchased for the school visit we will make in February and in no time Made was reading the words under each of the pictures.  It is so wonderful to see the enthusiasm they enter into the learning with.  They’re so focused and try so hard to form the sounds that they need to in order to learn the English words.  By the end of the night Made had a pretty good handle on at least a dozen new words that I’m certain he will continue to practice all through the night and in his dreams.  Once we’d had enough of ‘English class’ we talked Jati and Made into taking a bike down to the gas station where there are a couple of street vendors.  Barb and I are now waiting patiently for their return as they’ll be bringing chicken satay with rice, grilled corn on the cob, and a treat for dessert that is some kind of egg thingy with chocolate and peanut in it.  The two boys will be joining us for dinner and the total bill for all of the food will be about $10 CAD.  Can’t complain about that!  :-)

Better sign off for now as dinner will be arriving soon so......till next time,

Lorrie and Barb

January 23, 2018

January 23, 2018

What do you get when you come to the tropics in the rainy season?  Rain....you get rain!!  It’s coming down hard out there again right now as I type this.  It is the kind of rain that bounces back up and splashes everything within a meter regardless of whether there is a roof overhead!  It’s the kind of rain that is loud enough to drown out all other noises because it is coming down so hard.  It’s the kind of rain that makes it seem like you’re looking through a piece of opaque fabric the drops are so close together, in fact the drops look more like streaks....yes.....solid streaks of water coming out of the sky.  

On the up side, it was gorgeous and sunny yesterday and the rain waited till we were finished our days adventures before it pounded down all night (accompanied by lightening and thunder of course).  Then again this morning there was no rain until about noon.  

On the down side.....Barb is out there in it!  I had a couple of meetings this morning and so she headed out for a walk without her umbrella!  Oh dear!  Hopefully she stayed close to town and was near a restaurant or shop when the skies open up.  If not, by now she will look like she’s gone swimming in all of her clothes!

In the time that it took me to type those three short paragraphs the rain has almost come to a complete stop.  There is still thunder rumbling in the distance and there is so much water on the trees and bushes that it will continue to drip and seem like it’s raining for at least another hour but for the most part it is over.....for now.  It is so quiet for a few minutes after the rain stops.  Soon there will be the sound of birds and other animals and there I just heard a person talking so people are beginning to make their way back out into the world after having taken cover for the past 45 minutes or so.

The days are flying by and it seems strange to think that its already been a week since we left home which means we’ve just over 7 weeks left.  We’re making the most of our time though and yesterday was another fun one that was filled with exotic sights and sounds.  Julie (neighbour), Barb, and I decided to make a trip into Denpasar, Seminyak, and Canggu so we secured Jati (our driver) and off we went.  We started the day at the fabric market where someone who sews would think they’d died and gone to heaven!  There are more fabric shops in that block (multiple stories) that there are actually way too many choices.  In the end Julie and I each found something we thought might translate into a garment we could wear.  It was a case of the blind leading the blind though as none of the three of us really has much experience with sewing so.....it will be interesting to see just what we end up with.  We’ve got the name of a tailer who is also supposedly a designer so we’re hoping he/she will be able to do something a little better than the masses who can only sew something really prescripted.  In fact, the other day Julie took in a black top that needed a buttonhole repaired....the tailer used white thread on her black shirt!  Yikes!  It will be fun to see what our fabric turns into.  LOL

After the fabric market our plan was to check out three of the “La’s”.  There is a chain of beach clubs and their name begins with La.  First we’d go to La Favela, then to La Laguna, and finally to La Brisa.  Turned out that La Favela wasn’t open till after 4 so we couldn’t go there but....La Laguna in Canggu was open and it was a fantastic stop.  I loved it there....so much character and not too crowded.  The food was good (if a little pricey) and the drinks didn’t disappoint either but it was the ambiance created by the themed venue that really made the visit there special.  They’ve created a little oasis on the edge of the ocean that is nestled amongst the jungle and that uses that nature to create interesting little seating areas.  For example, one of the outdoor bars has a massive tree coming right through the middle of it....it is a big circular bar and the back bar from all angles is on that tree.  They’ve also painted all the trees and placed gypsy caravans along the pathways so it feels like you’ve stepped into a movie set as you stroll through their grounds.  Even the bathroom was unique!  La Laguna is a spot I’d go back to for sure.  From La Laguna it was off to La Brisa (also in Canggu). We came into it via the beach side which was beautiful in its own right but honestly if any of you decide to come here to check it out I’d encourage you to come in from the front entrance as that really is the way its meant to be seen.  Just as La Laguna had a gypsy theme, La Brisa has a nautical one.  It starts off with dugout kayaks standing on end near the entrance and continues along the lit path (yes....it’s especially beautiful in the evening) toward the pool, the bar area and the ocean.  We enjoyed what started out to be a beautiful sunset till the clouds rolled in and stole the last half of it from our view.

Wahoo!  Barb is just back.  She’s pretty wet but still smiling so it’s all good.

In addition to touring the “la’s” we saw a lot of country and I think the funniest thing from the entire day was that we decided there is some kind of syndrome or law of seven.  To explain....you know how you sometimes don’t see things that are obvious when there is so much else to see and do.....a kind of information overload.  Well, Barb suffered from that syndrome the last time she was here.  Last year she didn’t see any dogs, any tattoo parlours, any cows, or any white birds in the rice fields.  Now for those of you who’ve been here before you’ll know that all of those things are here in abundance and so yesterday we got to witness Barb seeing them all for the “first” time.  We’re calling it the law of seven as in marketing terms people have to see something seven times before they actually “see” it.  So, we’ve decided that is what Barb suffered from on her last visit and now she’d finally seen more than seven of each of them.  We laughed and laughed yesterday and Barb was such a good sport.  In fact,,, at one point I exclaimed that there were motorbikes and scooters here and that I hadn’t seen them before....it was all great fun.  :-)

The drive home was dark and rainy but as always Jati is an amazing driver and so we were deposited safely back at our little home which we’re sad to report will cease to exist as of April 1st.  The lease holder of the property is taking it back when it comes up for renewal so we’re experiencing our final visit to Rumah Kita right now.

The day before yesterday was pretty quiet but solidly wonderful.  I dropped off my laundry at Mae Mae’s then We had a big walk in the morning, lunch at an Indian restaurant, and followed that up with a lazy afternoon playing cards and eating cap cay at a nearby restaurant.  That spot overlooks a rice field and their cap cay is so delicious that we’re talking about going there again today. Cap cay is a kind of vegetable dish in a light broth....kind of a soup but more veggies than soup.  It is a very popular Balinese dish.  After our lazy afternoon it was time to pick up the laundry before they closed by 7 pm and since we were walking by a spa...and since my nail polish was looking a little sketchy around the edges....decided to go in for a polish change.....  and since we were in there anyway....why not add an hour long foot massage to that.  So there we sat getting to know our lovely attendants (who are from the island of Sumba) Ira and Lani.  Lani’s name will be easy for me to remember! (For those of you who don’t know me...Lani is my daughter’s name). Ira and Lani are sisters.  They are 18 and 25 respectively and they work 7 days a week from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m.  They get 4 days off each month and we learned through conversation that their social life really just includes their workmates as they have a fair bit of fun time between clients when they’re just sitting around waiting for the next one.  For them it works and in this culture this is pretty typical.  For us it seem like crazy long hours with no days off but heh....when in Rome.....right?!

Now that the rain has actually stopped dripping off the trees and Barb is back and into some dry clothes I think we’ll venture off so .....till next time.....

Lorrie and Barb

January 20, 2018

My intentions were good about keeping up with this blog but alas....I forgot to charge my Bluetooth keyboard before leaving home and on top of that neglected to bring the correct charger for it!  Thankfully my travel mates have devices that use the same charger as my keyboard and so here I am up and operational again.

Our flight from Vancouver to Taipei was pretty uneventful other than that it is a long time to be in a little confined space with a lot of other people!  12-13 hours depending on wind currents is a long time to do anything but when you think about the fact that those 12-13 hours takes you magically to the other side of the world it makes it all worthwhile.  The Taipei airport didn’t disappoint and we located three much coveted massage chairs that we were able to secure.  I went in hunt of tokens to make the chairs do their thing and a few minutes later had returned with enough coins for each of us to have a full 30 minutes of full body (chair) massage.  It was heavenly after that long flight!  We concluded our rejuvenating stop with a delicious latte and piece of cheesecake and then Tami left Barb and I as her flight to Hanoi would be departing about a half our before ours left for Denpasar.

The flight to Bali was just 5 1/2 hours and the time passed quite quickly for me but not so much for Barb.  Somehow she had ended up in a window seat (even though she had booked an aisle) and her seat mate was a talker but not all that interesting.  The three guys in my row (I was on an aisle) were all Balinese and on their way home after 8 months working on their respective cruise lines.  They were all so excited at the prospect of seeing their homeland and their families again that their elation was infectious.  By the time the plane touched down in Denpasar I was cheering and clapping along with them.  

Jati was at the airport to meet us and it was wonderful to see his smiling face among the throngs of drivers holding up signs in search of their clients.  We weren’t clients....we were meeting a friend and it felt good.  Although the drive from Denpasar to Ubud was still very congested with traffic it did seem like there were slightly fewer people around so perhaps tourism is still being affected by the volcano (Mt Agung).  We really noticed a drop in the traffic once we reached Ubud which was further  affected by the a change to the local bylaws about parking on the street.  Monkey Forest seemed almost deserted!  There are still vehicles (cars and scooters) on the road but not having cars parked everywhere along one side really opens it up.  Along the drive home we also stopped at a little store so I could buy a SIM card for my phone.  It is great!  For about $8 I now am able to make calls, text, use a little data, and just generally feel like I have communication whenever I want it.  As I need to I can just top up the card with another $5 and I’m good to go again.  Gotta love technology!

It was great to arrive back at Rumah Kita and see our comfortable home away from home ready and waiting for us. Pasek was out by the road to meet our car and carry in our bags.  It is different this time not having Ketut here and there are other changes too.  Pasek is no longer working at the Ubud Inn (he was there for 25 years as their in house engineer) and so he has taken on the jobs here at Rumah Kita that Ketut used to do.  Paul and Tess are back upstairs and the fountain in our yard still runs every morning during our breakfast on the patio but the vegetation has another 8 months of growth and so the yard looks a little different too.  Bottom line it is all still wonderfully comfortable and we’re happy to know we can call this home for the next couple of months.

We were so tired our first night here that we (Barb and I) just wandered across the street to find a quick bite, unpack, and call it a day.  We both slept like the dead that night and woke to a morning of sunny skies.  It was wonderful to hear the birds singing in the yard after having heard the geckos singing their croaky song the night before as we’d drifted off to sleep.  As we’d promised ourselves that first day was to be dedicated to the Verona Spa and what a great plan that turned out to be.  We each signed up for the Bali Bliss package which includes a 90 minute four hand massage, a half hour body scrub, a 20 minute soak in a flower petal bath while sipping ginger/jasmine tea and munching on fresh fruits, an hour long facial, a manicure, a pedicure, and a hair cream treatment that lasts another hour.  Yep.....its the full meal deal and we had it all!  Although we were feeling pretty relaxed from all that rubbing we were also feeling energized and so the decision was made to wander over to Mingle for a drink (or two) and then off to Paradiso for a movie (the 100’ Journey was playing). Thomas was (as always) working at Mingle and it was nice to be recognized by him again.  Barb and I settled into happy hour and made short work of a couple of cocktails.  Julie wandered by and joined us for a couple of drinks and then it was time for Barb and I to head to the theatre which we did.  The rain cooperated and only fell while we were sitting inside places until we let the theatre so we decided to opt for a taxi home.  Truth be told....I was feeling pretty done in anyway so the thought of walking home again seemed like a long way!  Thank heaven for the rain that night.  

Yesterday was another first for both Barb and I.  We had agreed to join Julie in a breathwork class with Vonny Stella at LJ Life Studio.  We hired a driver (Made) to take us to the location but the adventure began long before we got there.  The road in from the main road was so skinny that the driver told us we’d need to walk from the main road.  It was hot and humid and we were walking through the rice fields so there is no shade anywhere at all.  We began our trek thinking it wouldn’t be too far or too bad until we came to a hill.  I’ll just leave it to say that it wa a hill from hell!  It went down so steeply and so far and what goes down must come up or something like that and so down we went and up we went.  I won’t belabour this but I will say that I didn’t like it even though it was probably a very good thing to do.  We finally arrived at the studio only to learn that vehicles can in fact come down that skinny little road and so arrangements were made for our driver to plan to pick us up right at the studio rather than us having to walk back to the main road when we were finished.  Vonny was waiting for us in the studio and as luck would have it only the three of us were registered for the session.  Vonny explained to us the “how” and “why” of breathwork and emphasized that it is called breathwork because it is work to do it properly.  She described some of the bodily sensations we would experience during the 45 minutes of intentional overoxygenation/active meditation and encouraged us to just punch through those barriers to achieve the success that comes with going past them.  There was gentle music playing as we began our breathing journey in that studio in the middle of the rice fields.  There were just mats for walls and we were on the second story of the building so the breezes were virtually unobstructed and the blue skies were visible along the edges of the roof.  The roof was a beautiful newly thatched topper that looked like a giant peaked hat shading the building.  In a nutshell....the location was like something out of a movie and we were the only people there....it was perfect and it was meant to be.  We each lay down on our mats and began to breath through an open mouth....in and out.....no pauses.....it’s hard.....try it!  Over time and under the guidance of Vonny I began to feel my belly move in and out on its own and it all felt very natural and intuitive.  The journey of breathwork for me was powerful and I’m certain I won’t do it justice here on the page but I will say that it moved me to tears and I’ll be forever grateful for the experience I was gifted with that afternoon.  As much as I’d not wanted to hike that hill in hindsight perhaps hiking that hill was part of the gift of the day.  I’d pushed through that hurdle to get to the site and then pushed through the hurdles of discomfort in the breathwork to be given the gift of revisiting the time of my birth.  The fact that I was born in a very rustic tent-like hospital adjacent to the ocean and surrounded by nature may have been easier to ‘feel/see’ because I was having this experience in this magical place surrounded by nature as the winds blew over us and the rain fell on the new roof over our heads.  All in all.....it is an experience I will never forget and will always be grateful for! 

Last night both Barb and I were  d one in and so it was easy to decide to just skip supper and stay in to play cards as the rain fell outside our snug little room.  We’d stopped for a very late lunch at Ibu Susu on the way home from our class so we weren’t all that hungry and a package of the delicious crunchy peanuts they have here filled any hunger we were feeling. 

It poured buckets all night and this morning right through breakfast so we’ve enjoyed sitting here on our patio getting caught up on some email and this blog.  Just as I’m finishing up this blog the sun seems to be coming out as the skies brighten and the birds are singing a beautiful song.  As I’ve been typing Barb has been busy looking up events and things to do over the coming days and has us booked into a full moon event at the Pyramids of Chi that I’m super excited about as it sounds different than anything else I’ve done there.  I’m not sure I can wait till the 31st for a sound healing though and so might have to make my way there for a routine daily session between now and then.

Feeling fully engaged in Ubud already.....life is good.  

Till next time,

Lorrie and Barb 

January 14, 2018

....and the best laid plans.....they may need to change.  So, change them we did.  We (Tami and I) were scheduled to fly out of Penticton tomorrow night to connect with our flight from Vancouver to Taipei but....the fog that hung in the valley and over the lake didn’t look like we’d be flying anywhere soon!  Instead we decided to drive to Abbotsford this afternoon where we’d spend the night with Tami’s family (Glady and Tim) who have been wonderful hosts.  The highways were clear the entire trip and long before we hit Hope we were into full sunshine!  It was a glorious drive and the Fraser Valley was giving us a glimpse of her finest.  What a great way to say goodbye to BC!

Tomorrow we’ll make the rest of the trip into Vancouver.  Glady will drop us off at the airport and keep Tami’s car until our return in March.  We will meet Barb at our departure gate and the three of us will be off on our adventures.  Barb and I will say good bye to Tami in Taipei as she’s got a 3 week tour of Vietnam and Cambodia booked after which she’ll catch up to us in Bali.  Barb and I aren’t wasting any time with side trips....we’re booking it for Ubud where we both have a date with a massage table!  :-). In fact, I suspect there will be a few massage tables in our near future.

Barb and I will both be in Ubud for 2 months and during that time another friend, Moira, will join us for a 3 week visit and on Feb 7th Tami will have finished her SEA tour and made her way to our little oasis too.

Got to take a minute to send a shout out to Lynda, my usual travel buddy here....you’ll be missed and I promise I will be sure to enjoy all of your massages etc for you too.  :-).

I wasn’t going to blog this trip but now that I’m on the road I’ve decided that I will.  There might not be a lot of travelling around this time but I’m sure there will be adventures needing to be captured none the less.  So as I head to the land of active volcanoes and a culture so rich you can taste it in the air I’ll sign off for this final night in Canada for a while. (yes....Mt Agung is still spitting smoke and ash)

Till next time,
Lorrie