OMG! Time flies? Is that a legitimate excuse for not having written anything in this blog for so long? Perhaps not.....an apology it must be....so sorry for my tardiness friends and readers. I fear you’ve become tired of checking in only to discover nothing new. On the upside, I’ve been keeping some brief notes so will expand on those today and you’ll end up with a veritable book to keep you reading late into the night tonight. A lot can happen in 10 days and so here goes.....
Feb 7th our friend Tami arrived. Barb and I accompanied Jati for the drive to the airport in Denpasar (about 1 1/2 hours away). It was during the trip down that Barb spied something that even Jati had never seen! There right along side of us were two workers on their motorbikes. Each of them had creatively perched their wheelbarrow atop the bike so they could sit inside the bucket of it. The wheel stuck out behind them and the handles were above their heads. It was an ingenious way to transport their equipment! One of them also had a full size shovel strapped to the side of his bike down by his foot. The two men were sporting safety conscious gear for the bike ride (ie: helmets) but for the construction site they were either coming from or en route to...their footwear was varied and neither would have passed any work safe regulations I’ve ever heard of. One was in motorcycle boots and the other was wearing the Bali national footwear of flip flops. Seriously, that is the national footwear here and it is all pretty much anyone wears regardless of the work they’re doing. It is so uncommon to see anything other than flip flops on a construction site that in truth, I cannot think of a single time I’ve seen anyone not in flip flops on a job site in all the months I’ve been here. But enough about our drive to the airport.....back to Tami.....She’d just completed a 3 week tour of Vietnam and Cambodia and was ready for a little R and R Bali style and we were ready to show her just how to do that. We’d been practicing that fine art for the 3 weeks she’d been trekking so we felt ready to share some of our experience with her. We started off with a very important stop between the airport and Ubud. It was for ice cream in Sanur. For those of you who are ice cream connoisseurs you’ll appreciate knowing that it is some of the best gelato any of us has ever had! And....they have 48 flavours to choose from. Yes, well worth the little detour and short stop. From Sanur to Ubud the drive was uneventful except for getting to see the maze of vehicles that is usual during that busy time of day through the eyes of a newbie again. It is always a great reminder to have a first-timer visit as the insanity of the traffic actually almost becomes “normal” as we become desensitized to it over time. Once we had Tami safely ensconced in her beautiful room at Rumah Jepun there was just enough time to get freshened up for dinner. We were all feeling pretty tired and so it was a quick and quiet dinner at Pissarri which has become our go to place for Cap Cay (pronounced chap chai). Cap Cay is a traditional Balinese dish that consists of a rich beef broth and a myriad of veggies simmered till they are just tender crisp mounded up in the middle of the bowl. There’s a little chicken added for those who want it and a side of rice makes it a perfect meal. Not only is it easy on the tummy after a long day of travel but it is divinely delicious as well. Oh ya...and the price of it (including chicken and rice and a bottle of water) is under $5 CAD! Pissarri is also a favourite of ours as it is virtually next door to our accommodation and the restaurant looks out over rice fields right here in the middle of town. What’s not to love?!
The next morning, Feb 8th, Tami and Barb walked while I worked. I’ve been keeping up with clients during my time here in Bali and thanks to Skype, FaceTime and Google Hangouts it’s all been going smoothly. Oh ya...and the fact that Rumah Kita (our accommodation) has a good wifi connection is a pretty critical part of that too! Barb was able to give Tami a comprehensive foot tour of the area around here and by the time they returned I’d finished with my last meeting of the morning. By that time all of us were ready for a coffee break (as you can see...life isn’t too difficult here!) and so we wandered across the street and down a few shops to a little place called Maha where bunny rabbits hop freely in the back yard and where the lattes are delicious! It was over coffee that we determined it was time to introduce Tami to one more of the special treats we enjoy here in Bali....a massage at Verona. I made appointments for the three of us and by the time we walked up to Verona from Maha they were ready for us. Tami and I opted for the four-hand massage with body scrub and bath, while Barb chose the Lalur special with scrub, bath, and a pedicure too. By the time we strolled out of Verona a couple hours later all three of us were feeling some kind of wonderful and our day was not yet over. Julie (Tami’s host) had planned a little soirée and the three of us were invited so it was a quick change into clean clothes and a wander down the little gang (alley) that leads from our place to Tami’s/Julie’s. Julie’s party was great and we got to meet some new people as well as say hello to old friends again. The last time I’d seen Christina (from Estonia) she was just pregnant and this time she had her 5 month old son Simon in tow. Julie (from Belgium) was also just back to her place here in Ubud and it was great to catch up with her too. Kaye (from Australia was a new friend for all of us and as it turned out....would become a great friend with the three of us. By the time Julie’s party was nearing an end the three of us were done in and so off to our respective beds we trundled having been sated with wine and cheese and other nibblies as a finish to our magical massages from the afternoon.
On Feb 9th Tami joined us here on our patio for a leisurely breakfast and as soon as that was done we were off to the Pyramids of Chi for Sound Healing with Tracy. We were joined by our new friend Kaye from the night before and this would turn out to be the first of many activities we would do together as you’ll see when you read on. Our sound healing in the pyramid was fantastic! One of my favourites to date in fact. It’s not that they’re all that different from one another but for me there are differences in the way I feel when I emerge from the hour long session. Sometimes they use different instruments, sometimes they’re louder, sometimes they include chanting or singing, sometimes nature gets in on the act with thunder and rain, and well....you get the picture. After our session in the pyramid the four of us enjoyed a delicious lunch that was topped off by a piece of passion fruit cheesecake for dessert. Yep....life here isn’t hard to take at all! By the time we wandered out of the restaurant at the pyramids, Agung, our driver, was waiting to take us home where we sat around on our patio reliving the afternoons activities while enjoying a drink (or two). Day turned to night and we decided it was time to go out for another bite of something delicious. This time we decided on the Ubud Terrace Warung as it too is almost across the street from us and once again the price is very very right. My favourite meal there is coconut chicken (served with rice and spinach). Believe it or not, the price for that meal is $3.50! When I’m there I also like to splurge and order an avocado juice as well. Now I know that might not sound all that delicious to those of you who haven’t yet had one but rest assured...it is! They blend up the avocado with just enough ice and water to make it liquid and add a little sugar syrup to taste. To make it even better they drizzle the inside of the glass with chocolate syrup and voila....there you have a beautiful/healthy/delicious avocado juice.
OMG! I have to take a break from this massive missive and interject a current event. Barb just came out of the room with a couple of items of laundry that need to be hand washed. We have a sunny day and so it is the perfect time to put out the clothes dryer on the lawn so they can drip onto the grass. The part that you really need to know is the comment she made as she was hanging up the clothes.....”Now that’s the first time I’ve done laundry in my pearls” she said. “I think I could get used to this!” Yep....island life.....
Now back to the catch-up blog.....Feb 10th was a morning of work for me and once again Barb and Tami went for a long walk so I could have privacy for my meetings. Afterward we’d planned to all meet at Cendana poolside for lunch. It was a gorgeous day! Sunshine and blue skies. Unfortunately, the chairs around the back pool at Cendana were all full so we had to use the front pool. This was my first time at the front pool and it will be the last for me! Usually we sit at the back pool where the restaurant staff are happy to have us use the pool while we have our meal...but this guy out front (front desk worker) he was a man with a mission and he wasn’t going to leave us alone! Fortunately before too much time passed one of the groups from the back pool left and we were able to move to the back where we enjoyed the rest of the afternoon in the peace and quiet of that rice field view swimming around the pool while the little birds joined us at the pools edge for a mini bird bath. It was perfect....as Cendana usually is. After a full afternoon at the pool we were off to the Peliatan Palace for a Balinese cultural performance. This would be my first time to the Peliatan location and I loved it! There are not a lot of people in attendance at this location and it is set outdoors with a stunning backdrop of stairs leading up to the door into the palace. The troupe that performs at this location is called Gunung Sari and their orchestra has been performing periodically at locations such as Paris, London, Europe, Australia, Mexico, and the USA since it was founded in 1926. The dancers too are world class and they literally took my breath away during their performance a couple of times. The show included a Welcome Dance, the Dance of a Young Soldier, the Kenyan Terompong (a male dancing as a female while playing a unique traditional instrument), the Legong (the dance of the girls), the dance of the Courtship of the Bees, and the Barong (a holy animal that lives in the forest and that is the symbol of all things good). All in all, it was a great night that was made even better by the fact that we were introduced to a sweet treat called Molen prior to the performance. Molen are a kind of pastry that is wrapped around any number of flavours (vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, cheese, black rice, jackfruit, etc) and then deep fried till crispy and delicious. It is our new favourite thing! Jati joined the four of us and a great night was had by all.
Feb 11th dawned to be another beautiful day. The heavy rains seem to be behind us now. It appears to have shifted into more of what I remember from last year where we have sunny skies in the morning and then possible rain storms in the afternoon/evening but those rains are only about 15-20 minutes in duration.....much more palatable! Today the plan was for Motor bikes through rice fields and beyond. Barb hopped on the back of Jati’s bike, Tami onto Made’s, and I called my friend Wayan and asked him to bring a friend for Kaye and I. The four of us set out from in front of Warsa Bungalow at about 11:00 and the adventure began. The rice fields as always were gorgeous. Our first stop was Sari Organic for lunch with our four drivers in tow. From there it was further into the rice fields (which became an actual ‘off-road’ adventure!). Once we were through the fields and back onto the roads we headed in the direction of the I Made Ada Museum, School, and Gallery where ultimately a couple of purchases were made. Interestingly, of the eight of us, I was the only one who’d ever been to this iconic location. I say iconic as I Made Ada is considered to be one of the few remaining master carvers and with his specialty being the Garuda Bird (Indonesia’s national emblem) he is held in even higher regard. His works are very often what is gifted to visiting royalty and VIP’s. A visit to his gallery is made extra special by the fact that the entrance is large enough to drive a full size vehicle right inside. As well, the entrance is formed out of concrete in the form of a giant Garuda with wings fully spread and being ridden by Vishnu. It is a massive work of art and yet loses none of the detail that Made Ada is renowned for. As is typical for us, luck was on our side and the rains fell while we were inside the gallery stopping just in time for our exit. From the gallery we continued our journey through the village of Petulu so Tami would have a chance to see the thousands of white herons who call this tiny village home every night. Believe it or not....they fly here from all over the island to roost and as this is also the end of the nesting season there are even more of them in residence as they’re still too young to fly out to the rice fields for the day. Even though it had already been a wonderfully full day it wasn’t over yet as we’d made plans to meet Jati and Rhiannon for dinner at Who’s Who. Once again....that restaurant didn’t disappoint.....all of our meals were fantastic! It’s not as inexpensive as many of the other places we frequent here (ie: $3-$5/meal) but heh....every once in a while a little splurge is a good thing. Even at the higher prices it was still very affordable...I think my entire meal of curry, rice, fantastic dessert of creme caramel, and delicious home made iced tea was just a little more than $12CAD. We arrived home in time to pack for Gili as we had to set the alarm for 5:15 to be up in time to catch the shuttle to Pedang Bai where we’d catch our Fast Boat. But.....as we were gathering up our small bags for the trip it occurred to all of us that it would be great if Kaye could come along so.....into the wee hours of the morning the changes were made, additional ticket purchased, rooms re-booked to accommodate four, and the adventure was underway. Wahoo!
The morning of February 12th came much earlier than I’d have liked. Likely due in part to our last minute adjustments the night before.Early morning/short night! It was bad enough that we’d kept ourselves up with our changes but we’d also had to drag Jati out of bed to come back on his bike to pick up the cash for Kay’s ticket to Gili ($560,000 IDR for the return trip including shuttle to and from Pedang Bai-an amazing price! A special promotion to encourage business post Mt. Agung issues.). Once Jati had money in hand he was able to make a late night call to his contact in Pedang Bai and e-transfer him the money for Kaye’s ticket. I emailed the hotel and all of us crossed our fingers in the hope that they’d be able to accommodate our change in number. The Patagonia Van picked us up in front of Warsa Bungalow just after 7. We were starting to wonder if they’d be coming or not as we were there for them shortly before 6:30 a.m. They were running on Bali time. The drive to Padang Bai was not much fun as van left me a little car sick and knowing there was a boat ride still to come didn’t leave me in great spirits but a vendor selling fresh fruit at waiting platform in Pedang Bai brightened my day. The rest of my group has gone over to a nearby restaurant for coffee and I’m staying here with the bags. I’ll head over in that direction just prior to our departure to borrow their bathroom as I remember the toilet on the boats is not really meant to be used! LOL. People continue to arrive here at the office (we’re traveling on the Patagonia FastBoat today). The waiting area is quite a distance from the water as it is just too crowded near the water so they keep us all up here away from the crowds. Just had a vendor trying to sell me sunglasses.....I guess he couldn’t see the ones on the top of my head! I wouldn’t have minded except that he was smoking and after my recent van ride (car sick) the cigarette smoke was even less welcome than usual. When we began our day waiting out on Monkey Forest (6:30 am) things were very very quiet....eerily so in fact. But...within minutes the hustle and bustle began and by the time we left at 7:05 traffic was back up to typical and it could have been mid day. As we passed the market area across from the palace (the market that is used in the movie Eat, Pray, Love) things were even busier. Cars and bikes were parked in every inch of space available and vendors were busy making deals with their products and produce.
Tickets to Gili were less expensive this year than last. This is likely due to a promotional special that was prompted by less business caused by volcano interruption. Lucky us! This year we each paid 560,000 IDR ($56 CAD) and that included the shuttle from our accommodation to the boat. Last year we paid about $75/person and that did not include the transportation which we paid about $60 return for. Patagonia is also a new company and supposedly their boat is the biggest and the fastest of them all as well. I’ve got my fingers and toes crossed that it is as the little one we went on last year required that we climb down a hanging ladder from the front of the boat to the beach....a challenge to say the least! This boat is advertised as having a substantial ramp....yes....my fingers are crossed.
Padang Bai is a bustling little village. The number of tourists heading out of here to neighbouring islands on one of the many many boats coupled with the industry that calls it home results in a wide variety of sights and sounds. I’ve only ever been here for departure and return trips by boat and each time it is the same.....a chaotic little place that somehow all seems to function and make sense.
When the time came for us to head down to the boat we followed one of the Patagonia staff and he helped to keep the vendors at bay but still they clamoured all around us in the hope that we’d buy just one little item from their basket of wares. Arriving on the boat was a welcome relief as the interior was huge (4 seats on each side of the middle aisle) and air conditioning ....glorious air conditioning....that worked like only a new unit can. I could feel the smile returning to my face! :-). Our crossing took just a few minutes over the usual 1.5 hours and was uneventful....and.....the boat pulled right up to the dock and we were able to step off the boat onto a set of stairs which were easy to traverse. Wahoo! Things are looking up! :-).
It felt like coming home....the familiarity of the little docking area on Gili Air hadn’t changed a bit. We decided to make our way directly to the hotel (Scallywag’s Smugglers) to confirm that they’d in fact received my late night missive about the room booking changes. We were met in the Smugglers reception with huge smiles and an open bar so in no time we each had a delicious cider in hand while the staff got the paperwork done for our rooms. Yes....they’d received the email and were able to accommodate us as though there had never been any changes at all. Our rooms were as comfortable as they were last year but we didn’t linger there long as there was much to see and do and an iced coffee was calling to us.
The next four days were spent exploring the island and enjoying the beach from the comfort of our reserved lounge chairs. The views were amazing with the exception of two women (one in particular) who were wearing bottoms only and not using any discretion at all. While this may be common in many locations around the world it seemed really inappropriate in this nation where this practice is definitely not the norm. When I asked one of the servers I remember from last year if that was typical here....he replied, “no, but we just pretend we are like the horses wearing blinders around the island and keep our eyes straight ahead.” What a great attitude! My feeling about it is that as a guest in another culture it is incumbent on me to show respect and follow as best I can the norms of that location. I’m sure I’m not always 100% successful but I set my intention and do my best.
Another familiar face from last year that I was happy to see again was Lenny, a beach vendor who comes over from Lombok every day to work. She’s been doing this since she was 5 years old and at her mothers side. What a beautiful soul she is. She has some really pretty stuff too and so we did our best to lighten her load. :-)
There is no motorized transport of any kind on Gili....only horse and cart, electric scooters, and bicycles. I took the opportunity to use my complimentary bike to explore all of the changes that had happened on the island since I was last there just a year ago. It was amazing that so much had been done in such a short space of time! The main road up the centre of the island through the village had been totally replaced and paved for a full 2 km. Many of the structures on the beach side of the road that rings the island have been closed and rebuilt on the land side. Portions of the ring road have been redone in cobblestone style brick that meanders its way through the new shops and restaurants. Yes....a lot can happen in a year! It is still lovely and not overly busy but I can see the writing on the wall.....I’m glad I was here last year to see it before even these few changes took effect.
All four of us had a great time on the island. The only downer was that I managed to pick up a cold bug a few days before our trip here and so have been grateful for an air conditioned comfortable room to hole up in when I was feeling at my worst. In fact, I’ve still got this cold hanging on and I’m actually on my way to see a Balinese healer/massage therapist at Kaye’s home while she and Tami are at the Pyramids for another sound healing. Barb has plans to see the same healer right after my appointment so we’re very grateful for the use of Kaye’s place while she is out for the afternoon. My fingers are crossed that she will be able to move me closer to healthy a little more quickly than I seem able to do on my own.
I’m almost caught up on this blog and so will definitely be able to get it posted by the end of today as it is far too long overdue.....but for now...I’ll step away from the keyboard long enough to hit that massage table. :-)
I’m back from my healing massage (2 hours/$20 CAD) and I feel good now but boy oh boy she found some tender spots and went deep on them! I’ve never had Rolfing but I’m guessing that might have been some of what I had today based on the little I know about it. I’m certain that I have no facia left stuck on anything! It’s all good though and I’d recommend Agung for anyone wanting healing therapeutic massage. Barb is with her now.....I’ll be interested to hear how it is for her. :-)
I need to back track just a little and mention our return trip from Gili. That boat ride was not nearly as smooth as the one going over! In fact we rocked and we rolled the entire way. It was even rough enough for the staff to give out seasick pills right at the outset of our journey. Unfortunately that seasick pill was not enough for a few people so we had an “interesting” journey home.
We’ve really been laying pretty low since arriving back in Ubud....recovering from our mini vacation I guess! LOL. Not sure how far we’ll stray tonight either after these amazing massages and sound healing. In fact, I am pretty sure that Tami and Kaye will have had an early dinner at the Pyramids after their sound healing so it is unlikely they’ll want to go anywhere. I’m seriously thinking a nice bowl of cap cay just around the corner might be in order tonight.
We have a super early morning tomorrow as we’re leaving for Tirta Empul at 4 a.m. That will put us there ahead of all the tourists and give us an opportunity to experience the spirit of that special place the way it was meant to be. It is a holy spring and Jati has made arrangements for special offerings that he will make on our behalf prior to our entering the springs. We will have to don sarongs and climb right into the pools (there are three pools in all). Oh ya....and there are some BIG fish in those pools with you! Once in the pools you visit each of the spouts of water that is forever flowing. At each spout you rinse your mouth and wash your face and head, make a prayer, and move to the next. I can’t remember how many spouts there are in all but there are a lot. I think there are 13 in the first pool (but you only go to 11 of them normally) and I think each of the other two pools have about 5 or 6 in them. It will be a special morning for all of us. Afterward we plan to stop in at one of the coffee plantations so Tami can be introduced to Lewak coffee and if you have never heard of that before I encourage you to google it! :-)
So for now I will sign off and say.....until next time. Hopefully I won’t leave it so long that it has to be another book!
Lorrie, Barb, and Tami
Nice to get caught up on your adventures, thanks for the post Lorrie. Look forward to the next one.
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