Indonesia Bali-fied
I am sitting in the visitor internet center in a place called Ubud, which is sort of in the heart of Bali. It is the spiritual/ art heart of Bali- everywhere you see galleries, and various shows, and the air is thick with the smell of incense and heavy with rain. It’s not as hot as other parts of Bali, I’ve been told, but it’s definitely island temp. Bali is a small island in the heart of Indonesia- and it’s small but about 60 million people live here. About 6 million in Ubud (I know crazy!!). It’s raining at the moment, which it’s supposed to do very often here. Of course- I forgot any sort of rain gear!! But that’s okay, I’m assuming it’s just going to be part of the experience :)
I am so excited to be here! A bit jet lagged and still coughing from my last bout with bronchitis- but this is such a relaxed atmosphere- I hope it rubs off on me! Yesterday was a crazy travel day - about 18 hours of travel. Had to be at the aiport at 4:30am for my flight at 6:30am, then on to Sydney and wait in the airport for about 4 hours after a 3+ hour flight. Than on the Denpasar (close to Kuta which is the ‘surfers’ paradise)- 6.3 hours. And no included meals or drinks- all were credit card only. Imagine- taking a flight from Europe to NY- no movies (unless you pay) and no food (unless you pay). I was a bit delirious coming into the Bali airport- and then there was the whole immigration process ($25US for a visa) and various paperwork to fill out. Then you come out to the heat, and taxi drivers with signs staring at you with hopeful eyes! Thank God, I asked the hotel to pick me up, so I had a lovely driver- who is the nephew of the people who run the place I’m staying in. Most places here are run by families. He also runs a bike tour company which takes people out on day trips to surrounding areas and rice fields. They all have their own temples in the compound. And in the mornings, the women come by with trays of offerings and incense and place it all over the compound. And that happens all over Ubud. So you have this amazing smell wafting from streets- and you eventually end of having to step over all of them. My hotel is off of a street called Monkey forest road- which means literally a few meters away is this forest with three temples full of pesky monkeys. I have yet to go there, but they say make sure to take your sunglasses off your head or else you may lose them!
I unfortunately didn’t bring my camera cable to upload pictures. Grrr. I hope Wanda brings one. Wanda is journeying to Bali to meet me tonight on a flight from Darwin in the north of Australia. She’s been adventuring all over Australia for the last few months, and we both decided we would meet up somewhere warm and beautiful for a few weeks of R&R before both of us need to return to the US. And we both loved the idea of Bali! So if she brings a cable, than I can upload some photos I took this morning from the market in Ubud- it’s like an explosion of color and senses. I’ve never been a real ‘shopper’ but I seriously had to keep myself from just taking one of everything. Really beautiful ‘bati’ style scarves (a specific style of dyeing), and silver jewelery. Flowers in baskets put together by women in the market for offerings. I made my first offering today-it was adorned with a colorful array of various flowers. When I walked into the area where all of these women where making offerings, at first they didn’t notice me, but then as I took out my offering- one came over and gave me a piece of incense with a smile and pointed me where to put it. It felt right considering I’ve been given this amazing chance to come here and partake in their culture.
So that’s my first day! Almost- haven’t actually started it - it’s only 11, and I feel like it’s way later (well in NZ its 3pm)..so hopefully the jetlag will wear off quick. I’m off to a ‘warung’ (traditional eatery) to have some ‘nasi campur’ (also traditional food- rice with veggies and maybe tofu). Vegetarians are in heaven here because they don’t eat much meat, and it’s commonplace to find veggie dishes. And usually 11am is when they have their biggest meal, and the freshest….and then maybe get a back massage….and a pedicure and find the Yoga Barn. Hmm. I can see why so many end up staying…
