I Was Lost But Now I'm Found

After a wonderful nights sleep at The Bamboo Cottage, I opened the curtains as instructed, which would be a cue,  that I was ready for breakfast.   Moments later,  Ketut appeared and breakfast was being whipped up in my villa.

A wonderful tropical fruit smoothie to start, a bowl of fresh mango, pineapple, banana, melons, toast and tea.  Once I was finished, she was back to clean up after me.

Leaving the villa, was, once again, difficult.

It was a beautiful morning, I opened up the windows and let the breeze from the rice fields fill the villa.  I was on Bali time now, so no need to rush.  I finished my tea on the day bed, looked out to the fields, watched a gecko trying to capture a bug and felt very relaxed and content.

This being my only full day in one spot, I struggled with the decision to go out or stay in.  I lazed about the pool, read some of my birthday present; The Most Beautiful Walk In The World and finally ventured out.

Checking with Janny on directions, I took a walk she recommended with warungs and cafes at the end of my journey, this would be a good lunch break.

Snapping photos along the way:

A Petrol Station

A fruit and vegetable warung

Brooms

Roosters

The next shot, an open doorway, into a private residence, beautiful, colourful flowers, peeping through the entrance.

Adjusting the camera, under the shade of a tree,  I felt a bite.  When I looked down,  a colony of red ants were trying to make a feast of me. Too engrossed to realise,  I was standing directly on a nest.  On lookers thought it quite amusing,  as I was jumping around, stamping my feet and pulling up my trousers to find,  some had managed to get up into my pants and leaving a stinging bite!

A little further down, the road,  I came across a bead shop, and I bought some pieces from them.  As I sat on the floor with the owners, still feeling the sting, as they hand threaded beads onto beautiful artifacts,   I told them of my ant experience, which, at least, they were concerned.

Continuing on my journey, a temple

A man setting up a mobile stand for hungry passes by

Janny told me I would come to a cobbled intersection, with a bale, where people congregate, I should turn right here.  Did I turn right or was it left?

She said I will go down steps,

come across the river

enter the rice fields, this was good, just as she said, I was on track, and it seemed on the right track.

I followed men walking along the track, only to discover they were going to work in the fields and I came to a dead end.

Back along the path, through the rice fields, down the steps, over the bridge, back up the steps, I turn right, walk for a bit, another dead end!

Back tracking, once again, I find another path.  That must be the one I was meant to take, I continued on
this was great.

I remember being in the very same field, two years ago, completely lost

but this time I was confident, I now knew,  where I was going, I had instructions.

But the next path way, only narrow enough for a walker or one bike, had another detour, I didn't remember this as part of the plan.

When I approached one of the men in the field and asked him where the Campuhan Steps were down to Ubud, he looked confused and me even more so - when I realised I had completely taken the wrong route, yet again and I had miles to walk back in the heat.  How ironic, lost again in the same rice field!

Perhaps he read the disappointment on my face, or maybe he decided it was quicker to take me there, than try to explain.   Once again, I was nowhere near where I wanted to be.  He offered me a lift on the back of his bike.  Not a taksi ride, no money asked for, just helping a damsal in distress.

At first, I was nervous, the last time I was on a bike was in Vietnam and had a nasty fall.  But hey - the heat and humidity, which was starting to take its toll, was now replaced by a beautiful cool breeze as we flew along the extremely narrow path, amongst the rice fields.  This was good, this was fun!

After, heading down steps, through rice fields, just like Janny told me, except, it was different steps and different rice fields, I arrived at my intended destination.  I didn't want to embarrass the kind man by offering him money but I did want to show some gratitude.  So apart from grovelling to him and thanking him both in English and Bahasa, I offered money, not for him, but for petrol.  Finally, he accepted.

Now,  at the top of the Campuhan Steps, after, taking the 'long' route, I would have been there hours earlier but would not have had such a wonderful experience.

Lunch was in order and maybe by chance, maybe by smell, I was drawn to the very first warung at the top of the stairs.  Ibu Putu's Warung, I later learned,  from talking to the owner, was the very first warung here.  40 years ago,  when she first set up shop.  20 years later, she added the verandah that overlooks the flowing river and now she is adding a room,  for her two grand children.  She produced, photos to show me when she was 20 years younger and so was the building.  Sitting there, drinking a Bintang, watching the men slurry cement for the addition, I felt like I had made the right choice, when my fried chicken with sambal mutah arrived, I knew I had made the right decision.  Sambal matah wasn't even on the menu but I asked and it was delivered.

I sat there,  chatted to the owner of 40 years and watched the tourists, hot, bothered and panting, as they reached the top of the Campuhan Stairs, not realising she had a good story, served good food and provided a welcoming cool breeze.  They paused for a moment to catch their breath and trodded on.

Even although, she offered a complimentary platter of fruit, I could not fit another bite in.  She offered for me to take it home but I knew by the time I got home, it would be good for no one.

Refreshed, tummy full and feeling better for the experience, I climbed down the Campuhan Stairs and headed for Ubud central.  When someone offered a lift for 20,000 rp., it was too good to pass up.

After a spot of shopping, I called Nick, my good mate and driver to pick me up and take me back to my villa. ( He can be contacted on kadek_nick@yahoo.com) or on his mobile 08523 754 5885.

Earlier in the day, I asked him to drive me to the famous Ibu Oka, for suckling pig but he was on his way to Denpassar to drop off tourists at the airport.

When we were driving back, he offered to take me to a market in Gianyar, 30 minutes out of town and promised not a tourist in sight, he was right.

A fabulous local night market, serving food and selling all kinds of things, with local prices.

The array of food was amazing, from chicken, done almost anyway, skewers to eat on the run and of course, babi guling or suckling pig!

We walked around until we found the warung we wanted to eat at, surrounded by every day Balinese locals and their families, we sat and had a huge feast, with a big chunk of crackling for a mere 30,000 rp., and I think it was that expensive because we were greedy and asked for more crackling.

Bloated and tired we chatted about everything and anything on the journey home. He thanked me for some business and I thanked him for a delicious babi gouling and an even better, wonderful experience.

It was nice to see him again and catch up with memories of my last visit to Bali.  Even although I did get lost today, I found so much more.  The kindness of the Balinese people.

Devi's Place

I feel compelled to share but at the same time, I don't want to have this place over run with tourists!

After breakfast with two beautiful 'runny' eggs, unlike the ones at Aromas at Brisbane International, I headed up for Ubud.

The Ubud Writer's Festival is on and the place is heaving with tourists.  Perhaps, that is only part of it.  Maybe the town of Ubud is growing, which it is and certainly seems to change more each time I am here.

Devi's Place is where I decided to spend my time.  Just outside of Ubud.

What a magnificent place it is.  Even more than I expected or hoped for.  My home,  for the next two nights in their Bamboo Cottage.  Set amongst rice fields, with a pool that is shared but only by a quiet couple that live here some of the time, a lush garden, friendly owners and staff.  I thought I had died and gone to live in a rice field in heaven!

Janny, informed me that past guests had complained about the noise of the geckos and insects!  She also added they make a sound like 'gecko gecko' I thought she was a little mad!

Balinese geckos definitely sound differernt from Australian ghekos and when I came home - they were definitely saying to me gek ho gek ho, I was also greeted by a frog, who hid in a corner and thought I couldn't see him.

The design of the Bamboo cottage is simple, stylish and clever.  Although some of it is open to the wild, you can also lock it out in the comfort of you bedroom and bathroom.

Reluctantly, I dragged myself out of the villa and headed for Ubud.

Fortunately it wasn't too hot and drizzling with rain.  Just as the rain started to get a little heavier, I came across The Blanco Renaissance Museum.  This being my third visit to Bali, it was time to discover, Don Antonio Blanco's legacy. A Spanish artist who lived in Ubud.

Beautiful grounds, exotic birds and a magnificent house.

A spiral staircase leads to the rooftop, which is adorned with gold statues of Balinese Dancers, the view is extraordinary,  looking over Ubud's, tropical rainforest and rice fields. The gallery is very flamboyant like the artist himself.

Braving the rain, I headed into Ubud proper.  The rain was getting heavier and my trouser legs were soaking up the water, time for a beer break and get in out of the rain.  The River View Cafe is down a little path, I sat down in a Bale that over hangs the river and sipped on a Bintang.

A little shopping at the Ubud Market as they were shutting up shop for the evening and aimlessly wandering around I came across a little warung, with not a tourist in sight.  Here I dined on Nasi Campur, one of my favourite Balinese dishes of rice, chicken, tofu, gado gado.  As I sat quietly watching the women prepare beautiful, colourful offerings for tomorrow, the rain eased up and it was time to head back to my villa.

As luck would have it, a driver standing on the corner asked me if I would like a lift.  It turned out to be Nick, who drove me around for 10 days when I was in Bali last.  Such a lovely surprise for both of us and a well earned job for him, his first for the day.  If you ever need a lift in Ubud - he is the man to use. He is lovely, speaks excellent English and nothing is too much trouble for him.  He can be contacted on 08523 7545885, if you are calling from Ubud.

A Very Happy Birthday in Bali

Sleeping in for an international flight, is not a good feeling.  A 30 second shower, dirty hair, disorganised, very tired and slightly hungover, is how I left Brisbane.

Unable to have breakfast, due to lack of time, my good friend Greg and I decided to eat at the airport.  Of course this is always a mistake and I would never recommend it - well not at Brisbane International and particularly at Aromas.  When I order runny eggs and get something that resembles a tennis ball, when I am tired and hungry, doesn't put me in a good mood.

This Egg Ain't Running Anywhere!

Greg put up with my rantings, filled out my immigration card and waved me off down the escalators.

Even at this point, as I entered the 'sterile zone' of the airport, it still hadn't sunk in, that I was treating myself to a short break in Bali to celebrate, what was, shall we say, a significant birthday.

I always hope, that when I fly on my birthday, someone will check my passport, notice it is the same date as today and kindly upgrade me.  This of course,  didn't happen but I had paid extra for an exit row and was grateful of the leg room.

A delayed flight and grid lock traffic from Denpasar meant that I missed the planned sun set over the beach at Ku De Ta.  

Some part of me wanted to tell the driver to move into the other lane, it was moving faster.  However, now I was on Bali time and that means, it happens when it happens.

Upon realising this, I relaxed,  caught some glimpses of the beautiful ever changing red sky,  in between breaks of buildings and even although I had friends waiting to take me out and show me their sunset, I had no control over this and that was, a strange, but  good feeling.  It was time to relax.

My friends had organised a beautiful table, with a view to die for,  unexpected presents, and great company, welcomed!

We drank, we dined, we chatted.  It was surreal, only hours earlier I was wingeing about hard fried eggs and now I was treated to a sumptuous feast, many more drinks and great conversation.

After dinner we moved, closer to the beach.  Salesmen were throwing gadgets, high into the sky, that arced up and then fell slowly, like fireworks.   The view was amazing.  The surf, lit up,  white and frothy, blue lights falling from the sky, as if they were falling stars, we should wish upon, people lazing about in either chairs, or lying back looking at the stars in lounges.  Phew... breath ... Bali time.

From a hectic week of work, a disorganised and cranky departure, not worrying about my dirty hair. By this time it was pulled up into a ponytail, after a short remark and elastic bands were produced.

I was now chatting and laughing with familiar faces, drinking wine and cocktails, feeling the cool breeze from the sea and feeling totally relaxed.

Well, that is how a birthday should be, isn't it?

So, it cannot go un-said.  A special thank you, for letting me gate-crash a long planned holiday.  Where I turned up, at the last minute and was treated like a Balinese Princess.  You know who you are, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart.  And kisses to your bottom!

So Much Food and Not Enough Time or Tummy Space!

Naturally, Ubud has grown, since I was there last,  but still has a nice and quieter vibe than that of Kuta and Legian.

Balinese food is wonderful, cheap and Ubud has a lot to offer.   More than I could possibly eat in the small amount of time I was there.

However a few nice discoveries worth mentioning are;

Bebek Bengil or The Dirty Duck,   is a huge rambling place, surrounded by rice fields and serving up yummy roasted ducks.   With their own secret recipe;  steaming and then roasting the whole small duck accompanied by rice and a wonderful sambal.

Sambal Matah, which I  became addicted to and was always searching it out for the rest of my stay in Bali.  It consists of raw red shallots, lemon grass, garlic, chillies, lemon leaves, shrimp paste with a dressing of lemon juice and coconut oil.  Simply delicious!

The youtube clip, gives you a sense of how large and well designed the restaurant is.  I suggest a night time visit, when it is aglow with tea lights and lanterns.  Despite its size and the amount of people who dine there, it still has a wonderfully intimate feel about it.

An unassuming but famous place, tucked behind an old gate and located opposite the Ubud Palace on Jalan Suweta, is Ibu Oka Warung, which has been operating for over 20 years.

Ibu Oka's Warung,  serves up their famous Babi Guling or roasted suckling pig.  After marinating for 36 hours, prepared elsewhere, the crispy, whole, suckling pigs, that have been cooked over a fire, are then carried down the street to be portioned up.  The place is always a buzz,  with local Balinese and tourists and is an absolute treat!   You will normally have to line up and I will happily line up again.  Once you have placed your order, find somewhere to sit, slip off your shoes and climb up into a bale, slide your legs under a communal,  squat table and wait until your feast arrives.

Get there early or you will be disappointed to find, you either can't get in, or worse still, they have sold out!

One day I took a walk up through the top end of Ubud, over the new Campuan Bridge, past the big steps and further still to Kedewatan.

Memories of the lovely family I met in the temple, the walk I was taken on through Kedewatan and the bag of rice I gifted for my tour, made me want to head up there and take a look at the village once again.

There I happened upon another, less famous but equally unassuming place called Nasi Ayam - Ayam meaning chicken.  This tiny, sleepy place serves up wonderfully cheap and delicious chicken skewers, made from mince and spices and served on skewers made from bamboo for under $1.00.  Not a tourist in site and just a couple of locals, it was a quiet, relaxing and rewarding find after a hot steamy walk.

Rediscovering Bali

Fast forward 2009.  It was time to head back to Bali and see if it still held the magic it did over 12 years earlier.

This time with only 10 days and a driver,  I wanted to visit some of my favourite spots and hopefully discover some new ones.

Before leaving, I arranged for Made, the driver to pick me up from Denpasar Airport.  There he was,  with my name, printed on a board,  held high above the crowds, ready to whisk me off to his waiting vehicle.

Curious to see if Ketut was still there and if it had changed much.  I headed straight for Ubud and Pager Bungalows (telephone 975433),  I called ahead before leaving Australia to ensure they had a room for me to stay.

Walking down the little laneway that leads to Pager Bunglows, just near the Campuan Bridge, and entering the familiar courtyard,  memories came flooding back.

Ketut, of course was still there,  I didn't expect for her to remember me, after all these years and thousands of tourists who have passed through since.  However, once I produced a photograph, a smile broke across her face and she did remember!  The photo was taken the day she had told me I was chantik (beautiful),  after dressing me up in preparation for my temple visit.

Ketut showed me some of the improvements they had made since my last visit all those years ago.
Even although I wanted to revisit my old room,  I couldn't resist the new beautifully appointed rooms looking down over the rainforest and river.

A little  had changed;  the pond had been filled in for fear of her grandchildren falling in.  The bale where  I ate my feast, after my cooking lesson with Made, was now in a better location overlooking the river way down below.   The honesty system for taking a drink from the fridge and writing a note on the pad provided on top of it, still remained.

Perhaps a little older and tireder, she was still the kind gentle, laughing woman I remembered.  Unfortunately and sadly, Made had since passed away.

Fresh Kusamba Salt & Black Sands

Being back in Amed felt like coming home.  The quiet, black sand beaches, the laughing fishing boats, lined along the shore, the clear sea, the wonderful snorkelling, the familiar faces and familiar noises.

Unfortunately, my time was running out and after soaking up a few more extra days at Amed, it was time to head south back to the madness, that was Kuta and Legion, of course with a few detours along the way.

Kusamba, south of Amed, also has black beaches.  I always seem to be drawn to the sea and thought this could be a good pitstop before heading back inland to Ubud, to spend my last night with Ketut at Pager Bungalows and collect my belongings I had left in her safe keeping.

The moment I parked the car, children appeared everywhere, asking questions, trying to sell me all manner of items and followed me down to the beach.

They walked along the beach with me, until finally,  I gave in and bought some beaded necklaces from them.  Happy with their sales, they left me to my own devices to walk along the beach in peace.

I came across a hut and a family raking the black sand.  Puzzled to know why they were raking the beach, I approached to find out why.

They are salt farmers.  I found this youtube clip that shows how it is done.

Grateful of their hospitality and kindness, to down tools and show me the process, I bought some salt from them.  Packaged in a cute, woven basket that I still use for salt, to this day.  These days I store, the pretty pink Murray Valley Salt at 10 times the price I paid for the tasty Kusamba Salt.

Perhaps because of the chaos of children trying to sell me their goods when I first arrived, I had managed to misplace the car keys and decided I must have locked them in the car.  It seemed half of Kusamba came to my rescue, trying to work out how to help me break into the car, when finally I found them, at the bottom of  my bag!

Heading for Ubud, with the fake Swiss Army knife, I had bought for Made at Klungkung,  I realised I didn't have a gift for Ketut, except for a few large shells I took from the beach at Candidasa to give her to use as soap holders in her rooms.

When I spotted a roadside store along the way, I decided to stop and see what they had on offer.  With most of the village gathered around, perhaps a little amused and confused by my purchases.

I started with a large basket, that I had filled with rice.  Remembering Ketut was fond of painting her nails, I grabbed a few bottles of nail polish, a couple of tubes of lipstick, added them to the basket along with, galangal, garlic, chillies, dried fish, fresh vegetables.  A gift basket with a difference.

The small village road side store owners, and curious on lookers, with smiling amused faces, waved goodbye as I continued my journey.

Ketut and Made greeted me as a long lost friend and were surprised and genuinely moved with their gifts.  Made,  in particular, knowing his new sharp knife came from his home town, Klungkung.

Later that night, as Ketut painted her nails,  Made tested out his new knife, and made me another grasshopper.

As promised they kept my belongings safe and helped me pile everything back into the car, before I headed off for Legion.

Heading To North Western Bali With A Cut Lunch

Sadly, it was time to leave Amed, my new found friends of  Wawa Wewe and continue the journey north.  My mission to drive right around the island of Bali.

After many goodbyes and well wishes, they packed me into the car with a cut lunch!  This was such a thoughtful gesture, a cheese sandwich and a banana.  The hospitality of Wawa Wewe was remarkable and never ending.

Next stop was Les, to visit the magnificent waterfall, freshen up in the cool water and chat to an unwanted but persistent 'guide' who tagged along.

A lunch break at Yah Sanih and further on to Kalibukbuk, in the Lovina area, to find somewhere to stay.

I had heard many good reports about Lovina, and I don't want to talk ill of it.  It was a long time ago since I was there and probably a lot has changed.  However my experience, all those years ago wasn't as favourable as Amed.  

Kalibukbuk beach was not clean and crystal like Amed and there was a 'different' vibe to the place.   I started feeling homesick for Amed.

Minutes after lying on the beach, I was surrounded by touts, selling anything from, fruit, necklaces, timber dolphins, snorkelling trips and ice creams!  The only way to escape was to find a bar and have a Bintang beer.

This was not the relaxing experience, sitting amongst the fishing boats, dozing in the sun, watching the school children,  run down to fish after school.

Continuing the journey,  I headed for Pemuteran and started looking for new digs.  Now I was finally in the North Western part of Bali and 3/4 the way around the island. Next stop would be the National Park, a few more stops and then back in Legion for a night or two and then back to Australia.

My time was running out and it made me anxious.

Especially so,  when I came across a place where I thought I would stay.  The English owners of the establishment were delightfully rude.  They assured me, I would get a room to myself,  for $200.00 AUD a night.  Well you would think so,  for that kind of money.  The beach was not nice, the 'resort' nothing in particular.

 Did I really need to drive all the way around Bali, just to say I did.  Or,  would I rather be spending my last few days,  sitting back at Amed, on the quiet beach.  Watching the fishermen come in at dawn, listening to the singing from the mountains as I went to bed.

You couldn't see me for dust.  A quick U-turn and I was heading south.  I had 130kms to drive, which given the traffic and condition of the roads, takes about 3-4 hours.  I had to step on it to make it back before dark!

The journey back, was quite an adventure.  People don't hurry in Bali.  I often heard, if you don't do it today, there is always tomorrow.   Bali time.

Traffic, pot holes, people walking on the street, animals wandering around and a funeral procession.

The funeral procession took quite some time to pass.  At first I couldn't work out what was going on.  A traffic jam, that can't be.  Then ahead I could see a tall tower.  As I got closer I noticed that many men were carrying this tall tower.  Then they would stop.  The tower was so tall and the electricity wires so low - I wasn't sure how they were going to negotiate this.  Of course, they improvised and were prepared.  The tower had a hinged, flip back section towards the top.

The bearers would stop, lower the the tower, that rested on bamboo poles, on their shoulders.  Someone would lift the power lines with a long stick, the bearers moved the tower under the power lines, put the flip back shut, hoisted the tower back to their shoulders and off again, drums and cymbals clanging all the time.  Until the next power line ....

Maybe this was sign, maybe I should have continued my journey north.  The moment I saw a local pass by slowly, I followed suit and was on my way once again.

Passing village after village, until dusk was nearing.  My next obstacle,  I wasn't expecting.  Families were heading down to the storm water drains, to bath and wash their clothes for the evening.

Finally I made it back to Amed in record time.

Surprised, familiar, smiling faces welcomed me.   My friend, you came back, they cheered.  They piled all my belongings back in my room while I had a much needed Bintang.

I headed down to the beach.  Took a deep breath and was happy that I could see my feet through the clean, clear water.