My Farty at Wawa Wewe - Amed, Bali.

Unfortunately, after many, lovely, relaxing days at Wawa Wewe and getting to know the locals, tomorrow was time to head further north but not before my party.

My last day was spent snorkelling and laying on the isolated beach, surrounded by fishing boats.  One of Wawa Wewe's friends was dozing on a nearby hammock under the trees, when I noticed a man, emerge from the sea with,  a huge octopus and some fish.

When I brought this to the attention of my new friend dozing in the hammock, he asked if I would like to buy it.  Why on earth would I want to buy it and if I did,  what would I do with a dead octopus!  We will have it for your party he exclaimed and before I knew it,  I was the owner of a freshly caught octopus and a few fish.

Pleased with himself,  that he had cut me a really good deal with the fisherman, he approached me excitedly,  to hand me the seafood.   I jumped back.  There was no way I was going to carry that big tentacled creature.  Eat him,  I could but carry him,  I wasn't.

I strutted back to Wawa Wewe, my friend, in tow,  carrying my new purchases.

How was this going to work?  Wawa Wewe has a restaurant, I can't just rock up with some fresh seafood and demand they cook it.

When I entered the restaurant area, people and staff were dozing and lazing about in the heat of the mid afternoon but once I walked in and they saw what we had, many questions were asked.

Where did I get it?  How did I catch it? What would I like to do with it?

The last question was an offer.  After I made up a ridiculous story, that went something like this.

I was snorkelling, the octopus approached, I had no choice but to punch him,  as I had no weapon to defend myself.  First there was silence,  quizzical looks  and then a roar of laughter.

After that, everyone 'woke up' sprung to attention and before I knew it,  we were sitting on the ground, in a circle,  chopping up chilli, ginger, garlic, galangal, lemon grass and then pounding it into a paste for my party octopus.

My hands and my wrists ached,  as I pounded the paste with a mortar and pestle,  until someone else took over and then another.

After about a half hour we had a delicious looking, aromatic, creamy paste.

Next we layed out palm leaves, mixed the octopus and fish in our paste and tied it into parcels with the palm leaves and fronds.  We left it to marinate.  Later, that night, we would cook it on a fire and eat it with our fingers.

They told me, word would get around, that I had bought palm wine.   The people I heard singing from the mountains, would make their way down and we would have a party.

The sun set, we gathered around in a circle on the grass of Wawa Wewe and the ritual began.

Given that I was the 'host' of this party for supplying the two jerry cans of palm wine, I was to initiate the drinking.  This was done like so; only one cup was to be used, I would pour each individual a cup of wine,  offer it to him or her.  They down it,  return the cup back to me,  and so it goes, doing the rounds.

This was not like your average Aussie BBQ., where everyone brings their own and drinks at their own pace.  Everyone was to drink at the pace I could fill the cup and hand it to them.  Not that you would really want to drink palm wine at a fast pace,  for both the taste and the intoxication of it.

Slowly but surely, as they promised, one by one, new guests arrived and before I knew it we were six and then twenty,  eating fresh octopus and sculling palm wine.

After we had mellowed from the delicious food and the palm wine had started to take its effect, the singing began.

Singing in Bahasa,  however,  one of the staff translated for me.  As it went around the circle and the story grew.  About a an Australian lady,  who came to stay at Amed, embraced the food and culture of the Balinese people, bought some palm wine and now we are having a farty.

This was not a spelling error, instead,  a pronunciation error but too cute and funny to correct.  Given the amount of palm wine and chilli that was consumed, it turned out to be correct!

After much fun, singing, laughter and intimate talks with the  owners and their friends and staff;  the mountain people, slowly peeled off,  to head back up to their homes.

What a wonderful last night.  What a tremendous experience. A farty to end all parties.

As my head hit the pillow, for my last night in Amed,  I could hear the distant singing from the mountains.

The Rhythm of Amed

Amed's rhythm became quickly familiar  and with it, so did my routine.

Waking each morning to roosters,  crowing.  Then the sound of excited fishermen calling and whistling, as they made their way back to shore,  after a nights fishing.  This was to indicate that they had had a successful catch.

This was my cue, to rise early and go down to the beach.  As I took a deep breath, of the fresh, salty,  morning air,  and watched, what seemed like hundreds of fishing boats across the water,  just as dawn was breaking, I felt blessed to be there, be apart of Amed's routine and watch this magnificent sight.

After an early morning swim, I would watch the fishermen line their boats along the shore on the black sand,  their family waiting, to welcome them home and to help unload.  The boats are wonderful and elaborate with big mouths and eyes, at the bow,  to ward off evil spirits and such a sight when there are so many of them,  lined up on the beach.

Once the beach had cleared and I was left with just the boats and the water lapping at my feet, I would head back for breakfast and then later,  some snorkelling and lazing on the beach.

Lunch and back to the beach.  Not long after this, when school had finished for the day, the local kids, would run down, strip off their school clothes, splash about and drop a line, to see what they could catch.

After I had sucked all the rays out of the sun, I would shower, put on a clean sarong and have dinner, a few drinks, listen to some music, chat and bed.

Each night as I went to bed, I could hear singing from far away.    When I asked about this, I was told it was the people who lived in the mountains and that maybe they had had too much palm wine.  When they do,   they like to sing.  The singing, was improvised and told an ongoing story,  as each singer took his or her turn, they would add to the story.

This was my rhythm and the rhythm of Amed.

When I enquired about this 'palm wine',  I was offered, if I would like to buy some.  I thought I would try a bottle and see what it is like.  Handed over some money and the next morning was presented with, not one but two,  jerry cans full of fresh palm wine!

They told me I must drink it now, while it is fresh.  It smelt like rocket fuel (not that I know what that smells like) but just after breakfast, I wasn't sure I could stomach something that didn't smell so good.

Let's drink it tonight I offered, this being my last night at Wawa Wewe, before I headed further north.  A little disappointed and probably mystified as to why I wouldn't drink it,  when it was a fresh batch, they agreed.

We will have a party they said, for your last night, with the palm wine and we will sing!

Amed

Imagine ...  rugged mountains, black sand, bright blue sea, fabulous snorkelling and brightly coloured fishing boats.

If you prefer, a sleepy,  beautiful place, off the beaten track,  Amed is the place for you.   On the north eastern peninsula of Bali.

This was my next destination after Candidasa.

Travelling  the inland road, is quicker but taking the mountainous, narrow, coast road is a much more scenic and adventurous journey.

Back in 1997, there wasn't a lot there.  Apart from a few more places to stay, it hasn't changed a lot.  Thankfully.

I came across a place called Wawa Wewe, had a look at the rooms and the adjoining restaurant, happy with the friendly welcome and cheap prices, I decided this is where I would stay.

Wawa Wewe, means roughly - like this, like that. A bit like the French equivalent of comme ci comme ca.  And that is how it was,  like this, like that.

Being so long ago, unfortunately I don't remember the names of the owners now.  A lovely couple, a Balinese husband, an English wife and their little girl.  The wife made up the most delicious fruit juices with a touch of ginger and always seemed to be coming up with new concoctions.

The food was good, both international and local and the entertainment was fun.  A few guys strumming away, knowing most of the lyrics to popular songs.

These days,  my old lodgings has turned into a very popular bar and the original huts are available for $16.00 AUD.  They have new, beautiful villas with a swimming pool, for around $35.00 AUD.  This is fantastic value in such a wonderful location.  Not that you really need a pool in Amed, when the sea is right over the road and so wonderful.

A typical day at Wawa Wewe was spent,  lazing around, relaxing on a hammock, swimming, snorkelling and eating.  And that is what I did.  With the evenings sitting in the bar listening to the live music and chatting to whoever popped in.

What I didn't know then,  Amed would become my most memorable time in Bali.  Not just because of the quiet beaches but also because of the experiences I had there and the people I met.

A Surprise Awaits in Candidasa

After a few wonderfully, relaxing days on Gili Meno, regretfully, I left and headed back to my hut in Candidasa.

As promised, Ida's Homestay had kept my belongings and hire car safe.  They were very excited about my return and wanted to hear my stories and adventures at Gili Meno but even more importantly, they had a surprise for me.

Unlike the bathroom in Gili Meno, Ida's Homestay had a shower.  The bathroom consisted of the usual open air bathroom, a bamboo spout, sticking out of the wall, which acted as a shower head, a rock wall with a huge shell cemented into it, which acted as a soap holder.  Planted amongst the floor tiles, lush, happy plants that were watered each time I had a shower.  I loved this bathroom.

People spend thousands of dollars, hiring interior designers to come up with useable, unique and stylish surroundings.  This gorgeous hut was something that was organic, made from materials from the land and sea but in a very basic, functional and at the same time stylish way.

When I left for Gili Meno, the vanity had all my toiletries and bits and pieces spread out where ever I could find space for them to rest.  While I was away,  the staff at Ida's Homestay decided I needed a shelf unit to put all my toiletries in and went to work to make one for my bathroom.  Fashioned out of old timber and hung on the wall for my return.

The staff gathered around as I was lead into the bathroom.  They were so excited to show me what they had done, with all my bits and pieces neatly lined up on my new shelf.  This was such a sweet and thoughtful gesture and their genuine hospitality, excitement and enthusiasm was infectious.

A relaxing massage was in order after my travels across the sea and overland.  I asked one of the ladies, if they could come to my room, after dinner, to give me a massage.  Someone is always trying to sell you a massage or hair braid on the beach.  However, having a massage in the comfort of your own room, less the sand, is much better value.

As I appeared down the path after dinner, she whipped up her towel and coca cola bottle full of oil, and followed me to my hut.

Spying my large, economy sized suncream bottle with a pump, she asked me where she could get such a thing, that this would make her massages so much easier with a pump bottle, rather than the beaten up coco cola bottle that had seen better days.

I had no idea where you would purchase such a thing, so the next day,  I decanted my suncream into a coco cola bottle, washed it out and presented it to her, a small gift for her business.  Something that would normally be discarded, probably not even recycled, gave such pleasure and value to her business.  So many lessons we could learn from the Balinese.

A few days later, it was time to say goodbye to Candidasa and Ida's Homestay.  Yet another emotional departure,  as I packed my toiletries and coco cola bottle full of suncream from my newly made shelf and had one last swim in the sea. It was time to head north to Amed.

The Wonderful Balinese Fishing Boats

Gili Meno - A Little Island with a Good Heart

During the boat journey to Lombok,  I read about a remote island off Lombok,  called Gili Meno.   Small enough to walk around in a day and at that time,  had no electricity.  Although, I think they do now.

Back when I was there, the deal was,  you wait for a boat to take you over, from Lombok to Gili Meno, which could could take hours of waiting.  Or better still, chip in with some other travellers you meet standing around wanting to know what to do.  I talked to the other travellers, told them it will cost us about  $2.00 each, we may get a few locals bum a ride, without asking,  but we can hire a boat and go straight away.  That is what I did.

Horses and carts were waiting on the beach.  A little negotiating and we were off,  until I found the hut I wanted to stay in and wow! I was in paradise.  No electricity, no cars.

I could have spent my entire time here.

So relaxed, great snorkelling, not many tourists,  or at least the tourists you don't mind bumping into and sharing this remote little piece of paradise with.  Thankfully,  from what I have read, not a lot has changed.

Upon arriving, I realised very quickly,  the thing to do was,  buy a hammock, string it up on your private verandah of your hut, lie back and wonder what everyone else is doing at Kuta!  It couldn't be as good as this.

I still have that hammock and every time I use it,  all these years later, wonderful memories of Gili Meno come flooding back.

The next day I walked around the entire island.  A swim and and a snorkel here and there.  Just when I was feeling like I was the only person on the island and it was time to strip down and take a skinny dip, two girls appeared from nowhere to sell me some natural pearls.  Well why not.  I have since had them re-strung and still wear them from time to time all these years later.

A little later I came across Good Heart Restaurant, it consisted of a lean to, a few chairs and tables, on the beach, some tea lights in old jars and a beautiful sunset.

When it was time to have dinner, I talked about my interest in Balinese food and my cooking lessons in Ubud.   Before I knew it,  I  was invited back to the 'kitchen' which consisted of an area where the food was prepared to watch and learn more about Balinese culture and cooking.

The owner mentioned, how he would like a sponsor, a business partner, his dream was to build some huts, so he too, could provide accommodation for tourists.

I thought long and and hard about this, for many months but upon my return to Australia and the rat-race, time and life moved on.  Every now and then, I wondered, what it would be like to share that dream.

His dream came true!

I found this little you tube clip - which shows it hasn't changed much since I was there last, accept now, he has some huts!

After my cooking tips, some great conversations, a beautiful sunset,  it was time to head back, in the dark, to my hut.

On the journey back, I wondered how I would find my hut in the dark, with my little torch.  I needed not to wonder.  As I approached, the path and the steps were lined with lanterns and my hut had a warm and welcoming glow of light for my arrival.

The hut was wonderful and very basic.  Not quite as elaborate as my two storey hut that awaited me in Candidasa but simple, clean, sheets and a mosquito net,  for $7.00 a night with breakfast, a bargain.  

The bathroom consisted of a typical open roof, tiled area but with a big drum full of water, called a mandi.  There,  you scoop some water over you, soap up and then scoop more water over you, to get rid of the suds.  The water is tepid and heated from the rays of the sun from the open roof and refreshing in the heat of the Balinese tropics.

Some friendly tips:
A torch is always handy, I never travel without one.
Towels are not always provided.  Take a bath towel and buy a bali blanket for the beach.
Gili Meno is not,  sandy beaches but coral, so surf shoes are a must, thongs, don't keep your feet safe and they can double as walking shoes.
If you have room and are concerned about wearing snorkeling mouth pieces that many have used before, might also be good to bring your own, especially if you are walking around and want to have a random snorkel.

It is so relaxing at Gili Meno, even the geckos make love

They Good Heart Restaurant had signs dotted along the beach,  promising the best sunset views on the island

Candidasa in a Hut on the Beach

After a fair amount of shopping and a few nights staying with Ketut at Pager Bungalows, it was time to leave Ubud and head north to Candidasa.

She offered, I could leave my shopping behind, less worry, getting it, in and out of the car, she said.  We decided,  I could pick it up on my return visit, on the way back through to Kuta and she promised to keep it safe.

A lovely man and an employee of Ketut, Made, lived in Klungkung. However, to enable him to make some money for his young family, he stayed and worked most of the time in Ubud at Pager Bungalows.  This of course, meant he didn't see much of his wife and family.

One night, after dinner, he tried to teach me how to make grasshoppers from palm fronds with his blunt swiss - like - army knife.  Mine seemed to resemble, well,  nothing really - but his, were magnificent.  The real thing.  If you saw one of his creations nearby, you would have believed it was a real grasshopper.

As Made, Ketut and the staff, carried my belongings down the small alley-way to my car and helped me pack it in, I was starting to feel emotional but I cheered up.   We all knew I had a reason to return, to pick up my shopping and other belongings I was leaving in their safe keeping.

Many hugs, good wishes and waving as I departed for Candidasa.

Is it strange to feel estranged from someone you have only known for such a short time?   Well maybe only in Bali - as I approached the town of Klungkung, of course I thought of Made and his blunt, fake Swiss Army Knife and decided - in order for him to show the tourists, his grasshopper making skills, he needed a sharper knife and it would be even more special, if it came from his town, the one he misses and has to leave to make money,  to send to his family.

After a little bit of searching - I found one!  How is it he touched my heart with his stories as he was making life-like grass hoppers with a blunt knife.

And so the journey continues....

Just like a local, 'toot-toot-ing' the horn along the way, to warn pedestrians on the road, of my approach, I was starting to get the hang of driving in Bali.  Many pot holes and funeral processions later, finally,  I arrived in Candidasa.

At some point, I did mention,  if you are into big resorts,  stop reading . However,  if you are into large huts, some,  two storey, over looking a coconut grove and beyond to the sea, tranquil surroundings polite warm welcoming staff, in-house massages - this is where you should go and - keeping reading.

Ida Homestay,  was a recommendation from my friends who inspired me to go to Bali in the first place.  They were right - it was lovely, relaxing, inexpensive and a fabulous welcome.

With just four huts, at the time I went there, now I believe they have five.  This was a tiny bit of heaven and even more removed from the hustle and bustle of Kuta.

This is a beautiful, tranquil surprise tucked behind a big wall just south of the big pond in Candidasa.  They don't have a website but you can call on +62 (0) 3634 1096. 

Just before sunset, at low tide, I would wade up to and climb the concrete steps to a restaurant.

This is a lovely, relaxing restaurant, with a cool breeze, a swimming pool and good cheap food.   Here I would have a drink and a Nasi Campur, a lovely dish, that has a little bit of everything and is a must try, when you are in Bali.

After a few relaxing days in my gorgeous, two storey hut, with mosquito nets, teak furniture on the verandah, breakfasts delivered, as soon as someone noticed I was awake and Lombok on the horizon, I thought it might be nice to hop over there for a few days and see what was there.

What to do with the car and all of my stuff?  I asked, if I pay for the nights I wasn't staying there, which was about $15.00 AUD a night, could I leave my belongings in the hut and my hired vehicle behind.  There was no problem, they would look after my things and the car.


They helped organise a lift, to the boat terminal.   With a towel, my snorkel gear and a sarong, I boarded the boat and headed off to Lombok.

Cooking Lessons in Ubud

I am not the type of girl who is into flashy resorts and places that exploit the locals.  So if you are, this is, maybe where you stop reading.  However, if you are not, this is where you might become interested.

No, this isn't an advertisement, this is my experience:

Being warned in advance, that cheaper lodgings don't supply towels and toiletries, I came prepared.  How do you trade towels for experience and culture?

Janet de Neefe, is quite the entrenpeneur and a celebrity in Ubud.

An Australian,  married to a Balinese husband, owns Casa Luna Bakery and Cafe, Indus Restaurant, Honeymoon Guest House, author of  Fragrant Rice and founder of the Ubud Writers Festival, she also runs cooking classes.

One in which I took part, on my first visit to Ubud.

The cooking class was a wonderful experience, not only meeting new people, learning cooking techniques and new recipes but also a great insight into Balinese culture.

One simple tip that I remember well and still use it to this day:
When using lemon grass, smash it up a little to bring out the flavours and tie it in a knot.  This way, when you want to fish it out of your Balinese dish, it will be easy to find and looks great!

Every time I do this, when cooking, I think of my lovely cooking lesson with Janet and her team.

That afternoon, after my cooking lesson,  I returned to Pager Bungalows .   Ketut also wanted to give me a cooking lesson from her kitchen for free!  Maybe some Ubud rivalry going on here but I wasn't going to complain.

We discussed what my favourite Balinese dishes were and got to work, we cooked up a storm.

Ketut then advised me to shower and change and get ready for my banquet.  I went to her bale and after seating myself down, all the staff, one by one, paraded our sumptuous delights, I had helped prepare and placed them before me.

Not one but two cooking lessons in one day.  What a treat for the senses and the tummy and quite possibly on the hips!

Ketut of Pager Bungalows, may not supply towels but she did give me some wonderful experiences and a small insight into Balinese culture and kindness.

Made teaching me to make lumpia!