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Seseh, where the villa is is a small Balinese village. It seems relatively prosperous, all the houses are the Balinese compounds and there are also a few villas spread about, including one really huge white monstrosity called Mahatma House. The narrow village roads are clean and tidy and there are a few more little shops (just water, veg, sweets that sort of thing). There are, of course, dogs everywhere as well as free running chickens and chickens caged in large domed straw cages lining the road.
There is apparently a big ceremony here tomorrow, one that happens every six months and gives thanks. The preparations started today and amount so far to rather loud singing, talking and music going on, via a set of powerful speakers. A man’s voice, full of expression, like a Shakesperian actor speaks for a while and then a woman’s wailing/singing voice seems to reply – all to a background of Balinese musical instruments. I am told the preparation goes on for 24 hours – I just hope the noise doesn’t nice as it is.... But at least I know it’s a real village ceremony, not for tourists.......
And by the way, I saw my fourth snake today.......
Well at least as far as snakes are concerned. I came across my third one today, but at least this was a dead one – in the road in the village and well squashed by the motorbikes going over it. Let’s hope that’s the last one.... But there’s still lots of other beasties around – in the villa in the evening it’s the frogs who come a visiting, one even leapt on to the cushion on the sofa and caused me to leap even higher! And I know they sometimes call Bali the Island of the Gods, but I think on occasion they get their spelling wrong and it really should be Island of the Dogs. I have never seen so many. Even the ones with collars on (and these have been vaccinated apparently) look in bad shape so you can guess what the ones without collars look like. There are quite a few dog sanctuaries around the place so I assume they are trying to do something about it, they are just everywhere and all of them have very loud barks. Interestingly in my travels, I have also noticed quite a few pooch parlours for grooming and all selling a selection of doggie clothes, but I have yet to see a pampered pooch wearing any of the designs!
It was obviously a day for power cuts today, the villa (and whole village) went dark for a couple of hours this evening, but power is a big issue in Bali and it’s not uncommon.
And today, I got picked up! A rather attractive 40 something man in Seminyak asked me if I was looking for money exchange, when I was actually looking for the ATM. We got chatting, his name was Raphael and he was from Tenerife, but spends part of the year in Bali. He said it would be good if we got together for coffee or something(!) and whilst he had to get away then, he gave me his phone number. Sadly, am too much of a wimp to call. Julia Roberts has just left Bali (Ubud actually) where she was filming “Eat, Love, Pray” and even though I thought I would have more of a chance of her coming back to do the film of the blog if I went for such an adventure, I still couldn’t! I’ve certainly done the “eat” bit, some yoga perhaps takes care of the “pray” – perhaps this could have filled the “love”..... Such is life....
So it’s goodbye to Ubud as I travel south towards the coast to Canggu, a small Balinese village, to a villa at Tamu Seseh, near Tanah Lot on the South West Coast. And the good news is the sun has reappeared. For the last two days in Ubud it has been very wet, with rain all day, and actually chilly (well chilly
It was a nice drive of about an hour through yet more rice fields at various stages of development, and some fields turned over to peanuts. I understand that often they do three rice crops, followed by a peanut crop before going back to rice – suppose it’s needed for all that satay!
I arrive at the villa and it’s fab – nice aircon bedroom, living pavilion, decent size private pool and a two storey “bale”, like a little wooden two storey terrace with day beds and chairs.
But I have enjoyed my time in Ubud, it’s been very relaxing and have enjoyed the wanderings and the lattes. But I do feel I may have missed something. Last night in the restaurant where the wifi is, there was a British Woman of a certain age. She was Skype-ing her friend. Poor friend, she didn’t get a word in edgeways. But I am pleased for the lady – she had “found herself” and returned to her spiritual name. She had refined her goals – now she wants “wisdom and love” to be her mantra’s and she hopes that Richard back in the UK can cope with it all. She has realised that he needs to accept her and commit otherwise it’s no-go. Frankly, I feel sorry for the bloke! She had been on a course with 1,000 other people (personal attention then....) the info for which is as follows:
On the 4th day Patryk offers an Advanced Workshop of advanced PEAT techniques to learn additional methods that have been developed throughout recent years and have proved very efficient in healing. What does PEAT stand for? PRIMORDIAL ENERGY ACTIVATION AND TRANSCENDENCE.
Kings new clothes come to mind, especially at about £300per day, but hey ho perhaps I’m just lucky. I haven’t lost myself yet so don’t need to go to Ubud to find myself again.
Whilst she was eating her veggie tea though, I was at least taking care of my five a day. Wine (grapes?), and a huge serving of banana fritters (at least two servings) and I’m sure the vanilla (well it is veggie) in the ice cream added another one.....
But tomorrow is another day as they say in Gone with the Wind, and I leave Ubud to find, if not myself, a hopefully, rather nice, villa with private pool – my sort of therapy!
Today I tried an Indonesian speciality, a very expensive coffee, and one that’s not available at your local Starbuck’s. I’m not that keen on Balinese coffee anyway, it’s a bit muddy as they leave all the grounds in the cup, but this one goes that bit further.... The local civet cat type animal has a penchant for the tastiest and ripest coffee beans which it pops out each night to eat. Having eaten them, and it has gone the full length of its digestive system and come out the other end, it leaves the remains including the semi digested beans on the forest floor. Next morning, out come the locals and pick it up, give it a bit of a wash to find the remains of the beans which have semi fermented, roast it, grind it, add a bit of hot water and drink it. It is meant to have a deeper musky flavour than the usual stuff and is much prized. You know me, always up for a challenge, so I say hang the cost and I try it. All I can say, it’s not worth the expense and I have the cipro’s ready..... It made me laugh it was so gross, so let’s hope it’s worth a chilled bottle of bubbly.....
As it turned out, I chose a good day to take a trip around Bali with Wayan’s Cultural Tours. Wayan is an interesting character, a Balinese who worked in Australia for six years before returning to do his tour work. His parents still manage some rice fields in the east of Ubud and he lives there with the rest of the extended family. He tells me how hard it is for his parents, his dad has a bad back and his mum is bent over with the years of carrying heavy weights. There are no social security benefits here, he and the rest of the family have to take care of them if they can’t work so they battle on. But he says they are better off than a lot of people here. Outside of Denpasar, Kuta and Ubud many people are still very poor and short of food, it’s a side of Bali tourists don’t get to see. He also tells me that the tourists still haven’t come back in the same numbers as before the Bali bomb – in his words “the bomb broke their trust with us” which was a very sad comment.
It was overcast but at least mainly dry and not too hot. I started taking in a bit of dance culture with the Barong and Kris Dance, a one hour dance performance of which I managed to get the basic idea but the nuances escaped me. It was some sort of a morality dance about good versus evil. The costumes were really good but there was a rather pantomime element to it with monsters and tigers and monkeys. At one point the man in the monkey costume made two V signs with his hands just like all the Japanese tourists do for photos – not sure if it was his attempt at humour or he was taking the p**s out of the largely Japanese audience! Although whilst I’m not sure how relevant it was, I did enjoy the last bit when a number of bare chested men danced around in their black and white sarongs whilst clutching sharp knives to their manly, tattooed chests....
The day then became a bit of a memory jogger through places I had visited before but largely forgotten until now. Mas, the woodcarving village, Celuk for gold and silver. I resisted a lovely gold bracelet to match my Bali ring, but at £750 it was a little too much for a souvenir – gold prices have changed along with lots of other things since I was last here! Then on to Tampak Siring and the Gunung Kawi Temple. This is close to the Tirta Empul temple that I now remember visiting before, but Wayan tells me the one we will see is much better and older. One of the reasons not many people go is that tour guides are lazy and this one is 300 long steps down (and of course 300 even longer ones back up....), so is much harder to get to. It was worth it. Set amidst vibrant green narrow terraced rice paddies, streams and waterfalls, with little stalls here and there on the steep paths, it was deserted. It was rediscovered in the 11th century, no one knows how much earlier it was actually built.
After slowly ascending the steps, we then head up to Penelokan where there is a spectacular view of Mt Batur, Bali’s most active volcano and Mt Agung, a spiritual mountain that influences all aspects of Balinese life. Mt Batur last erupted in 1993 and you can still see the black lava flow, although the fast growing vegetation here is slowly reclaiming the slopes.
We then take the lesser used roads back down towards Ubud, through the small lanes and villages with little farms either side growing coffee, mandarins, cabbages. No rice at this point as it is too high. We stop and take a look at a traditional village where the small compounds where the extended families live are the norm. Each one has its own temple as well as the three that they also have in each village. One little wayang or shop selling the basic necessities and kids running around. They only go to school for 4 hours each day in the morning. But it’s all a bit grim – seems very basic and even though the land is very fertile – for example they get three rice harvests and two mandarin harvests each year it still all looks a bit of a hand to mouth existence. Apparently they’re not really cash crops they are growing, just enough for consumption for the village itself.
As we descend further towards sea level, the agriculture changes to the ubiquitous rice and I am learning more about it. I always thought that crops grew at the same rate everywhere in a given area, so for example when your tomatoes are ready in England, they are all ready at about the same time. Not so here with rice. The fields all seem to be at different stages of development everywhere, some just planted, some bright green, some being harvested and some paddies just cleared for burning prior to the next planting. Suppose it makes some sense as the temperatures here are similar year round, it’s all to do with the supply of water. This valuable commodity is in “common ownership” and the irrigation channels are controlled by a central committee to ensure it goes where and when it is needed. I am lucky that one of the most spectacular rice terraces at Tegallalang is in its bright green phase, but the view is somewhat spoiled by the ribbon of shops and stalls that have sprung up at this photo opportunity stop. Doesn’t stop me taking a picture of course! These are apparently quite “new” terraces, built only about 300 years ago..... The irrigation systems have been in place much longer.....
And so to our last stop before returning to Ubud, a visit to a real Bali home compound. Just happens to be the compound of an artist in Kelaki, also the name of the style of painting done here, and surprise, surprise, I was shown some examples that were for sale.... Beautiful art, just not my style. But it was a real family compound with the little rooms and temples. I was offered and had to accept a glass of fresh lemongrass tea and a sticky rice dry pancake that looked a bit like a prawn cracker. On the way out, Grandma appeared from a very dark and grubby looking side room – a very old lady, deeply brown and deeply wrinkled with a toothless grin, a sarong around her waist and completely topless..... I asked Wayan her age as we got back in the car. His reply – “she is very old, maybe 58 or 60”.......
There are so many offerings here it’s difficult to keep track. On the pavements, in the restaurants, little temples everywhere and today I notice the offerings late afternoon being placed in the little temples that dot the rice fields. I need to learn what they mean but as well as placing the little baskets there’s a lot of sprinkling of water using a frangipani flower head. But I also notice today that they don’t leave the rice crop only to chance. This afternoon they have been scattering some noxious substance over the rice fields – bright green and again very labour intensive. A small green watering can that you would use in a garden at home is filled and then sprayed around. So offerings and chemicals to help the rice along. No organic farming here, although the hotel restaurant proudly states that is uses organic rice only and no msg.
I also thought today that they had made offerings to the sun god as there was no rain during the day, but it did eventually turn up in the evening with another of the big storms I am unfortunately so familiar with. They really are quite spectacular with lightning illuminating the rice paddies and the thunder shaking the windows and doors. But the weather forecast does look a little more promising over the next few days, I do hope so, it’s difficult to do anything as the rain is just so heavy.
I’ve also been following the disaster of the Iceland volcano and the flight bans all over Europe. Strangely enough for the first time today, I notice I have my own volcano in the distance that I can see from my terrace – so far it’s been covered with cloud and mist so I have hardly seen it. This morning it was much clearer so I hope that is another sign of better weather to come. I think it’s Mt Batur, Bali’s most active volcano, so let’s just hope that one doesn’t decide to blow..... But interesting that I have been "volcano facing" on both the first (Guatemala) and last stops on this trip!
A special day today, I went to Sanur Beach. This was where I stayed when I met up with Kev and Ant out in Bali all those years ago and where we came back to to celebrate the millennium. I went to the Segara Village hotel which has certainly spruced itself up since it was a Kuoni 3* when we were there. It looks quite different now with lots of nice looking rooms and pools and silk covered day beds on the balconies and terraces.
I look for the pool where we celebrated New Year that first time but think it’s changed a bit. I also searched for the place where we spent the millennium on Sanur Beach – but wasn’t sure I found it – was it the Mango restaurant – don’t know! But the Sanur Beach Market is still there and you still can’t walk along the beach without being asked to “come look my shop” or “morning price”. The beach still looks about the same except that they have built a few groynes out to sea, they must have had a problem with shifting sand.
But I get back at lunchtime to miss the rain – again! Luckily I did, it was a really heavy one today so I sat in the hotel restaurant – I didn’t have time to get to the room before the heavens opened and chatted to a nice Aussie lady who is here with her daughters. And the snake saga goes on, this morning apparently there was another snake sighting and catching – I am extra careful as I walk around now!
Ubud is a peaceful place and the hotel in the middle of the rice paddies very quiet. So it was a surprise when a gaggle of the staff where banging big sticks all of a sudden by the pool and laughing loudly. I went to investigate and realised they were trying to catch a rather large snake...... Luckily they did.
Nothing to worry about they tell me, it is a rice paddy snake, it’s not very poisonous. When they catch them they just put them back in the paddies as they keep the balance of nature.... Now if it was a tree snake they tell me, they are a different story – very poisonous so when they are caught they are either killed or taken a long way away. I think that was meant to reassure me, so as you can imagine I am now on permanent snake watch!
But apart from that I am relaxing in the small town. Being the cultural centre there are loads of galleries, I have visited quite a few but so far I haven’t been taken over by an artistic urge to paint. But I have been tempted to make over my garden in the Bali style – lots of green, pebbles, little paths, temples. I even have a little temple in my little garden here. Am often found sitting outside reading at about 9pm after dinner and listening to the sound of the water trickling through the irrigation channels and along comes a man bearing a tray of offerings. He pops one in my little temple, using a flower to drop water on it, and then stands in front for a minute or so offering a little prayer as the fragrant incense fills the air. Then off he goes on his rounds to do the same at all the other little temples around and about. But the offerings are obviously not placating the rain gods. Every day so far the clear sunny morning is followed by heavy rain and thunder for most of the afternoon and into the evening. The rainy season is apparently going on longer than it should and is a bit of a problem – the rice is lovely and green, but now it’s dry weather that is needed so it can ripen in time for the harvest. And from my terrace I can see first hand what a labour intensive crop rice is. Whilst I sit under cover cowering from the flashes of lightning and in fear of rice paddy snakes, they are all out there in the open up to their knees in the mud carrying on weeding, spraying and whatever else it takes. I realise I would not make a good rice farmer.....
I am staying at a small hotel called Tegal Sari just outside the main centre of Ubud. It’s got around 25 rooms and is set right in the middle of the greenest paddy fields. Not quite as tidy and neat as those in Vietnam but still lovely. It’s a series of two story little houses, Bali style, and loads of greenery as well as the rice. There’s a little swimming pool right next to my room which is very handy. I just hope the rain stops long enough to be able to use it! It’s bucketing down at the moment- not meant to be at this time of year, but neither was it supposed to rain so much in Khao Lak. Mind you that rain has stopped there, so perhaps I brought it with me!
But this morning it was fine, sunny and warm. Even though there’s a little restaurant at the hotel, if you want, they bring food to you – and by the number of people scuttling back and forth this morning with trays I think most guests went the same route as me and had breakfast delivered, to be eaten overlooking the paddies. Very civilised with Balinese coffee (not too good – a bit muddy....), freshly made orange and tangerine juice, banana and coconut pancake and fresh fruit (banana, pineapple and avocado...). I will be leaping about later with all those vitamins in my system!
So after that a walk into town – about a mile away, but shops and galleries all the way so an entertaining walk. But to get to the centre, I do have to walk past the monkey forest, and yes, it does what it says on the tin, it’s a forest full of horrible monkeys. Everywhere you walk here there are offerings on the pavements – little palm trays with some rice, a flower, perhaps a banana and a fragrant incense stick burning on top. But these are seen less as offerings by the monkeys, more as a source of food. So they scamper out of the forest and onto the pavements to eat.
Ubud is known as the cultural centre of Bali and is full of beautiful temples, art galleries and shops selling lovely clothes and artistic “pieces” for the home. There are of course the other temples to shopping –D&G, Versace, Prada, Polo – but not sure the real D&G would be advertising their offering of “Buy One Get One Free” in quite the same way. Fakes in Thailand seem to have virtually disappeared (indeed there are big notices at Bangkok airport warning you of the dire consequences if you take them back to some European countries), but not so here. In fact I took a look in one bag shop and they really are quite good quality. But those shops apart, there is the market – full of the usual tourist souvenirs, but somehow here they just aren’t tacky. I try to remember what Ubud was like when we all came here twenty years ago when I bought the gold ring I have worn every day since and can’t find anything the same. Things have really changed but it’s still a gentle, delightful place. Even in the trendy cafes and restaurants the girls are placing the offerings and saying a small prayer. There are certainly more cars here than then and this morning a very flashy open topped bright red Ferrari drove slowly along the crowded street – I wonder if that was fake too?
It’s evening now and the rain has finally stopped. But I was reminded about what a spiritual people the Balinese are. A young cleaner came around to mop up the rain on the terrace earlier on – I commented on how much rain there had been, and he replied “yes, but the sky is always so beautiful after the rain” – a lesson in seeing the positive in everything.....
I am pleased to report that I survived my flight to Bali – not because of bad weather or any other problem but because it was in economy on a no frills flight..... even with Bangkok Airways you get a little lounge! And there was not even a glass of bubbly to help me on my way as it’s a dry airline.... But actually Air Asia wasn’t too bad at all. I had prepaid to get a decent seat (1A, my favourite...) and prepaid to be able to take my luggage. But the 6.15 am take off was a bit early for me.... But not a busy flight so I had seats 1a, b and c all to myself.
4 ¼ hours later I arrive at Denpasar Airport – and the smell of the incense and clove cigarettes that are everywhere took me right back to twenty years ago when I first came here to meet up with Kev and Ant. As well as the smell, I don’t think the airport has changed either in twenty years..... I am staying in Ubud towards the centre of the island for two weeks and the drive took us past Kuta, where Kev, Ant and I, when we were last here ten years ago, watched the last sunset of the millennium, then through Sanur where we all stayed the first time we were here, and where we saw in the new millennium on the second visit – happy and sad memories. Looking at it, it seems I come here every ten years, so I am looking forward to 2020!
Today, my last day in Khao Lak, I awake to a text from Ant advising me of yet another Tsunami warning following an Indonesian earthquake. Given the 2004 experience here, you will understand how relieved I was when I checked online to find that the warning had just been lifted. Having said that, from what I see and hear, Thailand in particular has a very good plan for warning and evacuation of potential tsunamis, so all would have been well anyway.
I have enjoyed it here in Khao Lak, a quiet seaside resort with a few things to see and good food. But now it’s time to make my way back to Bangkok for another night at the Great Residence Hotel before a very early flight tomorrow. Bangkok Airways was its usual efficient self, as was the limo pick up to the hotel. But using the free wifi at the hotel I saw that the Thai Prime Minister had just declared a state of emergency in Bangkok to try and sort out the Red Shirt protestors. As I am the airport it didn’t affect me but I did notice that there were more police with riot shields around. And as we landed two rather large black helicopters came in at the airport – I read later that the PM had been taken out of the centre in a helicopter for safety – I wonder if it was him? I also read that the state of emergency regulation forbidding gatherings of more than five people has not worked, and the Red Shirt protestors have made the central shopping areas and five star hotels almost a no go siege area. What a pity, it really will continue to damage the tourist trade. There was a great picture online of troops and protestors surrounding the Louis Vuitton store...
The late afternoon and evening thunderstorms mean that my perambulations now concentrate in the mornings when it is both dry and a little cooler. The good news is is that it’s a nice little walk up to the main road, the bad news is is that it offers too many temptations for breakfast! The hotel restaurant (unlike the fab rooms) isn’t up to much at all, so I have been trying out various other little cafes instead. Sad to report, but a McDonald’s big breakfast is the best I have found so far! Thai’s obviously don’t understand toast – all I can find is warmed up soft white bread, and a scrambled egg can’t be served without all sorts of herbs and veggies included. And baked beans are served cold.... Oh dear, I sound like I a real Brit! But I have spotted the inevitable Irish Bar, so perhaps I’ll try there tomorrow...
Give the toll the tsunami took on this area, after breakfast, I decide to go to the International Tsunami Museum. For some reason I was expecting, well, a proper sort of a museum. But no – it looked like someone’s house and situated next to the big sign for the “Moo Moo Lady Boy Show”. There wasn’t much there, a few hand knitted things for sale, some large generic posters on the walls and two rooms showing videos. One video was showing an animated version of how tsunami’s happen. But the other one was a very graphic account of the aftermath in this area. It was all in Thai but that didn’t stop it from being effective, and the few people watching with me looked as if they didn’t speak Thai either, but still there wasn’t a dry eye in the house. A sobering experience.
But getting there was interesting. It’s only about 3 kms up from Khao Lak centre so I got a collective tuk tuk – at £2.50! I tried bargaining but no dice – can’t be doing too badly here then! But as is usual for me, I get somewhere, then can’t find transport back, so I walk. A bit hot but good for me I decided. Back in Khao Lak centre I stop for a cold drink and notice the typo’s on the cafe sign – I could have a “Solf Drink” – this is not a handwritten sign but one that someone has paid a lot of money to get produced. But I notice this everywhere – if I need a few bob I reckon I could start a new business proof reading for sign writers! In terms of beauty treatments I am torn between the “madicure” or the “Sking feet treatment”. Or I might buy a “World Wild Airticket”. But my favourite so far is the cafe where you can buy an “Iced Dream” – perhaps on those nights when you leave the aircon on too high....
