skip to main |
skip to sidebar
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....
