Bali Hi - A vacation from vacation from retirement

February 13 2018

We flew from Bangkok to Denpasar Bali. We arrived at our hotel around 7:00 p.m. because the driver was one hour late picking us up due to bad traffic. It turns out that all of southern Bali has horrid traffic due to narrow streets, few main roads, no shoulders or places to park, many tourists even in low seasons and lots and lots of cars and motorcycles/scooters. We were too late for dinner at the hotel as the staff had left for the day. So we walked around the neighborhood and found a bakery and got a few items there. It wasn’t what we call a meal but it was okay for the night.

We decided to spend two nights here to see the southern part of the island, seeing the beaches and some temples. Bali, unlike the rest of Indonesia, is Hindu, not majority Muslim. But it is a very different form of Hinduism than India. Our driver told us that there is only one God, versus India where they have four million gods. They do not have worship any images of god.

Denpasar is not an attractive city and we later learned that most people stay at the beach but we wanted to go to Ubud in a day so felt it made most sense to stay in Denpasar.  We hired a driver who suggested an itinerary. First stop was a Balinese dance performance. It was interesting at times but not particularly engaging. It went on for far too long, an hour, and had segments that we found to be stupid comedy which we were sure wasn’t traditional Balinese dance.

Next we went to a batik textile factory which was a misrepresentation. There were a few women sitting outside making cartoon like batiks for tourists. Inside was a large shopping area of clothing for adults and kids and yardage. None appeared to be produced there so we were disappointed. A woman shadowed us the entire time which for me is a real disincentive to buy anything so we left quickly.

On to the beaches. This is low season in Bali and we fought traffic almost the entire day. The first beach, Canggu, was a surfing beach. It was raining and the surf was so flat that we only saw one person get up on their board. Ron loves to say all beach towns are the same and that held true here. Loads of tacky souvenir shops, traffic congestion and surf board shops.

We went to the next town, Seminyak and had our first ‘warung’ meal. A warung is a simple café, not a restaurant really. Think cafeteria. Here there is a counter with prepared food. How long has it been sitting there is the question. We decided to try the bbq chicken, green beans with soy curd and red rice. We pointed to what items we wanted and the server dished it up and handed us the plate. It is really a form of fast food but healthier as long as you don’t get food poisoning!  It was a simple meal and good. For the three of us the bill was nine dollars for drinks and three hot meals. The exchange rate is $1.=13,760 rupiah. It makes it difficult to do a quick conversion.

On the way to the Bukit peninsular on the southern tip of Bali, we stopped at a Luwak coffee shop. This was a beautiful garden like setting with a guide who showed us the plants they grow for their teas. Then there were the civets, a member of the cat family which are used in the production of luwak coffee, coffee that includes part-digested coffee cherries eaten and defecated by the Asian palm civet (Paradoxurus hermaphroditus). Fermentation occurs as the cherries pass through a civet's intestines, and after being defecated with other fecal matter, they are collected, cleaned and processed like regular coffee. Luwak is considered the most expensive coffee. It can sell for up to $600 a pound. No we did not buy any but did have a tasting of the teas and bought one cup which costs $4. After reading about it I am sure we did not drink legit luwak because it should have cost about $35 a cup. After the tea tasting we were invited into the shop. We picked out two teas and discovered they are instant teas. Gross but I felt committed by then and paid too much for what I am sure is artificially flavored teas. SUCKER! The setting was lovely and the drinks refreshing. It is hot and humid in Bali when the sun comes out. It seems to always be humid. It is located 6 or 7 degrees south of the equator.

We reached Pura Ula Wata, a famous temple on a high cliff over looking the ocean. The traffic was not near as bad on the peninsular as the beach areas. We walked around the temple along with many others. Sarongs were requited for modesty dress. Anyone in shorts or short skirts had to wear one. It was a bit silly since some women were close to naked on their upper body but who am I to criticize. I got a pass since I had on long pants but Ron wore a sarong over his shorts. I was given a sash to wear around my waist.

Afterwards we headed to another beach for a seafood dinner. We picked out the fish we wanted that was swimming is a tank. The meal was mediocre and overpriced but Ron got some great sunset shots which was the point.

Feb 14

We were picked up by Alit in the morning for our trip to Ubud with sightseeing on the way.. He had been referred to us by Nadya, whom we met in the Bangkok airport on our way to Bali. Nadya is a clothing designer from the US and has lived in Bali since 1978. It is always a good idea to hire an experienced driver who speaks good English and who knows the area. Someone who has specifically been referred by a previous customer is a win-win.

Alit arrived right on time. His English was excellent. He had been a teacher previously We told him what we wanted to do along the way to Ubud which is a 90 minute trip without traffic. Good luck on the traffic part around Denpasar. Our first stop was a great bird park. 

The Bali Bird Park has 1000 birds with 250 species, some flitting about and some in confined area. The grounds were exquisite. We arrived early so it wasn’t crowded. We took our time and spent over an hour there. The tropical birds are always a treat with their brightly colored feathers. We also got to see a smaller Komodo dragon, the largest of the lizard family I think. This is still rainy season but for the most part we were spared. There was a little sprinkling at one point but heck we are from the NW so no problem.

We told Alit we collected masks from our travels and that we were only interested in authentic masks that were used in rituals or ceremonial dances. He took us to a high end shop that was on the way to Ubud and what a treat. Not only did they carve wood masks but hundreds of other items as well. We didn’t see anything that looked like cheap tourists stuff. More and more we find that China has invaded countries that make interesting textiles, carvings, etc and reproduce the products in cheap copies. When we were in Tanzania I saw a Hmong zippered coin purse that would normally come from Thailand and other areas where the Hmong live. This one was made in China according to the shop owner.

We took three masks off the wall and looked at each one to determine which was our favorite. The one we chose was a ’barong mask’. If you have ever seen the famous lion dance that is performed in China and other places including Bali, the barong is the face of the stylized lion. This is the costume with two dancers underneath; one is under the head and the other under the tail. The barong is to scare away evil spirits and to promote harmony. The cost was listed as $700 but Alit had told us to try to get them for half. Fortunately Ron is a good negotiator and enjoys it. Not me, on either account. Ron got it for almost half and Alit was impressed.

Next we had lunch in a beautiful setting overlooking a rice paddy.   In this part of the world restaurants are often without walls. They are open on at least two or three sides helping to keep them cool. We had a great lunch and were refreshed to continue our journey.

We had read about the Setia Darma Mask Museum that was on the way. This museum has over 7,000 ceremonial masks and puppets from around the world, all from a single collector. The grounds were magnificent, well landscaped with gorgeous tropical plants everywhere. The collection was a dream come true for us. The owner had multiple barong masks with all the decorative feathers, etc. Our mask is much simpler and not painted. The collection was housed in multiple buildings, most of which were historic traditional homes that had been disassembled and then reconstructed on the grounds.

We arrived in Ubud and were left off about a block from our hotel. There is no parking here. If you park on the street you block one lane of traffic. The hotel is at the end of a narrow alley that can only be reached by foot. Fortunately we were traveling light. Our hotel is wonderful. Oka Wati is the owner and has had the hotel since 1975 I think. Our room was in the old wing and was a traditional room with woven mats used as wall covering, a highly ornate traditional bed and a huge bas relief concrete artwork that took up most of one wall. Two of the figures looked a lot like Adam and Eve in the garden. The courtyard was filled with flowering trees, vines and bushes. There was also a pool. We were served breakfast each day outside our room on the balcony overlooking the courtyard and it was totally private. Very romantic and all for $40 a night!

After unpacking we walked around town. I found a high end batik shop that was mentioned in our travel guide. Beautiful batiks but I didn’t see what I wanted. We found the restaurant we wanted to go to later and made a reservation. It is a romantic setting right in town overlooking …a rice paddy! We went back to our room for a brief break and walked back to the Three Monkeys restaurant. There were ponds with koi and bubbling fountains. The menu had great choices. I had a lime ginger fizz with fresh ginger and lime. YUM! Since it was Valentines Day we had the works for our meal, ending with fresh passion fruit sorbet for me and vanilla ice cream with house made caramel sauce for Ron.

The sidewalks also are narrow here. It is impossible to walk side by side and I often stepped into the street to let others pass me coming in the opposite direction.

Feb 15

Today Alit explained the ‘offerings’ we see everywhere we go. Each day people put out a little tray made of palm fronds filled with a variety fresh flowers in each tray. Alit has one in his car each day. He said most people grow flowers in their fields along with the rice for this purpose. These are an offering or blessing to God and it wards off evil spirits.  These are in front of shops and restaurants on the sidewalk all over town. It is a lovely sight to see. Alit also told us about rice consumption. They eat rice three times a day. His family grows their rice and harvests it every four months. He told me the amount they ate but I lost my notes. We had a substitute driver one day and his family of five eats two kilos of rice a day. A kilo is 2.2 pounds!

Today our excursion was to the village of Sideman. Mainly we went to see the countryside and Sideman Road did not disappoint us. Before we got that far, 

Alit suggested we stop at Cili, a weaving studio where Nadya buys some the fabrics she uses in her work. We loved watching the weavers weave ikat, tie dyed thread, yes threads, to form patterns. Ron took photos of the tying that was done before the dying process to help you be able to understand the process. I bought Ron a ikat shirt known as mudmee in Thailand and I got a plain hand woven blouse because they didn’t have any ikat in my color family.

Back on the road to Sideman, the area is covered in rice paddies: some flat and many terraced. Crops must be rotated and this is practiced here. Alit said his family grew casabas when they needed to switch from rice. It rained off and on during the day. 

We got out and walked through the little village and stopped at a school when kids were playing outside for their morning break. They were in traditional dress, girls in sarongs and pretty blouses, the boys in sarongs, shirts and the traditional head band. Some of the kids were shy with us and others waved and giggled.

Ron took photos along the way as we drove through in the mountains. We ate at a restaurant that overlooked a huge area of terraced paddies below the volcano Mt Gunung Agung, Bali’s highest peak. Since it was raining the peak was totally enshrouded in clouds but Ron took a photo of a photo so you can see what it would look like on a clear day. What a guy! The terraced rice paddies were unbelievable and massive. It was cool in the mountains and very refreshing. Throughout the day we saw piles of black sand. This sand is used in construction and comes from the volcanoes. People would bag the sand and load it on to open bed trucks to haul to construction sites. This is another source of income for rural people.

We had planned to walk through the rice paddies but the rain prevented that from happening. Alit suggested we go to see Nadya. He said her house was beautiful. He called ahead and she said that would be fine. Her house struck us as a place that grew organically. She has her studio there and we sat in one room so didn’t see what was house and what was studio. Her staff were busy at work. Nadya makes limited edition clothing. She travels to the US twice a year to sell her work. It was great fun to visit with her and yet again we found a kindred spirit who shares our values and attitudes about many things. She showed us her three hornbill birds. They are huge birds.

Alit told us there are 4.6 million people in Bali and they receive 10 million tourists a year. Good lord. I am grateful we came in the low season because high season must be a zoo. Iit is still raining daily but often late at night or early morning. It only rains a short time but the rains are quite heavy. We saw foreigners every where we went. Alit said there are no homeless people here and that immigrants come here for work. Everyone has a job. Consequently Bali seems prosperous. We did not see poverty. Yes they still hand harvest rice, etc but we didn’t see hovels or people living in the streets which we saw every where in India, for example.

Feb 16

Today we had Alit’s brother as our driver. We learned in Sri Lanka and India that the terms such as brother, cousin, sister and the like are used figuratively and does not always translate literally. He took us to see Gunung Kawi, one of Bali’s oldest and largest ancient monuments. 

The drive there was magnificent. Again we were surrounded by rice paddies and mountains. It is so green here with the rice in various stages of growth. It was clear and sunny and humid making for a hot day. The monument is at the bottom of 270 friggin steps. At the beginning were numerous vendors on each side of the sidewalk path, all selling really cheap sarongs for $1 wood carving, etc.. I felt sure they were from China. Because so many vendors were present I felt like I was walking through a gauntlet with each one begging us to buy. At the bottom of the 270 steps there was a sign pointing the way to the temple which required walking UP a lot of steps. At the top was another sign, pointing to the path on the left showing the way to the temple which was not visible. Also on the sign was a notice that women were NOT allowed. I asked myself how come they didn’t have that posted at the bottom of this path. I hate steps as it aggravates my lower back. Oh well. We retreated to the area where the ten carved shrines. They were in niches and were each10 meters high (over 30 ft.). This entire area has been nominated for UNESCO recognition. We slowly trudged back up the 270 steps, pausing frequently to catch our breath as these were higher than code steps and it was steep and did I mention it was hot as heck by now?

Next we drove a short distance to Tirta Empul with its holy springs that were discovered in AD 962. The springs are believed to have magical powers. The springs bubble up into a clear pool and gush out through water spouts. Many of the faithful get into the pool and wait inline to get to a spout to wash in the magical water. We stayed dry on the sidelines. We walked around the temple where people bring food to be blessed then eat it there so lots of picnicking as it were.

Our driver, Anung kept suggesting different places we would visit but frankly we were not interested in spending the whole day sight seeing. We wanted a more balanced time. So we decided to skip lunch and go directly to the chocolate factory! It is housed in the word’s largest bamboo structure. WOW three floors of bamboo. I blew our minds. We were not allowed to take photos except outside and on the third floor which is where the shopping happens. The company‘s guiding principles center around sustainability and I was duly impressed. I asked the person helping us if the owner was Balinese and she laughed and said no he was an American. I was not surprised because most developing countries have not yet embraced sustainability. We bought some cocoa powder and learned a way to make an iced drink with it using coconut sugar which they also sold. We bought five products and were on our way. Later at home I was reading the package and the company address was listed as Bali and…Ashland OR. HA!!