Ubud, Bondalem, Amed..ceremonies to corals

Ubud has changed a lot since we first visited 25yrs ago, but you still only have to walk a short distance up a side lane to be surrounded by rice paddies and rural life as it has always been. A 4hr circular walk, with a stop at an organic warung (restaurant), yes! the times are a changing. We tag along near a guided tour and find out about some of the local and introduced plants and later on in the day at a restaurant over 100 traditional uses for the humble coconut tree. Back in Ubud we eat some traditional Balinese food, a rarity amongst the westernised meals on offer in most places. If only the tourist would ask for it instead of dishes like ”chiken Gordon blue or spageti sauc”.............. A great place to learn deeper aspects of the culture............

Lunch overlooking Kintamani

Heading back to Bondalum we travel via Kintamani, another place visited previously but then it was enshrouded in mist and rain, we are in luck, and the volcano, lake and old caldera are all visible. A touristy buffet lunch at restaurant hanging over the cliff we take in the vista for an hour or so. Our driver tells us he will return to Ubud by driving around the island rather than return by the steep, narrow winding route we take on our way down the back of the volcano.......R

The temple next to Putu’s house is only about 20m away. So, at times of ceremony its a busy place. Odolan is a special time for the temple and the village. There are an incredible amount of different ceremonies, this one is like a temple ‘birthday’. For 5 days leading up to the full moon, offerings and prayers are made. The temple is now ‘dressed in its fineries. Umbrella’s help to shade the Gods. Shrines are wrapped in golden cloth. The offerings are exquisite. Towers of fruit and cakes are brought by beautiful women who skilfully carry them on their heads. To us it’s a spectacle and yet, to the locals its part of everyday life. Their customs and spirituality so entwined into daily existence. Prayers are continuously spoken/sung through loud speakers and this continues till late at night, sometimes restarting at about 1am! As the house is open the volume is such that its even hard to hear each other speak. But this is how it is. Its a wonderful total immersion into life as it is during this ceremony.

I sit with the ‘girls’ and feebly attempt the intricacies of creating some of their offerings. With the dexterity of master weavers, even the 10year olds do an incredible job. The first task is a small ‘box’ made from a long strip of young coconut leaf, split down the centre to give two long pieces to weave. The end result is an exquisite small ‘box’ about 5x5x2cm. This is filled with rice and cooked for about 2 hours. When broken open the rice inside is like a sticky rice brick and delicious. These ‘parcels’ can keep the rice fresh for about 3 days and traditionally were often used for ‘picnics’ or overnight trips.

The girls coach me along and I do eventually turn out a form.....somewhat lacking in the beauty and tightness of the others! I am then relegated to tightening several others, which takes me quite a while compared to their amazing fingers and knowledge.

There are many types of woven decorations , trays, dishes that are skilfully created every day. These are filled with beautiful flowers cakes rice fruit, depending on the type.

We go to the brother temple further down the road to make offering and prayers.

Putu has dressed us in the necessary clothes and there is a wonderful sense of excitement as the whole family head off to the temple on the motor bikes. Many people arrive and many people are leaving. It’s a constant stream of people, all dressed in full temple gear, everyone looking so beautiful. How can everyone look so stunning??

Inside the temple we await whilst one prayer session finishes for ours to begin. Of course we attract a fair amount of attention being the only ‘White people”. Sensory overload abounds inside the temple, it’s all so striking. Fruits flowers colours, incense. Children of all ages sit and wait everyone chats, the women take their offerings up to the various alters. We are warmly welcomed.

The gentle ringing of a bell starts the session. Putu hands us the ‘correct’ flowers to use as we pray with the people. After eah prayer the flowers are placed into the hair band or the back of the headpiece worn by the men. I have neither and my ears aren’t big enough to hold them behind! The session culminates with a blessing from one of the priests with holy water. We drink three times from our hands and the forth tine we spread it over our head and receive rice which we stick to our forehead behind our ears and sprinkle on our heads. Peace, love and beauty.

When we arrive back home there’s more excitement as we share out the foods from the baskets of offerings...which have been brought back home for eating. Imported apples and oranges are prized.

Next door the chanting continues well into the night. .........Ax





Amed 25/8/10

We catch local transport to Amed, about one and half hours away. Negotiating the price somewhat less confronting than usual, with reece playing the hard bargainer. Bamboo Bali is a place we have stayed often and arriving ther feels comfortable. Prices have doubled since 3 years ago but we haggle a bit to reach agreement.

salt making

Situated on the eastern coast, the area is dry compared to the rest of Bali. It sits in the rain shadow of Gunung Agung, the towering volcano that dominates the island. Laying dormant, it last erupted in 1963. Salt making and fishing used to be the main industries here and when we came here ten years ago it was very poor and desolate. Now, many fishermen and saltmakers have sold their land to foreigners who have built accommodation, and the beach is lined with ‘hotels’ and restaurants.

The coral here, as with most of the SE Asia and the Barrier Reef, suffered a mass bleaching in 1998, due to a rise in sea temperature. It also had to cope with dynamite fishing and constant braking from the boats and nets. We are so delighted with the recovery in this area.

There has been, and continues to be a concerted effort to clean up the beaches and look after the coral. The result is evident. The waters are crystal clear, it helps that its dry season and the conditions are perfect. Straight off the beach the corals and fish are abundant.



On our drive back to Legian, Nyoman stops near Goa Lawar for a fish lunch. This area is renowned for the fish sate and we have a fabulous lunch, delicious tastes for $10. This includes Nyoman and his wife and extra ikan pepes which I buy to take home for their boys. ...Ax

loving life

10/8/10....

In Bondalem we are completely at home with two dogs to walk in the afternoon , Rockie and Doggie, who also enjoy the sunset. Putus’ Bapak (father) visits often to take one or other of the ladies in his life to the doctor or hospital, 2 wives, 8 daughters and at least 1 granddaughter. He’s praying for a good omen to change his luck!

Then after nearly a week of relaxing and helping, a long time for me to stay in one place, we head off ...........on a Reece adventure.

13/8/10....

Bondalum/Pemuteran

The” Bis Terminal” at Singarajah is like so many others ....lots of little warungs and touts to tell you where you “really must go”. We managed our haggling for a trip to Permuteran for 20 thousand each (about $3.00 -3hrs). The local bus was relatively quiet really, just a few boxes/parcels and some peeping/squarking chickens, bloody hard on the bum though!! The trip is punctuated by many stops as the ‘kenek’ hangs out the door yelling to anyone on the side of the road that they really should consider a ride on his bus!!

Permuteran is on the coast, north west Bali. The coast line here is stunning and the mountains almost meet the sea. We find a room for 300thousand a night(expensive!!). This area doesn’t have a great deal of budget accom, so we feel lucky to have the room as many places are full.

A walk up the beach through the local fishing area reveals small fishing family houses built so close to the sea with their boats pulled up in front. Juxtaposed against this, just meters up the beach are huge resorts with tourists laying on lounges enjoying the quiet atmosphere.

This is a diving area and it’s great to see the care and respect that is going into the reefs here. Along the black sand beach is a place called Reef Seen. Reading about this place in Australia prompted my visit here. An aussie guy set up here 30 years ago and has had a huge impact on the amount of education and work set up. The reef is recovering from netting, dynamite fishing and general abuse helped by various projects. Artificial reefs are also working well. Bio Rock is a wire reef structure set up with an electric charge running through which stimulates the coral growth.

Menganan Island is about a 1 hour boat trip away. On the way we saw dolphins and a flying fish!...they really can fly!! I was surprised to see how far, perhaps about 200 m, flapping its little fins like mad!! Great snorkelling over beautiful corals. The fish were abundant with such a huge variety....we even saw nimo in an anennneneneomeee!!  Ax

15/8/10 Permuteran to Java....

After a swim in the ocean, we headed off on our next adventure......a bemo from permuteran to Gilamanuk (the ferry port to Java.) This part of the trip was fairly easy, straight onto the ferry. Most people board on their motorbikes bus etc....we walked on. We sat outside at the back and were assaulted by really bad loud pop music. With nowhere to escape the raucous we suffered the pain!!The ferry trip took about half an hour to cross the straight, but about 1 hour waiting time. Getting off at the other side and it was time to start negotiating where to go to get the next bus/bemo and hopefully believe the information you are being told. There are so many different stories and trying to haggle is always a tad confronting!..should be used to it by now and I suppose i am, it’s just that sometimes you realise it’s over $1 or less! So it’s a bemo to the bus terminal and then 1 hr wait for a bus to Pobolinko. We ate a simple roadside warung and were entertained by the local kids who enjoyed reading my English/indo dictionary. Pobolingo is a five hour bus trip....and its late and dark when we arrive there. The travel warnings say it’s a hell of a place at night because of the touts at the bus station...not so much dangerous but dishonest and theft is common......so we get off the bus in town and stay the night in a hotel.....it’s too late to tackle the next part of the journey (another two hour up a very steep incline to Cemoro Lewang and Mt Bromo). Needless to say we’re exhausted after the day’s travel...worth it???? You know what, yes i think so....so many interesting characters and sights.... The old lady who struggled on with all her gear, bags of shopping and boxes, she sat there looking out the window, her withering body not at all a problem as she dully cracked every knuckle, even her ear lobes flapped in the wind...now there’s something to look forward to!! The ‘buskers’ who hop on every bus at the terminal and play fairly bad music on battered guitars or ukuleles: They walk up and down the aisles with a plastic bag for coins....most people give them about 200r (5cents). The short blind fat man who made his way along the aisle at the terminal who would tap each seat to see if someone was there....he was usually granted more money....a one thousand note (20 cents), a tap on his tin to let him know you had paid..and off to the next seat.. Every kind of transport , so many levels of society ...it’s interesting watching it all ‘close up ...yet i suppose so far away.



16/8/10

Mount Bromo is an active volcano in East Java, we are now “up in the Hills”. It’s quite cold, which is conducive to walking and quite a relief. We are staying in a home stay for 80thousand ($10). The view across to the volcano is spectacular and very clear.

We decide to take a walk across the” sea of sands”. This is a 2km walk across the base of the crater, a wasteland of flat land between the old caldera and the new active cone. It’s black sand with very little vegetation that circumnavigates the smouldering cone. A truly magnificent and somewhat eerie landscape, Think planet of the apes crossed with star wars!!

The descent into the Sea of sand is steep and the calf muscles begin to burn .. wait for the following ascent!! After a fairly steep climb upward in soft to medium dessert sand you reach the bottom of the vertical steps...all 260 of them......(perhaps the light house training was a bit light on!! : )

Looking down inside the crater is a small, perhaps 10m hole at the base that billows sulphurous smoke. How far down does it originate?. . I ponder as I sit on the crater rim. It’s sandy and slightly unsure footing for me and I panic slightly as Reece makes his way further around the crater rim.

The view from the top was worth every breath...i wish i had the words really. Walking back across ‘the dessert” the wind howls and twisters of sand reach for the sky...

I’m delighted we arrived in the morning as later the mist shrouds the whole landscape.



After a punctuated sleep we rose at 4am to reach the top for sunrise...this time on horseback. The horses are small and fine boned. Waiting outside our room in the darkness is Olying and his pony Pudra. I hop on and Reece’s pony is at another meeting place......mmmm but it’s not there!! Short wait and we set off, eager to get going. An extra horse and guardian soon catch up to us. Now, picture this...Reece’s long legs hitched up in high stirrups on a VERY tiny pony......funny and uncomfortable!! We swap horses and adjust stirrups to make the journey slightly more comfortable!!!

Its dark, still and so misty you can see very little....an incredibly magical atmosphere...though we are not alone. Motor bikes and jeeps now also make their way across the Sea of Sand although on a slightly different route. (We came here 25 years ago with my dad and brother and there certainly weren’t cars on route.) The silence crossing the sand is quite strange as the mist totally surrounds you and the cold air takes your breath away......wish I had some decent words to describe it.

We get to the base of the volcano and the sulphur fumes are intense, The plume being forced downwards by the cold air. We begin the climb up the stairs and I can barely breathe. Probably getting about half the air required into my lungs, too eager to get to the top. Several puffs of ventolin and I’m back on track.

It’s Independece Day today and we are not alone in our climb. Several locals are also puffing their way up. It’s truly The MOST SPECTACULAR sight. The valley is totally engulfed in thick mist but above it all the sun peeps through amazing coloured sky and greets the day.....and it’s all for us!!!!

At this point I cannot describe the sensations that surrounded us except ...magical really.

The ride home is totally humbling and I feel totally satisfied with where I am; right here right now...Axx



A text to Nyoman Dira saying we are at Bromo, where he had recently brought his family and 74yr old mother to the temple and crater. I tell him that we are going on a mountain pony trek and he quickly replies “ Pony to small for u your leg to long ha-ha-ha good time “ knowing only too well that they stand at about 4foot high.. those two times I rode the horses at home making all the difference between pure amateur and regular cowboy, although when the handler hit my pony on the arse he assumed that I could ride like Angela.....not.



The long distance bus ride from the ferry port to Probolingo, 200+ km takes about 5hrs, the side of the main highway on both sides is lined with an unending array of life and industry. Main road frontage is all important for every business enterprise you can imagine. The result of this is a town planner’s nightmare with large cities fading away to rural areas, only to head straight back into the next city with only a natural land feature (N.Park, mangrove swamp, cliff etc.) causing any real break. A constant movement of local and long distance traffic weaving in and out of the roadside slowing the trip, although the return trip in semi AC comfort is slightly faster than the public bus.

The 40km bemo ride couldn’t take more than an hour... 2.5 hrs later after a fairly fast run up the long lower slopes of Bromo, a hair-pin winding assent in first gear up the old caldera we arrive. Again my estimates of travel times are well and truly thrown out the window......slow learning curve....we are in Asia now....but 40km down hill is a lot quicker!

We get off the bus in Medewi @ 8.30pm rather than hitting the Denpasar terminal @ 10.00pm then trying to find accom. Waking up to a warm welcome from friends and the ocean with nice waves and offshore winds. I hire a board and loose a fin on entering the water, have that replaced and 3 great surfs later snap another. Each time replacing the missing fin with a large leaf before returning the board. This is met with good humour and banter...I might just get out of this.......”sorry mister because you good friend only 250000rp($32) normally 350000” my new friend Mann tells me.”Maybe next time bring your own board”.

Leaving the relative peace of Medewi we drive to Ubud to join Kieran and his friends for his 60 b,day dinner. At the dinner we are all amazed as a traditionally cooked suckling pig is presented on a platter, rice and local vegetables complete the meal. A really fun night with lots of laughter.

An early morning market visit is an eye opener, a daily ritual for locals with quality testing and haggling over price for every item brought- meat, fish, fruit & veg, flowers and precooked delicacies some of the things available. No tourists are about till around 8.00am then the road around the main part of town fills with vehicles until a day long traffic jam ends about 8.00pm. Art and culture are the main draw cards for Ubud, though I haven’t found my special piece yet. ..............R

the first 2 weeks

Jetstar from Sydney to Denpasar via Darwin arriving at 9.30 local time was great. Straight through customs and baggage and into a taxi. Arrive at Suriwathi Hotel and are greeted by the “sorry no double room only twin” . Tidak upa upa (no worry) everything else was ok. Bintang, nasi goreng and Bali kopi then we were back on track.




Wake up for an early surf check at Legian Beach, small waves and low tide.. not much happening. Then from behind comes the call of “hey mister you want happy ending”....help get me out of tourist mayhem. We need the comforts of familiar surroundings and head to Senin Beach Resturant for more nasi goreng and conversation with Made and Ketut. More renovations in preparation for a wedding that’s been in the planning for years.

A few jobs to do before we run away; change money (8100rp =$1.00), phone sim card, computer carry bag from BBB surfboard bags and a few phone calls to get us on our way.





Nyoman Dira organised for a drive to Medewi, surf check at Balian on the way ,surf blown out, but a lot of development and nice losmans. On to Medewi with sights of the Bali we love, small villages, rice padi, coconut groves and the wild mix of transport all around.

Arrive in Medewi and are greeted with cries of joy and laughter, making us feel like we have returned home. Check into Medewi Beach losman, makan siang (lunch) at Gede, surf some Medewi magic then massages. Starting to feel pretty relaxed...............Makan malam (dinner) at a local warung for 28000rp ($3.50) then sleep. Only 180 more days of this to go. ..... R.





Coming into Medewi is a place called Soka....it is when you come here that the scenery changes. Out in front as you literally round the corner, the sea stretches wide and the rice padi are on both side of the road. It fascinates me that rice can be grown so close to the sea on the flat. On the other side of the road the mountains are in the distance. Where i sit now I can see the ocean hear the ocean and smell the ocean. Its probably only one hundred metres away. The beach is lined with black rocks and the small fishing boats go out daily (if the waves aren’t too big .) our accom is a small tiled ‘hut’,’ we are down stairs...a big bed, small indo bathroom and a llang llang roof(grass).

At night we can hear the traffic that is constantly moving along the main road...its the main road between Gilamanuk and Denpasar...(trucks traverse it from Java). Mixed with this, is the sound of the waves. ... If its a big surf it is louder than the road noise. Each sound comes from a different direction. At 4 am the call to prayer begins. This is a Muslim village and the mosque is next door. The singing /chanting is a background harmony to the main ‘melody’.

Maybe the massage I had late yesterday afternoon has brought out a few toxins, for today I seem to be hit with a head cold . I suppose that’s another good reason to sit around and do nothing!...

.A... 4/8/10

Maybe the massage I had yesterday was a bit too hasty, I went for the quick fix and it has left me a bit sore. Soft massages first followed by the manipulation would have been better. So watching the surf, but too sore to go in. My friend Mas, a deaf mute, has not been around so I take an ojek “motor bike taxi” to his village and surprise him. Hand gestures and a little lip reading fill in an hour of conversation, late lunch and looking at endless photos of himself and family, including ones we have given him over the years. A motor bike ride back to Medewi along the main road with a deaf man is an interesting experience, the loud horn blasts of passing trucks and buses goes unnoticed by him. The next day while walking to the local barber for a shave Mas passes on his bike and another adventure begins. Barber closed, hair dresser doesn’t do shaves so off to shop to buy some blades and back to Mas’s house for him to shave me. ....everytime I head out side something new and unexpected happens.......



Overland to Bondelum is spectacular, mountain villages line the winding road with cloves and coffee beans and other spices drying on large sheets next to the road. We wind up then down, a short distance in kilometres, but travelling at 40 kph short trips still take hours.....R





7/8/10

Battled with a rotten cold and lack of breath for the last few days but feeling like the temperatures may have finally left me ...I hope! Yesterday we hit the road for Bondalem. It’s at the top of the island east of Singarajah. WE have come to the home of Matt and Putu. Here, they have built a beautiful villa. It has been two and a half years since we have been here and their gardens and improvements are remarkable. They have built two gorgeous bungalows set amongst exquisite gardens and a swimming pool. Its set right against the ocean and is stunning! Check it out...Villa Selina!



Head lice over here are part of everyday life. Everyone de-louses each other. I love the sense of responsibility for their own heads!!! No blame, no chemical “quick fix” just sit, spend some time and check each other’s heads. From this we can learn. I believe they’re part of our life on the north coast and we too need to stop blaming others and deal with it on a daily basis!......A



Bondelum adventures while Angela recovers include walks along beach and to local warungs for afternoon Bintangs (beer) and snacks of the local variety, you never know what you’re getting. A motor bike ride to waterfall and large temple complex followed by 11000 rp ($1.30) lunch for two, sate ayam and bakso.

We help around the villa; cleaning, gardening and entertaining Selina, and have beautiful meals and a room to stay in....thank you Matt and Putu...........R



9/8/10.

...I’ve just got back from the local school. Putu’s dad is the headmaster there. Set way up high beyond Bondalem, the drive there was stunning, in particular on the back of the motor bike. We have been borrowing one of Mat’s motor bikes and venturing out. Climbing high up the ‘mountain,’ around plenty of hair pin bends, our ears popped! When we arrived at the school the children were all finishing their prayers and cleaning.........(Note to children at home!......Here it is part of the school day to clean the school grounds and classrooms.) I went into class 6 and was greeted very officiously.....”good morning Bu”...

The classrooms are devoid of any teaching aids on the walls. There is a blackboard out the front, on which you can barely make out the chalk markings. Thanks to Cheryl and Goonengerry I brought various posters/charts with me. I used them in the lesson that followed. We reviewed greetings (they have English lessons once a week for one hour .) The children ranged from 11- 14yrs old. In this area, as with most of Bali schooling is taken in accordance with affordability. Many children miss out.

After class 6, I ventured around the school yard, flocked by squealing faces who ran away if asked a direct question. I forgot to add, that the whole time i was teaching the 6th class the doors at either side of the room were jam packed with younger children looking on/ in! (I’m not sure why they weren’t in class.!) Looking into the other classes, there were lots of excited children but no teachers in sight. Finally, in a room, I found a class taking ‘lessons’ so I asked if I could watch. Class one. The teacher was pointing at the board where IKAN was ‘Scratched” with chalk. The children recited it back. From under her desk she removed a plastic bag full of letters. She poured them onto the floor and all hell broke loose!!!! They scrambled on top of each other to claim the letters as she called them out....too bad if you were on the bottom!! I sat on the floor and played my clapping routine to get their attention and then found the letters for FISH. We practised fish, cat dog etc... very cute !

I did not, in my time here, see any books, paper or pens. I left them with lots of coloured pencils sharpeners and the charts. They were very grateful and asked for more teaching aids if possible.



.....we come from the land of plenty....so much .... ....



Before we left Australia, our school threw out a trailer full of “stuff” from the resource room........these guys don’t have a resource room, there’s nothing to put within!.......A



10/8/10....

Bondalum



13/8/10....

Bondalum/Pemuteran