A big sign right outside Denpasar Airport (Bali’s capital) declares, “Bali – the Paradise.” The plane load of “tourists (mostly Chinese) can probably testify to that statement The driver from the Okawati Hotel in Ubud was waiting for us, and it took about 1 hour to reach the city center of the Balinese cultural center Okawati was the “pick” of hotels in “bud,” according to Lonely Planet We were awe-struck when a smiling receptionist showed us our rooms The ceiling and wall panels were covered with beautifully handwoven bamboo mats On one side of the wall is an exquisite carved stone picture The bed and all the furniture were Balinese-style The veranda faces a lovely garden and a swimming pool At $55 a night, it is better than most 4-star and some 5-star American hotels Lonely Planet also noted how helpful and pleasant the staff was We found that especially true with Gusti, our receptionist He has worked for Mrs. Okawati for close to 20 years He is an excellent cook and prepared and delivered our breakfast in the morning Breakfast includes fresh fruit (arranged artistically in a flower shape), freshly squeezed juice, eggs prepared any way you like, toast, homemade yogurt, and coffee I tried the Balinese pancake with banana – it actually is a crepe filled with bananas, and it was excellent Gusti was very patient and answered every question Ray asked, which kept him on our balcony for at least 20 minutes—the staff’s attentiveness made our 4-day stay there very enjoyable.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/kz1G4Mw6ydCCjM8f6
Indonesia is a Muslim country, but 95% of the Balinese are Hindu. They are devoted followers because every morning they go through a ritual of making offering boxes from banana leaves, fresh flowers, and rice. These little boxes sit at every doorstep, on the streets, on the walking paths, and even on the steps. If I were a Hindu god, then Ubud would be my heaven. It is just so lovely here. Our hotel is right on Monkey Forest Road, Ubud’s main street. Ubud’s a tourist town, so you see the usual tourist traps, but with a nice touch. When we walked around the city, many locals held up a sign reading “Taxi?” and, when we said no, a 2nd sign reading “Maybe tomorrow?” You have to laugh at their optimism and good humor. Many restaurants line Monkey Forest Road. Some have courtyards that border pretty rice fields.
We went to a Balinese Dance performance at an old temple. There were several Balinese dances, all based on Hindu myths and legends. We saw the Palong Dance. The costumes are glamorously decorated with gold and red, and the headdresses are crowns of fresh flowers. The dances carry strong religious overtones. The first two ladies started out dancing with their eyes closed, as in a trance. The eyes are a very important part of most Balinese dances. They use their eyes more than their facial expressions. It was quite impressive.
We took a mountain bike ride with a local eco-tourism company, Bali Eco (www.baliecocycling.com). The price (including transportation, breakfast, lunch, bike, helmet, and an English-speaking tour guide) was a very reasonable $36 per person. We started from Lake Batur – a beautiful volcanic crater lake and rode downhill for about 25 km through country roads, rice paddies, and a small town. During the ride, we stopped to visit a local villager’s home. The villager’s family compound spans generations. The family temple (in a set of 3) is always at the head of the compound, facing N or E. The ceremonial building is where they celebrate births, weddings, and funerals. To ward off evil spirits, a Balinese baby does not touch the ground for 3 months after birth. At 3 months, the priest comes and blesses the baby before the baby’s feet touch the ground. They also have a ceremony to file the 6 upper front teeth (representing the animalistic portion of humans) around puberty. Out of respect, the grandparents live in the highest building in the compound. Other family members live in smaller, lower buildings. Each family has its own kitchen, so the women would not fight. The Bali family cooks once a day in the morning (at least the rice). Before they eat, they take some rice with fresh flowers and go around making offerings to all the gods. They dip the flowers in water and sprinkle them around to bless every part of the family compound. The family generally doesn’t eat meals together, and Balinese people basically eat the same thing (rice, vegetables, and some meat) for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. After the morning offering, family members will drop by the kitchen to eat whenever it is convenient for them. That is a different kind of family tradition from what we are familiar with. The family raises pigs (they call them their ATM or cash crop), chickens, and cows, but their main livelihood is weaving bamboo mats. We watched the family cut out the huge bamboos from their bamboo groves, peel the skins, weave the mat into the finish products. The old grandma who was peeling the skins showed us how sharp these bamboo skins can be by cutting a piece of paper withone of the shavings. These bamboo mats are then sold to cities to use as ceiling and wall panels. Our 2nd stop was at a 500-year-old banyan tree where we saw many children sweeping the dirt floor. They asked us for banana peels to take home to feed their pigs.
We also stopped by a coffee plantation to taste the “World Most Expensive Luwak Coffee” (check out the movie” “Bucket List “and see what Jack Nicholson was drinking if you don’t believe me). Luwak coffee was obtained from the droppings of civet cats. The cat only eats Arabian coffee (smart choice), and after digesting the fruit, it leaves the seeds (coffee beans) in its poop, which are collected, washed, and roasted for Luwak coffee. Because the cat’s droppings are hard to find, this coffee is valued and sold at a premium worldwide. We each paid the equivalent of $3 a cup to taste the coffee. It was pretty good, but I don’t think I will get hooked on it as Jack Nicholson did. I also learned that there are “male” and “female” coffee beans. Female beans contain two seeds, while male beans have only one. Male coffee tastes stronger and is therefore priced higher. You never know what pearl of knowledge you will learn by traveling to Bali.
Along the bike route, we saw beautiful rice terraces that look just like the ones you see in many travel magazines about Bali. We stopped and tried our hand at helping local farmers thresh rice. They were laughing at us because we probably lost more grains outside the paddy than we put it where it should be
The whole scenery is gorgeous, though some roads are a little bumpy, with lots of potholes from recent heavy rainfall. After 25 km, only 5 people were up for the challenge of riding another 7 km uphill to the restaurant where we had lunch. I can proudly announce that our group of 4 were the brave ones who took up this challenge. The last part of the ride was more on city streets, so there was a lot more traffic whizzing around us. It was a hot, long haul uphill, but after 30 minutes, we all made it to the restaurant, and the staff handed us icy cold face towels- what a reward that was. The lunch is buffet style and full of Bali special dishes, including the smoked duck, roast chicken, bean curds, and our favorite – Cato Cato – a combination of vegetables wrapped in cabbage leaves with a great peanut sauce on top. We came back to soak our tired bones in the beautiful swimming pool surrounded by tropical plants. Ray got an hour-long foot massage, and I got a full-body massage from a lady who came to the hotel for about $7 per person. I don’t presume that paradise would be any better than this. Dinner was at a local restaurant: curried fish wrapped in a banana leaf and coconut shrimp. Ray tried the local palm wine (Arak), which was quite strong, but he said it tasted good mixed with lime and ice.
We hired a car for a day to visit sacred places near Ubud. The driver’s name is Newman (#2 child in his family), and we went to Goa Gajah (Elephant Cave) first. It is surprisingly cool and very green with tropical plants. This place was built around the 11th century. The stone sculptures are all covered with moss and bring tranquility to one’s soul. There are pools of water with sculpted women and animals. We bought two fresh coconuts from a local vendor who had just cut them down earlier, and they tasted really good. The 2nd place we went is Gunung Kawi – a Sanctuary. This one is harder to get around because you had to walk down over 100 steps (of course, the pathway was lined with vendors selling coconut carvings, sarongs, and cold drinks). We watched a shop lady doing her magic with palm leaves, weaving and cutting to make beautiful boxes for her daily offering. She is quite dandy with her knife, cutting slits this way and that way, and when she opens it, it spreads out like flower petals. She uses a thin bamboo stick to stitch everything together. I think all Balinese women learn how to make these kinds of containers when they were young girls. Balinese people are very artistic and use fresh flowers to line everyday ordinary items with beautiful arrangements. This is what makes Bali a paradise. The last place we visited was Seribatu. Seribatu looks more like a pleasure garden than a sanctuary. The wall and sculptures are all covered with flower-like dark green mosses, which I have never seen before. There are also some very unusual and pretty tropical flowers. What intrigues us most is this small deer; it looks different than any deer we have ever seen. It has horns and a ridge on its face, with two tiny canine teeth sticking out of its mouth. A deep fold is under his eye, and for a second, it opens and makes his eye look extremely large. The dominant male is about the size of a medium dog, and there are also a mother with her baby and some young males in the next cage. Ray gave the large male some grass, and he started licking Ray’s hand; he must like the salty taste on his hand. This place is definitely on my “not to miss” list in Bali.
It’s hard, but we had to leave Ubud and the Okawati staff. Maybe I can convince my family to have a reunion at this beautiful place. Bali is such an amazing place that I can’t do it justice in one blog. I hope you enjoy this segment of our 3-month-long SE Asia trip (we’ve now passed the 10,000-mile mark) and join us to snorkel in Nusa Lembongan.