A CABANA ON THE BEACH

 

We aren't very beachy people. It could be the pale Welsh skin, or the easily distracted ADHD brains but really we are not very good at beach. Walking on beach? Sure. In for a swim and off again? Yep. But sitting? Just, not doing a thing? Nope. It turns out, when one member of your party is really ill, you have to all just learn to sit. I think we did a spectacular job. Look at this pro level sitting we did. 

C slept all day, still not eating despite the staff delivering all their cures for him from congee to vegetable broth. But he drank a lot of fluids and he was finally chipper and feeling better. Mum and I stepped out on our own for a bit to fortify our first aid items for the travel day we had ahead of us. We were set to fly to Kuala Lumpur in the morning. 

SHOPPING AND A SMALL DISASTER

Mum and I had more shopping to do so Mum and I called a car and went down to check out some shops and also a local mall hoping to uncover some boutiques that would have some higher quality but local items. We were successful but just as we were wrapping up I got a call from Joel that made me heart sink. Could I come to him right away, they had biked to the far end of the beach and C was vomiting. "Bali Belly" was something I was really hoping we'd avoid somehow with extremely careful measures around food and water and touching things. But eColi is absolutely everywhere in a country without public sanitation accessible to all and I knew the risk was very high. I was traveling with charcoal and several medications and they were on me at the time so we called another car and were there to rescue in about 10 minutes. 

C was sicker than I have ever seen anyone with Bali Belly. I ended up getting him onto heavy duty drugs to stop the vomiting pretty early as he became dehydrated and by the next morning the staff at the hotel were urging us to have the Dr come in. We were unfortunately checking out so they coordinated the Dr to meet us at the next hotel. 

At the same time Joel was leaving for the airport to fly back home so as he left, so did we with C, flushed and floppy at my side. The medical team arrived right on time and immediately assessed him and started an IV drip. This was not what C was expecting but I explained that it needed to happen and told him afterward he'd start to feel better. He was so brave, he just looked at me and didn't make a peep. 

By the time they left it was dinner time. We got ready for bed and hoped for a better day. 

SUDAMALA AND RETREAT

Last night we got out of the taxi and were greeted by staff who immediately anticipated who were were and where we needed to go, leaving us to the reception where we were met by two women who performed a water clearing ritual and pressed rice to our foreheads with a thumb, leaving the grains there as a reminder that we had been changed in that moment. Fully exhaling plastic fumes and inhaling ocean breeze. Our rooms were through antique doors and had 12 foot ceilings, king size beds with hand-woven linens and tapestries. Everything spoke of being made nearby, by hand and of the highest quality. Solid teak, marble, threadcounts for days. We slept well and wandered to breakfast, sitting out in the morning sun with plates of some of the most sumptuous brunch fare we'd seen so far. We had three rooms, not far away with little back gates from our patios where we could cross the garden and enter oneanothers spaces. We swam in the pool, ordered cocktails and settled in to truly relax. 

Later in the evening Joel and I took the kids to meet some old friends from Singapore who now live in Sanur. The evening was spent at a beachside table enjoying a long catch up while all the children run up and down the sand under a harvest moon. 

We had to change room on our second night because all their "basic" rooms were fully booked and found ourselves in giant suites! Yet another level of oooh and aahs. 

SIGHT-SEEING AND SANUR

Our driver returned the next morning to take us for a little more sight-seeing on our way to Sanur to check into the next place we were staying. We stopped at some gardens for lunch - Nasi Lemak and Satay.

Our "villa" was one of those Bali places that looked good on Agoda but was tired and not well kept in reality. After discovering all the broken things and a murky swimming pool we laid back for a nap only to be woken up by a house now filled with fumes of burning plastic. The neighbor had built a bonfire and and burning plastic and it had filled our villa. That was the final straw. Joel hopped on his computer and booked a five star resort down the road and we left. 

ARTISANS AND VOLCANO

I hired us a driver to take us to see the usual locations to watch locals carve wood, paint, weave, batik, roast coffee and all the skilled artisan things Balinese people are well known for. The kids were very interested and we did quite a good deal of shopping along the way. 

Joel woke from his very short "night" and joined us at the Goa Gahjah Temple and then we continued on to the Volcano for the views and a lunch. C was especially insistent on seeing an active volcano. 

The boys did some night swimming in the pool in the temple gardens at the hotel while I ordered local food cooked up by staff who were amused by our evening escapades. Everyone got packed up to get ready to move on the following morning to Sanur. 

MOZAIC AND MONKEY FOREST

 

We began our first day in Ubud with a stroll down to the Sacred Monkey Forest. I recalled all our past visits to this place as being a bit lawless, with someone selling bananas to tourists to feed the monkeys and in turn the Monkeys had developed a very aggressive focus on getting things from humans. I also remembered the walk as being a dirt path straight through the jungle and monkeys played in the trees above. I was shocked by the change in the entire place when we arrived this time. The old dirt path entrance was closed off and all traffic diverted to a new entrance with a ticket booth and parking lot and no more selling bananas. New rules were in place where only staff fed monkeys and in turn the monkeys were much less acclimated to taking things from people -- a relief to the boys. The walk was through a completely different area than we'd been in before, with a carved cave and many beautiful paved paths with temple buildings and statues. It was very crowded but the kids loved seeing the monkeys up close and it was worth the entrance fee.  

After the walk, we had lunch at the restaurant near the entrance and then Mum, Joel and C headed back to the hotel and A and I went for a shop along Monkey Forest Road. 

I'd heard that Ubud had been inundated with development and that locals had been really pushed to the edges of town and that is certainly what I felt returning so familiar streets and seeing high street shops like Quicksilver and higher end boutiques owned by Europeans replacing the little shops that I used to visit for silks and woven bags. I found a few linen items -- at near-Europe prices. Then we found an alley with really small vendors selling the usual stuff but not very well made. The things you see in outdoor stalls at every single temple. I haggled for bits and pieces but left without the things I was really hoping to discover again. Ah well. 

This is the evening we booked our tasting menu at Mosaic. A return to what had always been THE restaurant I have compared every other to since our first visit. This was to be my 4th time and I hoped it lived up to my memory. 

It was even better. I know, it sounds crazy, I've done French Laundry and other Michelin star restaurants in a few countries at this point but I'm here to tell you Mozaic is just better. We did their 8 course menu with the kids over a spectacular 3 hours of the most genuine and gracious service. The kids loved it, their bartender even made them little drink pairings for each course and came out to explain each one. This was truly a very high point in the trip for each of us. It was lovely to know that at least this little corner of Ubud was preserved. 

TRISHAW PROJECT AND SETTING OUT FOR BALI

Joel and C headed out to Arab St to purchase Peranakan fabric today to help Joel finish his Trishaw re-build project that he started 13 years ago. It has been living in our basement ever since. We do have a Flying Pigeon bike and all the parts of the sidecar and hood here ready to do. But not fabric. This is what a Trishaw should look like:

This is a very significant Singaporean symbol and the actual design is only found here. We didn't see a single one on the road and heard that they are now retiring all of them from the city. Even more important now to preserve them. 

After Joel and C came back we decided on a movie and dinner in evening. We ordered dinner which whizzed over to us on a scooter, and I put on Crazy Rich Asians. The kids got a kick out of the satire, now knowing some of the context for the jokes and stereotypes. 

The following morning we set out to the airport to fly to Bali. The Denpasar airport has been completely rebuilt since we were last there and in line with Singapore and Malaysia, Indonesia has also adopted an electronic visa on arrival system, passports scanned without a human in sight. 

We had a long drive in crazy traffic to get to Ubud, finally checking into our hotel on Monkey Forest very late. Everyone fell into bed and went to sleep. Well all except Joel who began and long night working with less than helpful wifi. 

Bali in Monsoon

We took a short weekend trip to Bali at Chinese New Years with our friends from Victoria who are traveling around SE Asia on their honeymoon. It was my third trip in this past year (and Joel's second) but we were just as excited to go as ever. Heading back to Ubud during monsoon season was interesting. It was less crowded than the July and September trips I'd done. It was also a little hotter at night and there were quite a few mosquitoes likely due to all the puddles of water left after the rain showers. Some things were easier, like finding a place to stay or walking down the mains streets unimpeded by tour groups. There were also a few challenges which were rain related.

We flew on one of the KLM direct flights from Singapore which is what I generally do. It's actually cheaper than Air Asia and you don't have to deal with the gong show of the discount terminal at Changi. So that's my first travel tip.

We booked Saren Indah for the weekend but the first night they were full so I went onto Agoda to look for something nice for a one night deal. On a whim I booked a brand new four star guest house/hotel which hadn't even been added to trip adviser yet. It was a gamble but we were rewarded because this was actually a very beautiful brand new place done in the traditional Balinese style that had only been open for a month. They had built large guest suites with gorgeous carved furniture and nicely appointed bathrooms and the hospitality was impeccable. The temple gardens had just been painted with gold leaf and their pool over-looking the ravine was quiet and pristine. Heaven! The place is called Pondok Pundi Village Inn. I think once they finish building their reception and restaurant building at the street it will be much more expensive then the $75 USD a night we paid.

 

Our Bali trip album on flickr

Bali - Sept 2011, a set on Flickr.

I'm getting our pictures up today from the iphone and our camera. What a great weekend!

Mozaic and tales from the back of a scooter

Our first day in Bali we took off down an unpaved 'road' through the rice fields. Joel navigated like a pro handling all the potholes like he was cruising on his mountain bike and sometimes giving me fair warning before diving down a particularly bruising embankment.

Back to Bali

On a whim we booked a couple of tickets to Bali this weekend. Joel hadn't been to Indonesia yet and I couldn't wait to get back to Ubud. We arrived late last night to our guest house which is along the rice patties. A cut through took us right onto Monkey Forest Rd where we spent the evening listening to great live music. The local musicians have quite an astonishing repertoire of alternative rock covers. It sure beats the nauseating Justin Bieber/Celine Dion soundtrack of Singapore. We woke at 9 with the roosters and sat out on our deck overlooking The rice patties. Joel has just secured a scooter and is excitedly planning our day of exploring.

More from Ubud, Bali

Bali: where have you been all my life?

I'm sitting on the steps outside our guest house to catch the feeble waves of wifi from the other end of the courtyard. They probably can't quite make it around the shrine of stone statues who are casually guarding us from bad spirits. Stray dogs, crickets and roosters make up a din in the distance reminding me I'm definitely not in Singapore. Throw in the heavy perfume of whatever flower is blooming by night here and you have a perfect night.

The past two days are a blur of temples, iridescent green rice fields, lush jungle and the most warm genuine human beings. Ubud, while full of tourists is also pretty laid back and easy. It reminds me of every single one of my favorite places in the world. It's a little of the tribal atmosphere of Ilha Grande, some of the hippi hold out of Fairfax and a smattering of the off-beat art and surf culture of Venice Beach and Santa Monica all rolled up in one delicious Balinese sandwich. It's the kind of place you want to hold onto, to own a piece of and never let go. Though that's not what's good for Bali which has been experiencing rapid development due to folks who just want to be part of this place. I plan to return and keep supporting the cool places we've discovered so far. Bali might just be the antidote for all the little things that drive me mental in Singapore. Cheers!

Tips: Stay at Tirta Arum Guest House in Ubud for some local cultural immersion. I don't suggest Matahari Cottages which we fled from after one night. Cabins in the woods sounded great until we crawled into damp sheets on a moldy mattress and spent the night with mosquitoes circling our netting. Funky yes, not in the way we were hoping.