Lazy Day and Kitamani (Feb. 6, 7, 2015)

Feb. 6, 2015

Today was a bit of a lazy day. It was really hot outside, and Yulia had some things to do, so Reza and I basically hung around his place for most of the day. We actually did one cool thing though. Reza had to go somewhere in the morning, so I bought some WiFi time from the place he lives, and caught up with some FT’s and calls to my loved ones. Totally enjoyed that, and spent two hours chatting, blogging and catching up.

Then, when Reza returned, he said that some Balinese people were having a ceremony just down the street and that we should go and see it. He said that it was the traditional burning of a dead person, in a public, and huge gathering. There is a sort of park area near his place that this ceremony was taking place. All of the family are in attendance, all in traditional dress, as well as a Hindu priest, and full traditional band that plays xylophones, gongs, and interesting flute type instruments, throughout the cremation. The dead loved one is brought through the city, to the burning site, in a brightly colourful and decorated carrying apparatus. The wife and eldest son are carried in chairs for this pilgrimage to the cremation site, and everyone else walks along. People join to pay their respects, along the way, even if they didn’t know the person or family. It’s really quite interesting. 

Anyway, we went there and everyone seemed really happy that we had come to watch. They allowed me take photos, and the band all smiled when I asked them if I could take their pictures. There was food, ornately decorated tables, and all the people dressed in their colourful traditional costumes were mulling about, while the priest said some words, and the body was placed in this cool bamboo open air bed with a canopy roof. Under the bed, a strong torch, something like a welding machine was inserted and a huge fire caught underneath the body. One man was in charge of using sticks and shovels to push whatever it was he was pushing around, so that the fire could evenly burn it. All the little kids and other people were happily in attendance while this was going on, and no one was crying or looking upset. The man just kept moving things on the bed, around, in order to keep everything burning properly. There was a lot of smoke, and fire, and thankfully the wind was blowing away from us. I was a little scared of what I might smell. You who know me well could only imagine that scenario!

Reza made breakfast 

The ceremony band

The place where the body is burned

The fire being torched under the bed

This is how they bring the body to the
site being carried by people

The fuel cart with protective/lucky dolls

So, other than yoga, starting a drawing from Reza’s open air stairwell overlooking the street and lovely trees, I didn’t do much else today. The ceremony was really spectacular and I would bet I won’t see something like that again soon, or ever.

Feb. 7, 2015

Today, Yulia came over around 9:30 this morning and we all had coffee. Then we got ready for a road trip we had planned to go to Ubud, and Kitamani. It was a lovely day, though it did rain for part of it, but we were in her van, so it didn’t really matter.

View on drive up

Same

Temple View

Alley where I met th guru

Overlooking the valley

First we went to a temple in to take a look. We met a very interesting guy selling these really nice paintings he had made. Though I didn’t get a photo of him, he had long hair piled on top of his head, and on his left hand, his nails were all at least four inches long, and black, with edges that curved over. He was a dancer and started to dance for us, and show us how he used his nails as a focal point to look at, then opened his eyes really wide to accentuate the dance. It was really funny, but also very intriguing. He almost looked like some kind of swami or guru, dancing with his bare feet, and rings on his toes, the nails, the wide eyes and long piled up yogi hair, in a sarong. Oh, and selling his paintings. Anyway, he was quite the sight. I ended up buying one of his small paintings because they were really very beautiful and super traditional.

Then we went to see a Holy Springs that are supposed to keep you young if you bathe in them. Well, when we got there, the water was super dirty, with things and fish floating around in it, and was cold on top of that. We opted not to bathe in it. I said that diving and doing yoga were going to have to work for me, to keep me young.

Me at Holy Springs

Scary tunnel we walked through

Lots of stairs

Next we went to a place overlooking some rice terraces, that was on the top of a mountain. It was absolutely beautiful. It was raining at that point so we just took some pics, then got back into the car, to go to the city of Ubud.

Rice terraces

Ubud was really cool. It’s a very touristy town that boasts lots of spiritual events, yoga, meditation and more. It was a lovely place, though I have not seen that many tourists in Bali since arriving. I think this is a town that a lot of people go to visit when they come to Bali. Yoga and meditation are quite popular, but expensive there. None the less, it was really nice to see this town and have a look around.

Oh, on the drive up, we got pulled over two times for a police check. In Indonesia, the police are very corrupt and if they pull you over, they will often find things wrong in order that you pay them money. Yulia was driving and of course because she had two foreigners in the car, they started asking if she was a tour guide etc. If so, she would need a special license for the car to do this. She said that we were all just friends. Then they asked her if the car was rented. It was, as she just moved here and rented it for herself to get around. She knew enough to say that it was her uncles van and we were all just friends, and that she wasn’t getting paid to be our tour guide. One of the cops even made her stay at the back of the van, outside, then came to ask me if I rented this van. Reza piped up in Indonesian and told him that it was our friend’s van and we were out for the day together. Since they couldn’t find anything that we were doing ‘wrong’ they had to let us pass. It wasn’t scary, just inconvenient, and corrupt. 

Reza, Yulia and me at a jewellry shop

If a foreigner is pulled over on a motorbike here, they will often have to pay the cop a lot of money to get through. As a result, I put most of my cash in my bra, so that if I have to open up my wallet in front of the police, there is only a small amount of money. Yulia said that if that’s all they see, then they will take that and not press the matter. So, now I have small money in my wallet, pockets, and most in my bra in case. Good to know how things work so you don’t get ripped off unnecessarily. Also, most police don’t speak another language other than English, so speaking French or Italian might also be an option. Since they are busy when doing spot checks, they are most interested in the money and if they can’t communicate with you, they tire quickly and wave you along. I just hope not to have to deal with it at all, but am glad that I saw it in action and now have an idea how to deal with it. It is illegal here for them to do that, but all of them still do it anyway. There is a department in the government that deals with Police Corruption so at least it’s not permissible.

Yulia's lunch

Reza's lunch

Us at lunch....Warung 

Anyway, an adventurous fun day had by all. We saw many beautiful sights and scenery along our travels, had good food, and enjoyed each other’s company.

Turtles and Friends (Feb. 4, 5, 2015)

Feb. 4, 2015

First things first…..Happy Birthday Jan. I hope you have a great day and a fantastic year.

Today was a pretty quiet day. Reza and I went to his Dive Center to inquire about any upcoming diving trips and to use the WiFi there. It was pretty strong, and I got a lot done. Yulia wasn’t feeling too well, so she stayed home to rest. We didn't do much except go to a Turtle Conservation Center where they care for and breed Sea Turtles. It was really nice to see the turtles. Some of them had been in accidents and lost legs from motor boats or fishing nets. Others had eaten plastic and were sick, and recovering. It is a really nice place and a volunteer told us all about the center.

White turtle they bred there.

Turtle with no front leg - fishing net

No front and back leg - motor boat

Here are the pics from today, plus a couple from yesterday, that didn’t load.

On road back from Botanical Gardens

The roast pig dinner

Close up of roast pig dinner

Feb. 5, 2015

Today was a bit of a lazy day. Yulia came over around 10:00 am to have tea with us, chat, hang out and then go for lunch. The food here is awesome and I’m beginning to feel like I’m eating my way through Denpasar, Bali. Both of my friends here, love to eat and between them, know many yummy and inexpensive places to go. It’s fun to get together and go for food. All three of us get along really well and have a lot of laughs and great conversations. I’m getting to know both of them better, and they are both really nice people. Both are smart and interesting with a lot of humour and good sense. We went to that Campur place that I showed you on my first day. It was delicious again, and I really enjoyed the chicken livers and gizzards. I tried a fried eggplant dish today from that restaurant that was spicy and delicious.

Campur 'mixture' lunch

Me, Yulia and Reza at lunch

Yulia had a job interview at 2 pm, so she left from the restaurant and Reza and I rode the motorbike back to his place. It was really hot today, so we just came back, turned on the AC, and then waited for Yulia to finish with the interview as she wanted to join us again, and not go home. She came around 3:30 and we all watched a movie in the cool apartment. Then Reza went out to meet a friend or something and Yulia and I hung out on the open air terrace. Later on we went for dinner. She took me to a place that was a mix of Indonesian and Chinese. It was really good too, and we had some delicious squid with duck egg dressing of some kind. Also a Chinese Egg Omelette and I had Aloe Vera juice to drink, with chunks of fresh aloe vera in it. That was incredible and super refreshing.

Squid with duck egg dressing

Omelette

Dinner

Then she dropped me off and I showered, had some ‘alone’ time while Reza was out with his friend, read my book, and got to bed early. 

A really nice, but fairly lazy day. I think I am going to try my GPS tomorrow to be sure I can work it. I will need to move from Reza’s place at some point, when his girlfriend returns, and also when his friends from Iran visit, later this month. I want to know how to work the GPS effectively, and maybe rent a motorbike so that I can get around. It’s really difficult to maneuver here if you don’t have transportation. Since Reza is free now, and I don’t yet have to move, it’s probably a good time to get those things done and to feel comfortable, before I’m on my own.

Road Trip and Cell Phone (Feb. 3, 2015)

It was a fantastic day today. Yulia came around 9 am to pick up Reza and me, to go to a lovely temple by a lake, about an hour’s drive away. Reza got a call late last night and wasn’t able to join us, as he had some business to take care of during the day and didn’t know how long it would take. So Yulia and I took off on our own, which was kind of nice as well. It gave us some time to get to know each other, without another person around.

We saw some lovely, mountain scenery on our drive up to Bedugul, which was the area where the temple was. There were lots of strawberry fields and rice paddies to see on the way up. It kind of reminded me a bit of the drive up to Dalat, in Vietnam.

On drive up

Same

Same

Bedugal Temple

     

Same

Lake at Bedugal

   

Once there, we looked around the temple on the lake. It’s kind of cool, as there is a Hindu Temple, right beside a Buddhist Temple, and up the hill just a bit, was a Muslim Mosque. The three places of worship, right next to one another, seem so right, without stress. The grounds for the two temples right on the lake, were amazing.

On grounds of temple

Me

Yulia and me

Sue rides a pig

Owls for my momma

After we finished there, we decided to go for a drive to see the Botanical Gardens, which was  about two kilometres further. We stopped for lunch at a cute little roadside restaurant where we were the only ones there, but had a lovely and inexpensive meal. I had Nasi Campur, and Yulia had Me Goreng. That’s noodles with egg and some other meats. Mine was that mixture of rice, and veggies and meats, with Tempe. It was really good. We had regular tea with sugar, over ice with our meals.

Nasi Campur lunch

Other parts of it

Lunch restaurant

Then we made our way to the Botanical Gardens, and wow, were they ever great. The Gardens were huge, had several areas with special greenery in them, and many many rolling hills that overlooked the lake. It was so peaceful and gorgeous that we walked, took photos, and hung out for several hours, before heading back to Denpasar. We were going to meet Reza for supper there.

On our drive back, I started asking Yulia about the cost of cell phones and data packages in Indonesia, as it was starting to become a bit more difficult here, than it was in other places, not having a phone. In any case, we chatted about this, met up with Reza, and took a look at several cell phone places. I just wanted something simple, that would be able to support texting, calling and GPS capabilities as there are so many islands here, and if I am going to explore in this country for a couple of months, which I think I will, I kind of need a method to communicate with others around me. I will contact more people through CS, and often they ask for a cell number in order to text and communicate. 

Anyway, the long story is that after spending $70, I now have a brand new Samsung Galaxy Young 2 cell phone and enough data to last for two months, plus extra. These type of phones are incredibly cheap here, though I wish the IPhone was cheap here, because that is the one I really desire, and will investigate when I’m home. I think I will use this phone for the rest of my trip, then perhaps sell it before leaving. It was so inexpensive, that I don’t mind keeping it or getting rid of it. For that price, I am cool with it and it will help me a lot to have 3G when the WiFi is so sketchy and unreliable. 

My new phone

Yulia and Reza were really knowledgable and helpful with this adventure and it was incredible to see how they do cellular here. It is so different than it is in Canada and way less expensive for the data packages. In any case, that was my day, and now I am equipped with a phone for the rest of my trip. It is a lot more convenient, yes J, you were right…..lol. Plus when I’m out and about, I can use the GPS capabilities to find out where I’m going or where I am.

After we found the phone, we went for supper, and had a barbecued pork feast. It is called Beby Guling which means pork that has been rotisserie style. They do the whole pig, and it’s usually a baby pig. They take off the various pieces and some is crispy skin, tender meat, spicy meat, or other ways they do the pork. It’s really good.

After dinner, we were all pretty spent, and Yulia got on her way, as did Reza and I. I slept like a log and was very happy with the great day I spent with new friends. They are so very kind to help me with the phone, take care of me, and ensure that I have things to do, and ways to get around. 

New Friend and Adventures (Feb. 2, 2015)

Today I visited two new areas in Bali. At about 10:00, Yulia, the girl that contacted me from Couchsurfing and wanted to explore Bali, met Reza and me at his apartment. Yulia and I went to a Temple that she had not seen before, while Reza met up with a friend that he needed to do some business with. We enjoyed the temple a lot, it was called, Bajra Sandhi, and then she showed me the church nearby, that she goes to. It was a beautiful Catholic Cathedral that was an interesting cross between traditional European Catholic style, and Balinese style. Many of the angels had wings, and Balinese head dresses. It was lovely.

This is the temple we saw

Two people taking wedding photos

View from top of temple

Flowers in front of temple

Yulia, my new friend, and me

Angel in the cathedral

Then we texted Reza and asked him if he was finished and wanted to join us for lunch and another adventure. He said he would like to, so we met him at a nearby McDonalds, where he left his motorbike, and came with us in Yulia’s van. We went to eat first, which was really cool. It was called Ayam Kremas, which is a name for the fried chicken in the flour that they served. The interesting thing was, that it cost $2 CAD, and you got bottomless iced tea, and bottomless rice. The lunch came with Tempe, which is a soy bean, fried little yummy thing, some veggies, and some chopped up tempe which was delicious. You had no utensils, and everyone eats with their hands. I wasn’t doing so well and Reza asked if this was the first time I had eaten with my hands. I admitted it was, so he gave me the strategy for not losing all the food when you go to put it into your mouth. You kind of cradle it, then push it into your mouth, using your thumb to push it in. That worked a lot better, and both Yulia and Reza laughed a lot while I was mastering the technique. She’s Indonesian, and he’s lived here for five years.

The 'eat with your hands' lunch

Yulia, me and Reza at lunch

Then we packed ourselves up and drove for about an hour through lovely rice paddies, to a place called Tanah Lot, which was a group of temples on the ocean. They were absolutely amazing and we walked through the area, enjoying the sights, and taking photos. We stopped for a drink, then made our way home. Here are some of the lovely pics I took. The ones with the animal are really cool. I mentioned that special, very expensive coffee that’s available here, made from the beans that pass through this special animal. Well, this is the animal, called the Luwak, that poops out the coffee beans. There was this shop that sold the coffee and had a number of the Luwak’s hanging around the shop. They also had two very large bats. When I was looking at the bats, the male bat decided to turn right side up, look me right in the eyes, and pee almost on my foot. If you look close, you can see him peeing. What a bad bat….lol.

View from top of hill for Tanah Lot

Another hill top view

Temple grounds with flowers

Sleepy lewak at coffee shop

Yulia holding a lewak that then bit
her on the toe....lol.

Liviah, look at this cool bat

Tomorrow Yulia wants to go to Bedugul which is a big lake with a big temple in the middle of the lake. I think Yulia is really happy to have met me, and Reza, as she is very sweet but hasn’t seen much of Bali and doesn’t seem to want to do this alone. Reza had some suggestions for her that she had not seen before, and was really excited to be going to places unknown.

More adventures tomorrow. 

Day at the Beach (Feb. 1, 2015)

Today I got up fairly late because of diving yesterday. I did some yoga in the open air hallway again, then heard Reza rustling around. We had coffee together, then I got ready and he dropped me off at the Beach Bar with my computer and bathing suit etc. He had some things to do, so I was happy to hang out with the WiFi and catch up on my computer stuff. I went to that same beach bar that I sent you photos of the first day I got here. It overlooks the beach and is lovely.

I had a fantastic FT with Rachel, and Jon. Since I can’t access WiFi early in the morning now, it’s a bit tricky due to the time difference, to FT with people at home. So, no worries if you don’t hear from me, I’m fine. I think I’m all caught up with the blogs, but sometimes the connections are so poor, I can’t even open the internet if I do have WiFi. 

I was supposed to meet up with Yulia today at the cafe, where we had arranged to hook up. She’s the other Couchsurfing person that contacted me saying she’d like to explore Bali and had just quit her job and has a car. 

It didn’t work out as she had family in town and couldn’t get away. We decided to meet tomorrow and spend the day together. She will come to pick me up at 10 am. Other than that, I just hung out at the Beach Bar and swam, chilled, watched people, then watched the sunset. Reza came back around 5 pm from visiting with his friend and we stayed to listen to the live music that they have on the beach. I took some amazing photos of the sunset. Oh, and one cute puppy in a diaper, for you, Rachel…lol.

A quiet but amazing day.Thought I'd post this now, with good WiFi, and not much else on the agenda for today. Just going back to eat some salad with the rest of the rice and chicken I made. We have to use it before it goes bad.....lol. Then more adventures tomorrow.

Puppy for Rachel