Day 9 – Teman = friend

Weather: 31 degrees | partly cloudy | 73% humidity
Exchange: 9930 Rupiah = $1AUD (street)

Must say... getting a little bored with breakfast selection now, but I guess that happens when you stay at the same place for an extended period.  We finish up around 9:20am and decide to quickly go to the supermarket around the corner when we spot our driver, Alex who yells out to us “where you going” – “10 minutes” we say.  We rush back to meet him out front and he takes us to his rental house located on the outskirts of Denpasar.

When we arrive, we are greeted warmly by his wife – his daughter is glued to her side.  Dressed so smartly in her royal blue and white uniform; she has already finished school for the day.  His son is a typical busy boy, out on his bike, playing with his friends before he must go to afternoon session school – so we do not get to meet him today.  We are asked to sit in the living room, a fan is pointed in our direction and we are offered snake fruit, coffee, water and some delicious traditional sweet treats Alex’s wife makes to sell at morning market.  We relax for some time before I attempt to befriend his daughter, but she is too shy – we confirm later that we are the first white Australians she has ever been this close to.  Before we leave with Alex, I hand to his wife a gift bag of stationery items I have put aside for his kids – they are most grateful.

Once in the car, Alex throws around some suggestions of places to go / things to see, but most of what he mentions we have either already done or would prefer to wait until Miss 7 is with us next time.  I suggest to Alex that we head back towards Ubud and attempt to locate the gorgeous little ceramic pots kept in our hotel room at Beji Ubud and the Jasmine scented shower gel inside that I absolutely loved.  As he drives, I phone the hotel and Alex chats with the hotel staff, but they cannot confirm where the items were purchased.  I remember to show Alex a photograph from my camera and he says he knows somewhere else close we can try.

A few minutes later, we are in front of a store called Jenggala (Jl Sunset Road) that has a decent range of ceramic items for sale.  I spend a little while in the shop, but do not find the items like those at Beji or anything even close.  However, on the other side of the room, I come across some very nice teapots and teacups and purchase a 2-person set for 385,000 Rupiah – just perfect for that lemon grass and ginger tea I have developed a taste for!

Alex then takes us pretty much across the road, which of course is the long way in Bali.  We enter a shop named Bali Tangi, which sells massage oils, soaps, lotions, and other aromatherapy/beauty type products.  This is where Alex tells me I can buy the Jasmine Shower Gel – they have none in stock but promise to get me a 1-litre bottle by 1pm.  Hubby spots a pair of absolutely divine ceramic bottles – not like the ones at Beji, but definitely more than acceptable.  The shop assistant puts them away for me and we agree to come back later.

Back on the road, Alex asks “where to now”.  As we still haven’t really decided where we want to go, Hubby asks for him to find as a decent motorcycle shop in the hope to find some new mirrors – one guess where (not our first choice as most of you would know Hubby rides a Honda and Harleys aren’t really his thing).  We have a quick look, but no mirrors for sale, so back in the car, quick look at the map and we decide to go to Jatiluwih.  A nice couple of hour’s drive to serene and peaceful countryside once we get away from the hustle/bustle.  30,000 Rupiah to enter the area, another 5,000 Rupiah as we get closer (apparently for parking - I guess this is no different to paying tolls on certain Aussie highways) and the views are rice paddies for as far as the eye can see.  Alex pulls into a nice looking restaurant, Billy’s Terrace Cafe with great views and we ask him to join us for the buffet lunch.  I’ve always been meaning to try an Avocado Juice (I’ve heard many rave about) and finally get to order one – the few times before I’ve ordered, the Avocado has “run out”.  Alex also has an Avocado Juice and of course Hubby has a Bintang.  The meal was pretty average, but the view and the juice was awesome – total cost 348,000 Rupiah.

We finish our meal and go for a stroll in the rice paddies.  It’s a little tricky to navigate and we get so far before a father and two children call out to Hubby and Alex for help.  They’ve spotted a snake and are too scared to move – they come from France and he says he’s never seen one before.  Hubby and Alex run to the rescue and discover the snake is dead – I ask Hubby to take a photo but he says you can’t even see it properly.  They give the three French tourists the courage to move and we all head back to the top of the road.  It was really quite funny – you had to be there.  We tell the French man to be careful of snakes if he ever goes to Australia and he tells us they are going for a few days in a week (to Darwin).  Of course Hubby takes this opportunity to exaggerate about Australia’s deadliest animals and I think the French family have changed their mind about going.

All three of us are still laughing as we drive away and make out trip back to Kuta.  We can see Alex is getting weary – he tells us his daughter did not sleep well last night and kept him awake.  We keep up with the idle chit chat to help him stay alert and encourage him to pull over, but he will not.  He tells us usually he keeps chillies in his door pocket to pop in his mouth and wake him up when he feels this way, but he forgot to grab his stash this morning.  I offer him a wet towel for his face and all is good.  We are soon in Seminyak and Alex willingly takes us to pick up our items ordered earlier in the week: 1. Miss 7’s stunning red leather jacket and 2. Our Julio painting.  We then return to Bali Tangi and I collect my items from this morning, plus can’t resist throwing in another smaller bottle of Body Milk and Mud Mask (total 410,000 Rupiah).

 Finally Alex drops us back to our hotel, but not after we’ve agreed for him to collect us at 12:30pm on our last day once we have checked out of the hotel.  He will then takes us back to his house and we will share a traditional lunch together, cooked by his wife – we feel so lucky that he wants to invite us into his life.  We will spend the afternoon together before he takes us to the airport.  As we get out the car and are greeted by the hotel staff/security, our friend Eddie who collected us when we arrived asks what we have done today.  We tell him where we visited and one of the security staff is so happy he shakes our hands and thanks us immensely, as this is his village.  It’s so easy to make friends in Bali!

I’ve pulled some muscles in my neck and use this as a good excuse to book in for a massage at the hotel.  It’s been a while since I’ve had a massage and haven’t really made the time to have one yet in Bali.  Agustin works her magic and cracks my back numerous times, but no matter how hard she tries, cannot get the knots out of my shoulders.  I feel moderately better, and decide to book in again for the morning we leave.

Hubby and I decide to walk into Kuta and try out the Japanese restaurant we spotted the other night, Fuktaro I (Jl Legian).  We go a bit crazy as we didn’t eat much at lunch and order Gyoza Salmon, Pond Snails (hmmmm – Hubby’s choice) and Mixed BBQ Grill Skewers to share for Entree; Super Box for Hubby and Rainbow, Spicy Salmon and Spicy Tuna Sushi Rolls for me; a large Bintang and another Avocado Juice (total 618,200 Rupiah inc. 16% tax – our most expensive meal yet, but easily a pub meal cost for three back home).  We decide to walk off our evening meal and head back to the hotel, before calling it a night.

 

Another day in paradise comes to an end, and I’m sad to say our time here is running out.  But one thing that’s only just beginning – the start of a new friendship that distance will only make grow fonder.

Day 8 – More shopping?

Weather: : 31 degrees | partly cloudy | 68% humidity

Exchange: 10,500 - 9900 Rupiah = $1AUD (street)

We take our time moving this morning, with no schedule to follow or plans to keep.  Eventually we go down for breakfast around 9am.  After breakfast, we leisurely walk around the corner to check out ACE Hardware store.  This store is not bad at all – heaps of variety – kind of like a Bunnings and BIG W all-in-one.  We purchase a few incidental items, but most importantly buy an electronic luggage scale (we left our other one at home) to ensure our bags are evenly packed and don’t go over the weight limit for the return trip.

We take our items back to the hotel and consider jumping on the free shuttle to Kuta, but find out it’s already fully booked.  Oh well, I’m sure the $2.50 taxi ride won’t break the bank.  We call for a taxi and have him take us to Beachwalk Mall.  A quick walk through the new mall – it’s definitely not my kind of Bali shopping, but I can see how it would appeal to others – we head back out towards Poppies 2.

Another long walk around the block, we decide to purchase some DVD’s (only a few series sets – one that we cannot get in Australia just yet) - the usual, buy 10 get 5 free, 10,000 Rupiah each disk, a total of 100,000 Rupiah and walk back up Jl Legian to find a reputable money changer.  There are many along the street offering over 10,000 but I would rather lose a few cents for less hassle and a moment of air conditioning.  We walk quite a way (nearly to Legian) before settling on 9940 Rupiah per dollar, then turn around and walk back towards Kuta on the other side of the street.

My main goal for today is to find some of those compact little purses with 2 or 3 zips that easily hold my phone and money (I have managed to buy one each time I visit, but this time wanted more as eventually the strap wears thin).  I spotted only a couple in as many stalls, but they were not to my liking.  Hooray!  I find the perfect stall with a really nice lady selling; with a great selection of what I wanted (the only stall I have found with this many to choose from and I have been looking since we arrived), I decide to buy 3 different purses for me, one larger one for Miss 7 and a gorgeous black/white Jimmy Choo-ish handbag.  We barter with minimal fuss and I’m happy to hand over 400,000 Rupiah – maybe a little more than I could have paid elsewhere (especially for the handbag) but I was so happy to have found my purses that I didn’t really mind.  Obviously happy with my find, I bump into a cheerful little girl selling those leather strap things and although I usually just say “no thanks” with a smile, I give her an Aussie gold coin and she gives me two straps.

On our visit three years ago, I purchased one of those ever familiar Bali Batik style bags that pretty much go together with the Bintang singlets in the category of traditional tourist Bali purchases.  It’s the best value Bali thing I’ve bought, staying strong through every one of our return trips – zips and seams still intact (touch wood).  It carries so much stuff and I can wear it across my body, so when on a spending spree can hide items well and avoid the “why you not buy here” taunts (of course, unless it’s another bigger bag that won’t fit).  As an example, when at the market yesterday I fit the mortar/pestle, deep frying implement, peanut sauce blocks, bottle of water and other personal effects with the only trouble being how much it weighed.  Many stall sellers often want to sell me another bag and I’m always willing to look (for a spare – just in case...), however every bag I try across my body never sits as well as the one I have (mine is quite long for some reason, and I’m certain it hasn’t stretched).

We wander into many other stalls with sellers’ promise that their bag will be “long one”, try bags for size, but none are right.  We get hassled to buy more Bintang singlets, get dragged down a side alley with many stalls, have an argument with some very pushy sellers and high tail it out of there.  A little peckish, we grab a hot dog and steak sanga, with 2 Large Bintangs and 2 Smirnoffs for the grand total of 197,000 Rupiah at Redin’s Cafe (Poppies 2). We go back up to Jl Legian, turn left on to Jl Pantai and come across a rather large clothing stall where I hope to find some nice dresses for Miss 7... Success – six for 300,000 Rupiah (and an Aussie gold coin for good luck)... I hope she likes them!

We walk back down (or up) Jl Legian, so I can check out Miss Becky shop.  The style of clothing is not really my type, but I’m excited when I spot these little Balinese (Cabbage Patch type) dolls that I have not seen since my first trip in 1991.  I bought one from a restaurant called “Yanies”, which back then was quite popular and owned by an Aussie who imported Heinz tomato sauce and Cottees toppings – it obviously no longer exists.  I still have my Bali doll sitting on a shelf in my bedroom and every time I set eyes on it, it reminds me of my very first amazing trip.  I don’t buy one, but keep in the back of my mind – maybe I should get a girl doll to go with my boy doll back home?  I should have asked the price...

As we are close to the 100% Genuine Fake Shop, we call in one more time so that I can get another pair of those coloured flip flops I bought a few days ago (they are so comfortable) and I spot a Genuine Fake Chanel satchel which would be perfect for work.  50,000 for the shoes, 110,000 for the bag and we grab a cab back to the hotel.  Once back at the hotel, we relax in the pool for an hour or so, drinking at the swim up bar and chatting to one of the staff.

Earlier today when walking to ACE Hardware, I located the only day spa within close vicinity to the hotel and grabbed a brochure.  The prices were great, but there were no opening/closing times listed.  At about 7pm, hubby and I walk over with the plan that I’ll stay for some pampering and ring him when I’m done, then he’ll walk back over to collect me.  Unfortunately, the place is closed – it’s no surprise as the area is very secluded and probably wouldn’t be frequented by tourists.  We then catch a taxi back into Kuta, and after scanning Trip Advisor think we’ll try out the Dog and Dragon Restaurant on Jl Benesari.  However, once seated we scan the unappealing menu with very limited choices and decide to leave, walking back to Stakz – another high TA recommendation.  Stakz had a much bigger menu selection and wasn’t too badly priced either.  We ordered Mixed Grill, Tuna Steak with Vegetables, 1 Iced Coffee, and 1 small Bintang (total = 208,000 Rupiah).

 

Back at the hotel, a quick phone call from our driver Alex who is excited to let us know that a TA connection has contacted him on our recommendation to book him for next month.  He confirms our pick up tomorrow morning... no set plans – we’ve decided to leave it up to him although he did suggest travelling around the East side of Bali.  The part I’m looking forward to the most is finally getting to meet his wife and children!

Day 7 – Cooking up a storm!

Weather: 32 degrees | scattered rain/thunderstorms | 74% humidity
Exchange: 9,900 (avg.) Rupiah = $1AUD (street)

Today is the first day we set the alarm for, which really is not allowed on Bali time.  However, we needed to be up, showered and checked out before 8:25am and if time permitted a quick bite for brekkie too.  As usual, my super organisation skills had us packed last night and of course we had enough time for me to grab a slice of toast and glass of juice and hubby to have a coffee.  We were finalising our check out just as Wayan himself – Paon Cooking School owner – drove up and jumped out the car to greet us with a big welcoming hug.  He knew I had come last year – this was a first for hubby – and was so pleased I had chosen them once again.  He loads our suitcase in the back and guarantees he will take good care of it for us.

A short drive to Ubud Place, where we meet up with our new found friends for the day and the gorgeous Made (our tour guide and assistant from last year) leads us to the morning Market, but not before she gets a big hug from me.  The Market is exactly what I remembered from last year and Made doesn’t leave out a single explanation.  This time I make sure I purchase a Balinese style volcanic rock Mortar and Pestle (Rp. 75,000), a small deep frying implement (Rp. 25,000) and four blocks of peanut sauce (Rp. 25,000 each) – I know I can get some different versions cheaper from Carrefour, but I have cooked with these in the past and they seem more compact/decent quality.

We finish our Market tour and the group splits into two cars to make our way to Laplapan Village for Wayan’s explanation of his village’s rice fields.  There are some children playing in the rice fields with long sticks in the close distance and Wayan tells us they are trying to catch dragonflies with the sticky substance (from fruit) on the end of the stick to use like glue.  I wander away from the group and approach the children; I ask to take their photo and offer them a sweet each.  They eagerly come to me with their hands out and thank me many times.  As I rejoin the group, Wayan asks where his sweet is.

Soon we jump back in the cars and take another quick drive to Wayan and Puspa’s village, where we will play in their kitchen for the day.  As we enter their compound, Puspa is right there to greet us giving me a kiss on each cheek.  A lemon welcome drink given to each guest, we relax on their “meeting room” platform and find out more about Wayan and Puspa’s life story before being taken into their kitchen, their home, their family.

I was pleased to see that the profits made from their business obviously went straight back into the family compound and improving the area used for the cooking class.  Since last year they had built a new toilet facility and put a brand new roof over the kitchen area.  They were very proud to share this with me.

Straight to it, Aprons on, knife in hand we chop; pestle in hand, we grind – mixing and creating so many flavours and aromas that will result in our amazing menu for the day.  Together, all participants take on a role in the kitchen to contribute in some way to each and every dish we will later share for lunch.  The menu includes: Clear Mushroom and Vegetable Soup (Sup Jamur), Base Gede – Basic Yellow Sauce (Bumbu Kuning), Be Siap Mesanten – Chicken in Coconut Curry (Kare Ayam), Sate Siap – Minced Chicken Grilled on Bamboo Sticks ( Sate Lilit Ayam),  Kacang Me Santok – Vegetable in Peanut Sauce (Gado Gado), Coconut and Snake Bean Salad (Jukut Urab), Pepesan Be Pasih – Steamed Fish in Banana Leaves (Pepes Ikan), Tempe Me Goreng – Deep Fried Tempe in Sweet Soy Sauce (Tempe Kering), Kolak Bui – Boiled Banana in Palm Sugar Syrup (Kolak Pisang).

This was the exact same menu I tried last year, but just as good and what made it even better, is that Puspa helped me make some minor variations to my dishes so that I could try something different.  Of course she checked for any allergies prior and one of the participants was allergic to banana, so the dessert dish had Balinese Sweet Potato substituted for the banana, which I also tried for something different – YUM!

The group separates (in no particular order) to two tables and we enjoy our first course – the soup.  Some idle chit chat and getting to know one another, we learn in our group there are three people from Astonia, one from Finland, two from West Germany, two from Singapore and us two Aussies... and that was just our table.  There were another five people on the other table.

Every single person’s soup bowl bone dry, Puspa ushers us back into the kitchen to continue our cooking.  What seems like only a few moments later, we are told to take our seats and a feast is quickly delivered to our table.  There is SO...MUCH...FOOD!  We pass the platters around and fill our plates with a little bit of everything.  Hardly any room left for seconds, but feeling bad that we have left so much food, the platters do the rounds again for just a little more.  We share stories with each other about our own countries and experiences and before you know it, the time has ticked away into the late afternoon.

Puspa knows we are bursting at the seams, but who could resist that delicious and simple dessert – it literally takes minutes to whip up.  A drink of coffee or tea to go with it, our day together winds down and the group prepares to go their separate ways.  Puspa tells us their driver will take us back to our hotel in Kuta, but “no worry, no hurry”.  Nyoman drives us all the way back to Kuta, with our suitcase safely still in the back of Wayan’s car.

Although this was my second visit, it was just as special if not more as the first.  Wayan and Puspa were so happy for me to be there and mentioned this many times throughout the day, that they made me feel like I was, in fact, their special guest.  They both treated me and hubby like family, and I can confidently say that if you show genuine care and respect for their family and business, you will be well looked after.

Hubby had his reservations (pardon the pun) about this day and really only agreed to come along to keep me happy.  However, he did more work in the kitchen than me – I used the excuse that I’ve done it before and needed to take the photos – and he got to meet and chat with many really friendly people.  Wayan took an instant liking to hubby, which immediately put him at ease.  He tells me he would definitely do it again.  I would definitely do it again... maybe mum will join me next time?

We return to Kuta Central Park, and decide to relax at the hotel for the rest of the evening.  We have had a couple of jam packed days and still full from our delicious home cooked lunch, are not wanting to head out for tea.  I spend an hour on Skype with Miss 7, Nanny and Grandpa; hubby takes a dip in the pool and later we order a light snack via room service.  As hubby answers the door, he slips on a puddle of water and we realise our air conditioner is leaking.  Soon after around 10pm, the hotel has a blackout and we sit on our balcony watching the hotel staff runs around with torches to sort out the problem.  About 15 minutes later, lights back on and we call for Maintenance to fix our air conditioner.  I sit here compiling my blog, while the Maintenance guy tinkers with the leaking air con unit and I cringe at the thought of what could happen – is the power still actually connected?  But, hey presto, another 15 minutes and problem fixed.

While I sit here sipping a few glasses of  Hatten Aga Red, looking back on this amazing day I come to realise that it doesn’t matter who you are or where you come from, with a common interest and  goal in mind you can work together to achieve anything.  It wasn’t until we had almost finished eating our lunch that I commented to those sitting at our table that we didn’t even know each other’s names, which we then went around the group and shared.  It really is true that: “Food brings people together on many different levels. It’s nourishment of the soul and body; it’s truly love” – Giada De Laurentilis (American Chef).

Day 6 – To give, is to get

Weather: 31 degrees | scattered rain/thunderstorms | 76% humidity
Exchange: 9,970 Rupiah = $1AUD (street)

We start the day lazy, a bit of a sleep-in after our busy day yesterday and head to breakfast around 8:30am.  A small dining area and selection, but enough tasty variety... and guess who cleaned out the bacon!  The view is to die for and I take my time eating green pancakes with syrup and shredded coconut.  We finish up and go back to our room to veg out (so I can upload yesterday’s blog) before our driver Nyoman, who we found on the street last night, collects us at 12:30pm to take us to the school.

We head out the side entrance (less stairs) 5 minutes early with the large suitcase and two plastic boxes (also filled with stuff) and who should be coming towards us: our driver – right on time and a hotel staff member ready to relieve me of the boxes.  With the car packed, we make our 20 minute journey to Pejengkawan Sekolah.  A quick check of the address and Nyoman knows exactly where to go – his village is the next one over.  He informs us there are three schools in the area and we are visiting school number 2.  He tells us he has two children, a girl 13 and a boy 8 who go to the 3^rd school.  Nyoman thanks us multiple times for what we are doing – his sincerity about the fact that we are helping his people, even though they may not actually be his family or from his village, is extremely touching.

He drops us out front of the school and before we take out the bags/boxes, I pick out a few items for Nyoman to give to his children.  He is undoubtedly grateful and asks if ok to take to his children while we stay at the school – of course he’ll be back to collect us in about an hour’s time.  We are immediately greeted at the gate by many eager children and Nyoman tells us they must know we are coming and have been waiting to meet us.  He comes inside the gates with us and helps by asking the children to locate their teacher.  I am so excited!  I approach the children and chat with them in rusty Bahasa Indonesian, but they are keen to communicate in English.  We enter the classroom and put the bag/boxes up on top of the tables at the front of the classroom and the kids are just bursting to see what is inside.

Within 10 minutes Ms Tatik arrives, apologetic for not being there to greet us, explaining she was with her baby (the children mentioned earlier that she is at home, so she must live close to the school) but says we are early (she tells me she sent an email this morning, but I had not checked until we got back and although originally she said to come at 1pm, her email said to come at 2pm).  All that aside, she is just as excited we are here as I am to be here.  Ms Tatik converses with the children in Bahasa, most likely settling them down and introduces us before offering the children the opportunity to ask us some questions (in English of course), such as: “what is your name”, “where do you live”, “what is your job”, “what is your hobby”, “do you have children”, “do you have brothers or sisters”.  Once they have had their chance, I go around the room one by one asking each child their name.

Today’s lesson is “Verbs”, which I explain to the class is known as “doing words”.  The children have a photocopied workbook to refer to and a small exercise book to write in.  We turn to page enam puluh satu (61) and it is my turn to play teacher.  I carefully pronounce the words in the boxes, e.g. “jump”, “climb”, “ride”, “read”, “write”, “drive”, “throw”, “dance”, put them into a short sentence and the children repeat aloud after me.  I explain about “magic letters”, e.g. the b in climb, the e in dance.  Ms Tatik then shows the children actions for each of the words.  Once we’ve practiced these a few times, it’s kind of like Simon Says with me playing Simon.  I call out the words and the children must demonstrate the action.  I have noticed a gorgeous little girl sitting in front on her own, appearing a little withdrawn and can’t help myself by grabbing her when I say the word “dance” and ask her to dance with me by twirling her around in front of the class, which soon puts a huge grin on her face.  The children are so excited and make lots of noise, laughing and cheering when I do this – how this makes my heart happy reliving this moment!

We soon hand out the brown paper gift bags pre-made with love at home, with the help of Miss 7.  Each bag contained various stationery items, stickers and a novelty gift – the whistles were a huge hit!  We also gave the children a lollipop, which I think caused the most commotion.  We had made (hopefully) enough for all of the children, as this was only one of the three classes to attend the school.  The lesson is almost over; it’s time for group photos and to say our goodbyes.  Just like all children in the 8-13 age bracket, some are cheeky, some are shy, some are confident, others are reserved, but by the end of the lesson I’m sure each and every one of them would have happily come home with me.  Every single child shakes our hand, some twice before leaving for the day – hopefully with a little everlasting imprint of us in their lives.

Ms Tatik does not want us to leave and pleads with us to stay for the remaining two classes.  We decide to wait until the next group of children are settled, answer the usual questions and get the chance to hand out their gift bags and lollipops.  Our driver is waiting, so reluctantly Ms Tatik bids us farewell and I promise to keep in touch by email until hopefully I return (for longer) next year.

As I head to the car, I keep my overwhelming feelings of emotion in check and know that I have gotten just as much, if not more out of this day then perhaps the children have.  Hubby and I reflect on our experience and he is pleased with how it all went, as initially he was worried it might not meet my expectations and didn’t want me to be disappointed.  He says that while I was playing teacher with the children, he chatted with Ms Tatik who expressed her deepest gratitude for the amount of donated resources – thanks to my dedicated colleagues, family and friends who pitched in – and told him they had never received so much all at once.  We both agree that although it would be nice to do this same thing in our own country, the sense of kinship and culture is just not as present as it is here and there would never be that same sense of appreciation applied to the situation.  This makes me momentarily sad, but reaffirms the reasons why I feel so compelled to give to the Balinese people who have the ability to touch me in a way that I just cannot explain. 

Nyoman takes us back to our hotel, stopping for me at a bookshop along the way.  He drops us back at our secret entrance and we happily pay him his fee of 170,000 Rupiah – with a little extra for good luck and a couple of Aussie dollar coins for his children.  He is such a nice man and we keep his card with the promise to call on him next time we visit Ubud – so now we have two very trustworthy drivers to add to our friend book.

At the hotel, we change into our swimmers and decide to dip in the pool just outside our room door – how convenient.  After a little while, we decide to battle the very steep stairs to the lowest pool, the biggest with the most beautiful view.  Thankfully when we get there, we have it all to ourselves.  While swimming, we notice some hotel staff climbing trees close by and are offered some freshly picked Rambutan from the tree – how nice.  We dry off, change clothes and wait in reception for the free shuttle into Ubud centre.

Not being very familiar with Ubud, we wander around aimlessly and discover we have turned onto Jl Monkey Forrest and before you know it, we are standing in front of the actual Monkey Forrest.  Not wanting to risk losing our glasses, without which we will not be able to see a thing, we keep walking right on past happy to watch the monkeys loitering out front.  I spot a couple of gorgeous sarongs along the way and manage to buy both for 120,000 Rupiah – another thing to tick off the list; I really wanted these to stretch over canvas and hang on my wall at home.

Eventually we end up back where the shuttle dropped us (about 1.5 hours later) and once again have very sore legs so decide to offer the next person saying “taxi” 30,000 Rupiah just to take us up the hill to Murni’s Warung for tea.  I tried ringing to make a reservation earlier in the day, but the number on Trip Advisor and their website was not connected, so I sent an online booking form.  I am pleased to say they responded to my email within a couple of hours.  We got a table with no problem though – must be due to low season – however there were still quite a few patrons.  Although the food was delicious, it still wasn’t as nice as (in my opinion) and was much more expensive than Warung Pulau Kelapa from last night.  We ordered Spicy Onion Rings, Beef Ribs with fries and salad, Nasi Campur, Banana Caramel Cake with Vanilla Ice-cream and their famous Ginger Sauce (yum), a Coffee Thickshake and 2 large Bintangs (we were also given FREE small bowl of peanuts and 2 bread rolls) – total cost 379,000 Rupiah.

Thankfully, Murni’s offered free transport back to our hotel.  Our driver was kind enough to drop into the local Indomaret to pick up some Bintangs on the way and was willing to drop me at Putri Spa until I looked at my watch and realised they would have just closed – how very disappointing!  Oh well, back to the hotel with enough time to put together today’s events, pack our stuff ready for another early start – we’re off to become Indo-chefs for the day tomorrow...

PS. I couldn't resist unwrapping my weeping buddhas for another look, so here they are!

Day 5 – I can’t believe he wore a skirt!

Weather: 32 degrees | thunderstorms | 88% humidity
Exchange: 9,690 Rupiah = $1AUD (hotel) | 9,800 Rupiah = $1AUD (street)

We start the day with a shower, breakfast – usual selection and out the front just after 8:30am.  Luckily I’m so organised and had everything packed last night, as a quick call to reception has our large suitcase full of donated resources for the school and a small suitcase for our two night stay in Ubud loaded on a trolley and taken downstairs. A text from our driver, Alex (Made) tells us he is nearly here and by the time we get downstairs, we can see his kind, smiling face looking for us.  The reception staff seem momentarily confused and think we are checking out, but a thorough explanation of our plans reassures them that we are coming back – we decided to keep our room so that we did not need to transport all of our luggage/purchases.

On the road and heading towards Denpasar, with no strict plans for the day except to end up at Beji Ubud Resort, Alex decides we should see the Barong and Kris Dance at Kesiman as it has just started.  Well worth it for 100,000 Rupiah each ticket - an entertaining show, with exquisite dancers and interesting costumes and theatrics (there was even some humour thrown in and a member of the show whose beard was actually longer than hubby’s).  As soon as the show is finished, Alex is right by our side and ushers us up on stage to take our photo with the Barong (mythological “good spirit” animal).

Back in the car we drive to Celuk and Alex picks a silver shop at random, Cahaya Silver in Sukawati/Gianyar for us to look around at.  The assistant takes us to the workshop where we watch four silversmiths making intricate pieces of silver jewellery.  We wander through the amazing shop checking out beautiful items, but the only thing I’m really looking for is a weeping Buddha pendant – no such luck.  I think I will need to specially order this next time.

The next stop is Puseh Batuan temple, where of course you cannot enter unless you wear a sarong.  Hubby innocently remarks that he will wait in the car – I don’t think so.  Moments later, he’s all dressed up pretty and we are allowed in to view the temple and surrounds.  Alex explains about the “bouncer on the door” – otherwise known as the temple security, but formally the statues named “Apit Lawang” that protect the temple.  We take photos, return the sarongs (which hubby happily hands over) and leave a donation when signing the guest book.  Hubby takes note that not many Australian names are on the pages and Alex confirms that mostly European tourists visit this temple.

Our next mission is to visit a wood carving village and we end up at Gallery Marka in Kemenuh village/Gianyar.  Such an amazing collection of word carvings can be found in this gallery.  I ask to be shown any Weeping Buddha pieces, which I have to demonstrate a visual of as the shop assistant knows them to be called Yoga Buddha.  I immediately find exactly what I am after and purchase three Buddha statues (my favourite being a double, with one standing on top of the other) and two pair of wooden hair clips, which I think could double as bookmarks.  All items are priced in US dollars and once she calculates the total, she deducts 60% and we end up paying $84 AUD.  Sorry, no pictures as I forgot to take before she wrapped the pieces up like fort Knox.  Happy with my find and the fact that our suitcase wouldn’t fit the $75,000 USD work of art that took three years to create, we are escorted back to our car by the shop assistant who carries our bags.  We give her an Aussie dollar coin and she happily tells us she will have it made into a necklace pendant.  When we reach the car, Alex points out the Mangostein tree in the garden telling us this is his favourite fruit.  The shop assistant leads us down to the trees and shakes a few loose for us to take.

A busy day so far, but it’s not over yet.  It is around 1pm, but we are not very hungry so decide to keep moving.  Alex takes us to the Holy Water Spring Temple Pura Tirtha Empul.  We spy our future home, a past president’s living quarters and watch people bathe in the crystal clear holy spring.  A couple of westerners are praying/meditating close by and the serenity catches my breath.  We wander around taking a few photos before hubby realises he must wear another sarong and firmly stands his ground about not going in to the temple area.  We return to the car and drive to Mt Batur.

Once at Mt Batur, Alex locates a restaurant with a good view of the volcano where we can buy a drink and visit the toilet.  Obviously, we are up fairly high into the mountain area and the cloud cover is very low.  We just manage to view the mountain, Alex takes a photo and a few drops of rain fall so we find a table (if you can call it that – Japanese style seating) under cover.  I tell Alex the clouds are Bali snow – he smiles.  Hubby has a coffee, Alex has a hot tea and I finally get to try my Soda Gemberi (kind of like a Raspberry Spider, but no chunks of ice-cream – more like milk and VERY sweet).  This plus a plate of soggy fried potato (hot chips) because we are rather peckish by now cost us 102,000 Rupiah.

Our last sightseeing stop is Tegallalang Rice Terraces.  It’s raining fairly steadily now and Alex thinks we might give it a miss.  It’s been a long day and I start to doze in the car on the way there.  The rain settles so we continue and once we get there, it’s just a few quick snaps of the terraces.  I don’t have the energy to look in the stalls and barter, so we get back in the car and Alex knows it’s time to take us to check in to our hotel in Ubud.  We’ll definitely have to come back here on our next trip.

We arrive at Beji Ubud Resort about 5pm, check in right away and farewell Alex until next Tuesday when we will meet his family and he’ll show us the East part of the Island.  He literally spent the whole day with us, was so pleasant and spoke English really well and only charged us 450,000 Rupiah.  We drink our welcome drink and as soon as the glass is put down, we are guided to our room – there are no stairs and one of the male hotel staff carries our nearly 30kg suitcase full of donations up the steep stairs.  What a gorgeous place Beji is, with multiple levels overlooking a ravine and five infinity style pools – one right outside our hotel room door.  We settle in, have a coffee then decide to find somewhere within walking distance to eat tea... we’re starving!

We wander up the road towards Ubud centre – it’s so much more calmer and quieter than Kuta.  We get as far as the local supermarket and purchase some water and Bintangs before heading back to a restaurant a few meters before, but first stop to chat with a couple of local guys offering transport and organise a ride to the school the following day.  We decide to eat at Warung Pulau Kelapa – just up the road from Beji – and are so glad we did.  The most delicious food I have tasted so far and for an absolute bargain price, minus the mosquitoes biting at our ankles.  We order (Entrees) Pecel Blitar (boiled veggie with fried/fermented soybean patty and peanut sauce), Soto Ayam Kampung (chicken soup, vermicelli, cabbage & boiled egg), (Main) Nasi Campur and Nasi Kuning (I said we were hungry), a large Bintang and an iced lime juice.  I couldn’t help but clean my plate, but it had nothing to do with the cost, a total of 161,700 Rupiah.

I convince hubby to pop into Putri Bali Spa on the way back to the hotel, where I decide to have a pedicure (long overdue) and organise for him to have a 1 hour massage.  As strange as it seems, he really doesn’t enjoy this kind of attention, but I guess figures it would be a better choice than sitting around waiting for me for 1 hour.  I completely enjoy my pedi, although feel uncomfortable at first because I’m in a room with two other older ladies who obviously enjoy the peace and quiet, and I LIKE TO TALK!  They soon leave and I breathe a huge sigh of relief and get to know the beautiful Wahyu who has much more in common than I would have ever guessed.  We are the same age, although her birthday is a few days after mine and coincidentally falls on mine and hubby’s wedding anniversary.  She has two daughters; the eldest a few days before my birthday and the youngest a year younger than our Miss 7 but with the same date/different month.  I am a real numbers person, so when the numbers match I take this as a sign and figure I was meant to meet Wahyu for some reason.  I think I’ll go back to visit her tomorrow to see if I can find out why and maybe just squeeze in a facial while I’m at it – and yes, hubby will stay at the hotel this time.  Let’s just say he didn’t enjoy having a Balinese lady climbing all over his back and is still complaining about the red marks down his spine.

A long day, filled with lots of good memories.  I sit here reflecting on the events of our day, listening to the rain pounding on the roof, the occasional call from our gecko intruders and realise how lucky I am to be able to experience all of these wonderful things.  I can’t wait to share these feelings with the children of Pejengkawan Village School tomorrow...