i've been to bali too

I am home from two weeks of stimulation and interaction in Bali. Most of my time was spent at Mick's Place in Bingin, where I acted as relief manager, dog walker and surf reporter. Yes, I know, tough gig. I had to smile and meet and greet and answer questions; and fend off surly dogs and wanderers that chose to ignore the "guest's only" sign. In between there were new cafes to review and laps of the lagoon to swim. My sister-in-law and two nieces visited for two nights, bringing me treasured family contact and news from home. Sadly, the four kilos of dates from mum and my magazine subscriptions didn't make it into their hand luggage.  Back on island time now, sheltering from the ferocious trade winds and meditating on my fourth day without caffeine. 

I am thrilled to be featured on Carla Coulson's wildly popular blog as part of her "Inspiring Lives" series. You can read the interview here. Thank you Carla for the opportunity to share a little of my life with your readers. 

lontar spa part 1

A tickle of luxury has arrived on the island this season, with the opening of the Lontar Spa at the resort.  The building was designed by Tom McArchitect and the interiors styled by the spa's founder and manager Sascha; the beauty and brains behind the successful cliff-top spa at Mick's Place in Bingin (also Mick's better half and my neighbour).  I was delighted to be asked to photograph the spa, and try out the signature treatments over the course of a girl's afternoon.  The two therapists are local girls, trained by the experienced spa staff at Mick's Place. 

The main building has a curved stone entrance, spiralling inwards to a concealed door that welcomes clients into the secluded, calm interior.  The nautilus inspired design features an open air shower and vanity in the centre and classic grass roof.  On the beach, with a front row view of the wave, is a small bale for manicures, pedicures and seated massage. See the boys blissed-out smiles as they combine beer-o-clock with a treatment in the next post.  

Riding home along the beach front at sunset, after a swim, full body massage and fresh shower, I experienced one of those peak moments that etch into your memory. Thanks Sascha, and congratulations. 

shifting gears

Twice weekly, a 12 seater prop-jet offers the option of a 25 minute scenic flight to the mainland. The two room terminal sits lonely beside the tarmac, with an unused xray machine filling most of the check in area. You walk around it to get to the bathroom scales, where you and your luggage are weighed in, and someone collects the hand written ticket stub. A glass door leads to the stuffy VIP area, where three plastic floral lounges wait for important uniformed bums.

The flying tin can dissapeared into a puff of white cloud and the Indonesian lady beside me dug her fingernails into my thigh like it was a great white life raft.  I patted the gold rings on her hand reassuringly, confident the Australian and English pilots had things under control.  While I have no qualms about flying, there is something unnerving about seeing the runway from the pilots point-of-view, their hands flicking between switches and levers as the white line guides them to the ground.  

I've left the peace of our village to join other wordsmiths and bookish types at the Ubud Writers and Readers Festival.  After the festival, Aquaman and I are skipping over to Singapore and Penang for a visa run, preparing for our final two months undisturbed as the wet season builds and the pace slows further under a blanket of humidity.  I'm very excited to be an official photographer for the Writers Festival, as well as volunteering at a number of key events, including the Paul Kelly & Lucky Oceans concert.  Keep up with who I meet, what I learn and how many coffees I drink over at Treacle for Stickybeaks.  

back from where i've been

Home again after a two week stint in Bali and relieved to be free from the hideous traffic, pollution and noise of Seminyak. Despite my best intention, I always seem to end up there as it is convenient for stocking up on supplies before I return to island isolation. The coffee isn't bad either.  For the last two nights our hotel was opposite a three storey building site where work continued until 11pm, followed by all night horn beeping and motorbike revving.  The majority of Bali holidaymakers are only just warming up around 10pm, so wouldn’t even notice, but for this koala it was torture.

Tom’s parents are here for their first visit. Our days are full of cultural outings, nature walks, swimming and Feldenkrais, with Tom putting his dad to work on outstanding projects. Today we have a fierce scrabble tournament on the go. Tom's in the lead, with me sniffing a close second.

For photos from my trip to Bali, and to see where I laze about in my resort manager's bikini, visit Treacle for Stickybeaks here, here and here.

I'll leave you with a Bingin barrel, taken from the pool at Mick's Place.

who are all these people?

Less than a day in Bali and I have almost killed myself with two lattes, carbon monoxide poisoning and the shock of an internet connection that doesn't require me to read half a book between clicks.  Here for a couple of weeks to manage Mick's Place in Bingin - my second stint after a successful trial run in December - and to escort the in-laws on their first visit to our island home.  It is clear that I am not the only one with a desire to be in Bali. After three months of village life and quiet nights with a green smoothie, a book and my husband, the crowds, noise, traffic and sensory stimulation is freaking me out.  Is there an official name for a fear of traffic jams?

bali transit

For most visitors, Bali is the destination they have been counting down for; annual leave, school holidays, honeymoon, girls pamper trip or post-season footy debauchery.  We are in the unusual situation were Bali is a transit zone or a weekender.  Like a trip to the city from down south, when lounging in cafes and browsing through boutiques melds with food shopping and errands in the light industrial area.  We are neither tourist nor expat, although we wander in both shoes. 

We had three nights in Bali enroute to our end of the archipelago. First on our list was to hire a scooter and head straight to Bintang supermarket for a banana binge.  Floods and cyclones have pushed bananas in Australia to a luxury level and we were dearly missing our staple food.  The whole kilo was devoured before we left the carpark.

There was still room in the tummy for more tropical fruit and a soy latte at Grocer and Grind while planning our list for the day. (Note : G & G have a new branch on Jalan Uluwatu in Jimbaran, which is a welcome addition to this espresso starved area).

You might imagine my list to be populated with a massage, pedicure, bikini wax and hair treatment; in between high tea and a beach walk. I thought that as well, until the reality of picking up new bamboo blinds, shipping air cargo and getting fingerprinted at immigration bunted the spa activities aside.  However, we did both get to the haridresser; for Tom's pre-season hair cut and my damage control treatment.

"Oh dear madam, you're hair feels like sand."

The blinds are to replace those destroyed in the wet season storms, thanks to the failure of our assigned worker to close down the house.  The domestic air cargo is not on any tourist itineraries that I'm aware of, and so should it remain.  Unless Gen Y and younger would like to see what a typewriter looks like.  Look mum, no cords!

political incorrectness

I bet there are plenty of restaurateurs that would love to erect a sign like this, and then enjoy a swift ride to the equal opportunities board.  In Indo, they say it like it is.  Such poetry.

frangipani love

Who doesn't love a frangipani in the tropics?  The vibrant colour, the heady smell wafting on the afternoon heat...  If this was smellablog I would infuse the screen with their intoxicating scent, but for now I offer you their sublime beauty.  Poolside in Canggu, Bali.

when the water falls part 2

The area around Munduk in north-central Bali, offers a smorgasbord of waterfalls and streams.  All that is needed are strong knees and lungs for the hike down and back up again.  East of Munduk is a little visited cafe with a backdrop akin to the Pixie Photo booth that used to move around regional shopping centres.  We had been alerted to the cafe by a small article in Bali's Insight magazine (thanks Andrew).  

Look out for the small roadside "waterfall cafe" sign, park up, and the "gatekeeper" will greet you with wooden walking poles to support your descent; well worth the 3000 rps entry fee.  Descend through regenerated spice gardens, cacao and coffee, cross the slatted bamboo bridge and take your seat at the modest cafe.  

 Fresh juices, smoothies, tea and authentic dishes are on offer, including lak-lak, a delicious Balinese dessert, like a small rice dumpling, cooked on an open fire, and topped with palm sugar syrup and coconut.

If you are game, this could be the cheapest place to try authentic kopi luwak, widely reported to be the most expensive coffee in the world.  Freshly shat from the intestinal tract of resident civet cats, it looks like a turd full of coffee beans, and is  claimed to  have smooth "intertwined" flavours with a lack of bitterness.  The question begs to be asked - why gave the coffee growers the initial urge to try this "delicacy?" 

when the water falls part 1

Beyond the Bukit, the Bintang and the Bounty, Bali has some magic natural landscape for those who dare venture out.   The high rainfall feeds innumerable waterfalls that tumble off the volcanoes and through dense rainforest.  When you find one free from day-trippers and single use plastic, there is nothing but to leap in and let the life giving waters tumble over you.

At the base of steep, slippery stairs from Sarinbuana Eco Lodge, is this secluded gem.   The stream flows from Mount Batukaru, through protected rainforest, to form three pools and small cascades.  Just you, the birds, and the deep, dark jungle.  

 Aquaman found the water a little cool for lounging, so took charge of taking my photo. x

chai wallah

For those partial to a spicy soy chai, look no further than Biku teahouse in Seminyak. Served in an unusual teapot with a fine china cup and saucer, the blend of quality leaf tea, cinnamon, cardamon, cloves and ginger is an authentic tribute to mother India.

If the mere thought of a hot beverage in the tropics makes you perspire, try the refreshing iced teas, infused with mint, star fruit, wild ginger blossom or lemongrass.  

Biku is the perfect place to lounge and catch up on gossip, email or your half read novel.  A small branch of Ganesha Bookshop sells new and used books, magazines and cards, so grab a pen and indulge in the old fashioned tradition of letter writing over a cup of loose leaf Darjeeling or Lapang Souchang, reported to be a "favourite of intellectuals and artists who seek inspiration and creative stimulation."

‘Tea’s proper use is amuse the idle, and
relax the studious, and dilute the full meals
of those who cannot use exercise, and will
not use abstinence”
Samuel Johnson (1709 - 1784)

sari organic

Peak season in Bali and the living is busy.  Normally we would avoid July and August, but with family commitments and school holiday restrictions, we take what we are given. The  roads are choked with rental cars and holidaying Javanese, and I managed to scratch our shiny Toyota on a rubbish bin.  

Leaving the wheels behind, we take a pleasant stroll down a narrow path off the Ubud main road.  Rising from the padi is a simple open pavillion serving organic vegetarian food sourced from an on-site garden.  Conceived as a community project to grow non-chemical rice and vegetables, and to teach local Balinese about organic farming, Sari Organic has become an Ubud tradition. A fair trade program ensures farmers receive a good price for their produce, and the 15 families involved earn between 600,000 (A$80) and 1,500.000 (A$180) per month. The program has restored a sense of pride for the farmers, and is preserving unique strains of rice for future generations.  Individuals can purchase Sari Organic products at the twice weekly organic market in Ubud, or get walking and savour their salads and nasi campur at the cafe.

For those in the south of Bali, Sari Organic also have a cafe at the recently opened Little Tree eco-supply store on Sunset Road.

 

echo beach

Sunday night barbeque has fast become an institution at Echo Beach, Canggu.  Tables are set on the stone landing with uninterrupted views of the wave, and as the sun sets behind the haze, candles are lit and the queue for grilled seafood lengthens.  Two vege skewers with free range of the salad bar is a bargain at 35,000 rps (A$4.50).

Carnivores can rejoice at the selection of pork ribs, chicken tandoori, king prawns, whole red snapper, beef fillet, scallops and local clams.  Personally I think they all should be left to live a long and happy life, but the masses don't tend to agree. 

The barbie in on each night, with Sunday being the big event.  So if you're in the area, do as the song says and "watch the sun go down on Echo Beach."  Especially if your job is as a boring office clerk.  It's not as "far away in time" as it once was, but if you get there before they finish the Sea Sentosa resort, you might still get a seat.

not for mopping

Tried these beauties on.  Not practical for wonky feet with orthotics, not good in the sand, and definitely not suitable for mopping.  Back on the shelf they go.