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.

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?" 

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)

long distance food run

Some people go around the corner to Woolies or the local gourmet store; Hildi and I come to Bali. Someone's got to do it.  

Food and hardware shopping take up the first two day's agenda.  We hire a Suzuki Sierra, and with my brazen confidence behind the wheel, we take lists in hand and take to the road.  I have a wholesale account with a food company that supplies imported foods to the catering industry.  Trading as the "Tom and Sally Cafe" I pick up our order of bulk nuts, seeds, dried fruit, pulses & olives for the next two months.  Added to the food items are door handles, hinges, stainless steel wire, screws, books and cartons of soy milk.  With the main load shipped off on air cargo, our time is free to indulge in the finer points of coffee, massage and window shopping.

Grocer and Grind in Seminyak offer this delightful eye candy.  Not available in our local market.  Just looking madam.

spa cuisine at the maya

I have a quirky addiction to travel research, in particular flight timetables, accommodation rates and menus, and my idea of a good time is calling into boutique resorts to check out their facilities. In Bali this practice is rewarded with golf buggy rides, travelator trips and previews into some of the best spas and villas your rupiah/dollar/yen can buy. A peek into the other world - the world of space beds and 24 hour butlers.

It was on a recent “reccie”, that I decided on the Maya Resort and Spa's River Cafe for Zoe’s birthday lunch. None of the other guests would have arrived via scooter, but once through security and over the foyer pond threshold, we were as suave as any high flyer. Down the promenade, framed by coconut palms and exclusive villas, to the elevator, and a pain free trip to the valley below. One wouldn’t want to break a sweat on the stairs. The River Cafe is a tribute to fresh “spa cuisine”, served overlooking the infinity pool, abundant garden and rushing river.

We are momentarily put off our food by the arrival of a middle-aged Euro sporting nothing but a short canary yellow t-shirt and red cock-jocks. Does paying a certain amount of money give sanction to wearing no pants out to lunch?


With a delightful lunch over and the Mastercard signed off, we make ourselves acquainted with the swimming pool, until the schedule asserts that we towel off and move on to Zoe’s massage and floral bath appointment. The life of a princess is never dull.

raw food bali

Every Saturday morning there is a small organic market that brings together 10 local, independent growers and related businesses with a selection of vegetables, fruits, medicinal plants, natural cosmetics and remedies, breads, cakes, rice and organic seeds and seedlings. I purchase a bag of lush vanilla beans, locally grown raw cacao and hibiscus seeds to try in the garden. Morning tea is a green smoothie and a cashew-milk latte chaser (woops, there's the coffee monster again) at the divine Little K raw vegan café. Tucked behind the Yoga Barn, the shady deck overlooks a terraced garden of coconuts, bananas and tangled undergrowth, rising to rice padis beyond. Me and my laptop are in wireless heaven.

There is a blossoming raw food network in Bali, particularly around Ubud, that is in part driven by Mark Ament and Leah Rinaldi, founders of Raw Food Bali. They hold regular raw food classes, retreats and pot-luck dinners, and their website is a valuable information portal for everything raw. I visit Mark at his home - where students of a raw food class are eagerly devouring their vegan creations - and pick up a supply of raw cashews (hand shelled in Flores), virgin coconut oil, and Balinese cacao beans. We are set for another month of "power day smoothies."