Bali: Island of the Gods

Halloween Night

A few months ago my dear friend Erica and I spent a girls night out catching “Eat, Pray, Love” at the theater.  The only bright spot of the entire two and a half hours (that I wish I could get back) were the stunning scenes of the island of Bali. Well that and Javier Bardem!  If you are looking for me during holiday for the rest of my life, Bali would be a great place to start your search.  I had heard several friends and family talk of this gorgeous island and their desire to go back, I can now see why.  Correctly named the Island of the Gods, Bali wows you with its white beaches, soaring palm trees and crystal clear water.  We spent our first few days in Jimbaran Bay, a touristy scene full of lounge chairs on the beach and plenty of sarong shops.  Our first night we walked along the beach and settled on a dinner spot under the sunset, filled with fireworks, fresh fish and a local band serenading us with the variety of John Denver, Jack Jackson and the Beatles.  My first full day of paradise found me not far from the pool or beach at any time, with a beach read or newspaper in hand.  My farthest journey led me to a beach side masseuse for an hour long massage.  Not only was the price amazing for the time ($10 for an hour long massage), but also for the sound of waves crashing as the jasmine oil set in. 

My Balinese life :)

I continued to connect with my inner Balinese woman; as I accessorized with a jasmine flower and sarong at any opportunity and relished the nasi campur, Indonesian’s mixed rice dish full of satay, veg, egg and various sauces.  We took any opportunity to experience the Balinese culture, but also had an opportunity to bring a little of the American culture to Bali.  Our finally day in Jimbaran Bay fell on Halloween.  Hannah proposed a costume contest—a difficult task, as costumes would need to be created with only the items in our suitcase.  Very early on I chose the proboscis monkey, for anyone that has read my previous posts you understand the tribute to my new favorite animal.  However, due to a lack of tape it was quite difficult to create the distinguishing nose of the proboscis.  I opted for a traditional Balinese woman with a witch mask instead J It was apparent that I was quickly out done in the creative department for the contest.  Tim and Megan went with the classic couple costume of salt and pepper- Megan decked in the all black, Tim all white.  Hannah and Tess bumped up the abstract with their duo costume.  Together they made a “donut”- Tess dressed in all white with a pillow in her belly to make the dough, Hannah dressed in all brown to represent the nut.  Sam had the most difficult job of judging the affair.  Although a true winner was never established, the contest was a bit hit.  Megan had asked the hotel if they happened to have any costumes or Halloween candy upon our arrival to surprise the kids.  We had totally forgotten but an incredibly generous woman showed up at our villa with 6 bags of candy and 3 Halloween masks she had gone shopping for.  We explained and demonstrated the Halloween tradition of trick or treating and the woman genuinely seemed scared once we all passed around the masks.  She shook all of our hands and still slightly confused about this obscure tradition said “Congratulations and Happy Halloween!”  We enjoyed our Halloween dinner, and last night in Jimbaran Bay, with a backyard BBQ in our villa—fresh lobster, ahi tuna, pineapple and more on the grill.  Absolutely delightful and Halloween I will remember forever J

Sad to leave Jimbaran Bay, we hopped in a car to Ubud, the cultural and shopping mecca on the island of Bali.  We didn’t wait long to experience our Ubud culture as we stopped at a Batik fabric painting shop, wood carving and silversmith en route.  Surrounded by rice terraces, vibrant red heliconia plants and a calm flowing river, The Four Seasons Resort of Ubud may have been the prettiest landscape of any hotel I have ever had the pleasure of staying at.  So spectacular in fact that it took a royal cremation ceremony to tear ourselves apart from the luxury and scenery of our stellar hotel.  .  Not only did we witness a cremation ceremony, but the late king of Ubud’s cremation ceremony.  Declared a national holiday, the procession included thousands of mourners and hundreds of volunteers ready to make the long trek to the river to dispose of his ashes.   The preparation of the pyre alone takes ninety days; an understandable feat once you see the 80 foot pyre and 35 foot white bull used to transport the body to the pyre. Never in my life have I been so jammed back together with people in such immense heat.  However, it was a once in a lifetime spectacle that I will remember forever.  

Mustache White Water Rafting Shot

For another view of the incredible landscape, we hit the Ayung River (meaning “beautiful one”) for a morning of white water rafting.  After our paddle mustache photo op, we overloaded the raft and began our journey down the river amongst the engraved rock walls, picturesque waterfalls and Tess’ screams for everyone to STAY IN THE BOAT!  A rational concern as every few meters our guide warned us of a “Boom Boom” which meant that in just a few seconds we would be colliding with a large volcanic boulder, surely to leave our butts and hips sore for days.  We encountered more “Boom Booms” on this river than I ever care to encounter again, but it was definitely a stunning way to see the internal landscape of the “Island of the Gods”. 

For many of you that know me, it is no surprise that checking out the Balinese dance scene was a must do to truly get a feel for the culture.  We arrived at a large outdoor theater at 9 am for the dance performance, a little earlier than I am used to busting out my moves.  Just a minute after nine, the show began as the dancers emerged from the decorated doors.  Definitely a little different than my dance moves or the ones I see monitoring junior high dances, yet I was overwhelmed by the beauty of the costumes and the portrayal of the popular tale of good versus evil spirits in all of us.  Our last night in Bali ended with a festive meal at Naughty Nuri’s, the hottest spot in town on Thursday’s for a BBQ ribs dinner with yummy cocktails and a bustling atmosphere J