You can't help not miss the numerous temples and shrines and statues of brahma, visnu and shiva in every nook and corner. Nor can you avoid bumping into a ceremony when driving along the streets. Hinduism in Bali predominates over everything including tourism. People are just besotted by the gods.
Back in Java we took a 4-hour train from Probolinggo to Bangyuwangi - the most easternly point on the island and from there got the ferry to cross the canal to Bali. As we waited for the train we watched the goats prancing along on the rails, which we had to walk over ourselves within the next few minutes to board the 'luxury' train. To our luck we had first class seats again, which meant more leg-room and air-conditioning, which didn't work! When we got to the ferry, becak (bike rickshaws) men cycled our backpacks to the entrance as we walked beside them. The ferry boat was quite big but almost close to the point of collapsing. Its tired deco characterised by broken chairs, dirty floors and toilets and a windscreen-smashed lifeboat through which a weed plant was blooming with life.
We landed in Bali and yet another 2-hour drive took us to Angsoka Hotel at Lovina.
We were only metres away from the lovely beach. A quick shower and change of clothes quickly revitalised us. We met for dinner at the 'Jasmine Kitchen'; a tiny but pretty restaurant in one of the narrow streets beside our open-plan hotel. I tried the tuna fish in banana leaves and the black pudding. Not quite my fav but nice. Then Michael, a friend of Intrepid and the laundry man came about proudly displaying a range of colourful luck charms made out of carefully joint shell and coconut husks. He quickly won us girls over them. I ended up getting two. I just fell in love with their philosophical meaning which he described as "We're all sons and daughters of the same mother. There's are no distinction between black (symbolised by the brown coconut skin) and white (the sea shell)."
Next morning as the others were having a good lie in, Chiara and I shot out at 5.45am. We wanted to see the dolphins out at sea for sunrise. The skipper of the narrowest boat I've ever sat in (thankfully I'm not a big girl!) took us out of the beach for a good hour or so. During which I got lots of nice cold water showers!
Suddenly, we saw a about five dolphins sprout out of the water in an ensemble. Only to see them again after another ten minutes or so. They only allowed themselves a one-second show at a time. Pity! I was dreaming of actually swimming with them. Well, at least the sunrise over the hilly land behind and beside us was great. Back on shore, soaking wet we changed and had breaky before lazing between veranda and pool for the rest of the day. That evening we were invited over for dinner at another Intrepid friend. Ibu Wayan and her family lived a few metres inland from the posh and tourist set up beach front. We had to find our way in the dark amongst endless tall palm trees. Her house with huge covered veranda was actually on the water which we could only hear not see in the dark. A large table was spread out displaying plates of food, big bowls of rice, bottles of water, cutlery and plates. We gulfed in. Yummy! It was selling time after that as members of her family desperately tried to sell us batik clothing, sarongs, paintings etc...
Next day Pete, Marg, Mich, Chiara and myself set off to discover the water wonders of the island of Menjangan. It was about an hours drive then about 20 minutes by boat. We anchored by the rest at the shores of the deserted island and our guide took us snorkelling. We were in waters' heaven! I think it was even better than snorkelling in the Great Barrier Reef! The sea cliff offered an abundance of colourful fish and coral. Not to mention red and blue starfish. WOW! An hour and half just flew by so quickly but enough to burn our back and shoulders and well build an appetite. Unfortunately, there was no time for another snorkel after lunch as we were bound to head to Tirta Gangga that afternoon. On our way we came across a funeral which looked more like a Spanish fiesta! Our next hotel was up in the hills amongst the rice fields, in other words, far away from the beach. There wasn't anything special in the whereabouts except the Water Palace at the centre of the village.
Next morning after hiking through rice fields again we ended exploring every carved nook, statue and pool at the Palace's garden. The rice fields were themselves decorated with shrines and checkered apron covered statues of gods. Amongst them double-bent farmers with their ox and cows paid their earthly dues. We met a bunch of workers under a wooden shelter and took photos with them as we waited for the sheet of rain to stop.
After visiting the Palace, I decided to do a bit of exploring on my own. I ended up having a mango lassi in an al fresco restaurant. The owner was friendly on conversant in English. He told me he met many foreigners, of course and also took quite a few of them on top of the mountain. He then showed me an extract from the Rough Guide were he was mentioned for both his restaurant and mountain expeditions. He carried his cute looking two year-old son in his arms as his pretty young wife bustled around the empty restuarant. I sat there, read a bit of my book then decided to head back to meet the others for lunch.
Sally and her mum were about to cross the round to the warung at the side of the main road. I decided to join them as the rest of the group went to fetch a restaurant back at the village. It was a great lunch; panoramic view of the fields and home-cooking at its best. We had bakso which is a clear broth with balls of chicken meat, bamboo shoots, some other veggies, beans and crushed peanuts and chili. Followed by dessert, campur susu; slushed ice topped with condensed milk topped with mung beans, pink and green syrups, jello and everything sweet! Best slush I had ever tasted :)
We set off after lunch. Ubud was only two hours away. We lengthened our journey by stopping at a huge temple. We could only access the surrounding grounds as a ceremony was taking place inside. We still had to dress up in beaded necklaces and sarongs held tight by orange sashes around our waist. We were sweltering in the heat and admired the well-attired families walking in with their baskets full of goods offerings.
Ubud is one long stretch of a road decorated with dainty little shops amongst shrines, temples and Balinese-styled hotels. Artini Cottages had large spacious rooms around the garden and pool. We couldn't help a bit of window shopping and a swim in the pool that hot afternoon.
Later, I joined Michelle and Marg for dinner afterwhich we met the others to go watch a local performance. We entered the small courtyard of a temple, each side with walls decorated with stone carvings of gods. A huge candle stand was the only prop on stage. A chorus of men in nothing but a hibiscus flower in their hair and checkered sarongs around their waists, entered stage humming tunes. Then one by one the protagonists of the act made their important appearance. The short-version of the Ramayana was followed by a dance performed by two teenage girls in trance. Their eyes were shut and yet they danced in synch to the female choir. This act was followed by another astounding one. A man, again in trance, danced over burning coconut husks....ouch! He didn't seem to feel a thing. When he was sat on the floor at the end of the performance a priest dripped water into his cupped hands and prayed over him. The man woke up from his trance but took ages to get up from the floor, sweaty and breathless as he was. Finally, a member of the crew gave him a bottle of water and was soon up on his feet grinning at the audience from cheek to cheek. I still wonder how weird things to us seem to be pretty much business as usual for these people.
Next morning I couldn't resist the shopping temptation! I walked along the stretch of road and if that weren't enough I went to the open market where I ended up buying souvenirs for my dears back home. I then filled up a box with all the goodies and dashed to the friendly post office. That night we had our farewell dinner as it officially was the end of the trip across Java and Bali. Sally took us to a lovely posh restaurant for the occasion where we enjoyed exotic cocktails and desserts too.
After a few goodbyes the next morning I made my way towards the small bus station and got a bus to Kota, which is about an hour away from Ubud. I was kind of expecting what to find. And I only decided to go there cause, well I had a day to kill and was sick of shopping and secondly, was curious for the Aussies' sake.
The main road was full of top brand and designer outlets. Further down the beach, lined with hotels and Aussies everywhere you turned, the place looked just like another beach in Sydney, Bondi II, perhaps?!??! Then I came across one of the memorial monuments in honour of the bombed victims. The marble piece gave little condolence whatsoever. Luckily, the executions of the actual bombers happened about a month or so after I was there so other than that life was a shopping spree, a surf board, a sundeck and a tequila sunrise. I was glad to find a number of warungs along the beach so I had a delicious lunch of one of the best gado gado (veggies covered in peanut sauce) I had tasted in Indonesia. Tired of walking about and along the beach I headed back to Ubud for a lavish 'cream bath' (head and shoulder massage and hair treatment) of aloe vera. Then to my excitement I thought I would be in time to make it to the wayang (puppet) show at the Puppetry Museum's open air theatre. Well, I did make it on hourly time but was out of lunar time as there were no puppet shows in full moon!
So, I ended up watching yet another version of the Ramayana with only a handful of other tourists. Oh well, was a good day after all. A quick dinner of nasi goreng (fried noodles) in the tiny cafe across from our hotel saw me in bed quite early that night. It was goodbyes to Indonesia the next morning as I, together with Marg and Gaby headed for the airport. My next destination was Sabah in Borneo via Kuala Lampur. N X X X X
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