A Taste of Bali
This is the second part of my October post written in November because part of the time I was home in the States and the other part I ventured to Bali, Indonesia. The delay in writing, also, is because jet lag kicked my butt upon my return home. Any who, here’s to living my life in full color and sharing a taste of Bali.
Day 1 was spent travelling from LA to Singapore, then to Bali.
Day 2 and 3, October 24-25, we arrived in Denpasar and transferred to Ubud to check into the Kajane Hotel. Rested for the night, saw the sun rise the next morning, ate a wonderful traditional Indonesian breakfast, and admired the beautiful floral devotionals laid out daily throughout the grounds.
After breakfast, we traveled to the ARMA Museum, Monkey Forest, and ate a delicious meal at the Bebek Joni Restaurant. I wore jeans that day for the first and last time. Didn’t think I could sweat so much as I did that day. Thankfully, ended the day with a wonderful spa treatment that ended with a flower milk bath.
Day 4, October 26, started with a beautiful sunrise, early breakfast and then off to the Tirta Empul Temple where we had to respectfully wrap ourselves in sarongs. While some tour mates participated in a purification ceremony, I wandered around taking in the sights.
Next, we travelled to Satria for tastings of specialty teas and Kopi luwak coffee, which consists of partially digested coffee cherries that have been eaten, fermented in the intestines, and defecated by the Asian palm civet (cat). “The Bucket List” a 2007 movie with Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman has the best scenes about this coffee. I loved visiting Satria because all kinds of fruits, vegetables, and spices were grown on the grounds. I bought several teas, but waited to visit a local grocery store for the luwak coffee.
Our last stop for the day was the Tegalalang Rice Terraces. Here folks got to terraces and take those iconic Bali swing photos. Two of our 84-year-old tour mates were completely outdone when told there was a 65+ age restriction. Call me ‘chicken’ if you wish but my 71-year-old self was not because I had no desire to swing out into the open hinterlands without a net!
Back at the hotel, the day ended with drinks, food, and a on the ground swing shot for me.
Day 5, October 27, was a day of leisure for me and Deirdra. Since Bali is 12 hours ahead of east coast time, we scheduled our breakfast for the October 26 Cookbook Club Sunday Dinner. Saleema (Philadelphia), Inge (Mississippi), and Dianna (Virginia) joined us. In my excitement, I forgot to take a screenshot of our Zoom call. But did take a shot of my breakfast and asked the ladies to send me pictures of their meals. Saleema went all out and discovered a new dish – Tofu Basa stuffed banana wraps, but all was eaten except for some leftover veggies. Dianna sent a colorful picture of fruits and spices, but had eaten her meal as well. Inge shared a picture of her fresh beet hummus, with olives, feta and lemongrass ginger tea. All and all it was fun commiserating from halfway around the world.
Afterwards, Deirdra and I explored the Kajane Hotel’s food garden and hydroponic farm space. Much of what they serve on their menu is grown on the grounds of the hotel. And by the afternoon, we were headed to Benoa. Halfway there we stopped at the Semar Kunig Restaurant for a delicious meal and drinks.
With bellies full, we checked into the Sakala Resort Hotel in Benoa. Rested a bit, explored the humongous grounds, and ate a light dinner for me. This was a huge hotel where you planned your time away from your room because it was just too big to be going back and forth.
Day 6, October 28, was spent leisurely exploring a shopping area not too far from the hotel, and ending the day enjoying great food and Bali’s standard two for one drinks.
Day 7, October 29, started with a light breakfast. While Sakala had way more breakfast food than Kajane, I found it not as pleasant as the former. And at both places I could never get a hot cup of coffee. Frustratingly, they were always lukewarm.
We spent a half day at Garuda Wisnu Kencana (GWK), a 60-hectare cultural park with a gargantuan statue of the Hindu god, Vishnu, and other amazing sculpture landscaping the grounds. I did my usual, walked around exploring the sights and metaphorically feeling my way through the experience.
Day 8, October 30, was great fun. Participated in a Balinese cooking class at the Raja Bali Restaurant. I took more pictures and video of my tour mates rather than cooking. It was just a little to chaotic and fast paced for me but I loved every minute watching and recording everything, Videos of the class that my son edited for me can be found at Raja Bali Restaurant Cooking Class, Pt. 1 and Raja Bali Restaurant Cooking Class, Pt. 2.
Our tour guide, Pieter, treated us afterwards to a visit to Pantai Melasti Beach where I got to put my feet in the Indian Ocean and enjoy the sun.
Leaving the beach was a bit delayed for a very long funeral procession. Traffic was stalled both ways to allow the multi-layered funeral tower carrying the body to traverse the beach entrance archway and proceed to the cremation site.
Driving back to the hotel, I was able to capture several family shrines which hold immense spiritual significance in Balinese culture. They are found everywhere on the island within household compounds as tribute to ancestors. I found seeing these shrines and daily offerings to be a very special part of my Bali experience.
The day ended with very nicely curated farewell dinner. I loved the entire meal; especially the soup. To cap the night off, we took a group picture to commemorate our time together.
Day 9, October 31, the 17+ hour trip back home began. A long layover at the Singapore Changi Airport allowed for exploring their cactus garden and water lily garden. The Indonesian aesthetic did not disappoint; culture and presentation are premiere throughout.
In closing this part two of my post, always remember to do what’s best to nurture you, family, friends and your community. Peace, wisdom, gratitude be with us all.