Wednesday, 23 November

We had been trying to locate our friend Nina, who was recently married to a man from France. I had been in contact with her by email, so I knew she was around, but nobody that I asked seemed to know where I might find her. Finally I sat down and sent her another email. It seemed really strange to sit in an internet cafe in Ubud and send email to someone in the same village! Her reply came quickly and it turned out she was living right down the street. We had been walking past her twice a day and didn't even know it. On the way to get dinner Tuesday night, the kids and I stopped in to say hi. During our brief visit, Nina invited us to come swim with her, and Wednesday was the day.

We got a bit of a late start, because Macaela was dragging her feet on getting her schoolwork done, but we packed our swim stuff and headed down the road. Of course we visited for a while and caught up on what everybody had been up to, then headed out back to see the monkey and the pool. The monkey was quite a hit with the kids, but the pool called and they were ready. We were joined in the pool by Nina's husband Remi. Remi is one of those lucky people who has found a way to make a living in Bali. He works in Canada and France from his computer. Oh, I wish! Well, anyway, Jake had a blast with Remi tossing him in the pool, and Macaela used flippers to zoom around. We spent most of the day swimming and visiting, and then headed home and slept like logs.

Since then, Nina and Remi have become the very proud parents of a beautiful baby girl.

Tuesday, 22 November

Today was the day we had set aside to travel to Candi Kuning. We always enjoy the buffet lunch at Pacung Indah when we visit Pura Ulun Danu, but this time we headed up there for a very special reason. We went to see Cracker's Bar & Crappatorium, the newest attraction at the Candi Kuning market. When you drive into the market, go straight back to the far left corner. There you will find a stall where you can purchase T-shirts and fabric shopping bags made by bombing widows. Next to that is a stall selling delicious pastries and other baked goods. Then you come to the "Crappatorium." The Crappatorium is the newest and best pay toilet in Bali. It is a bit pricey at Rp 5000 (about $0.50) compared to Rp 2000 to use the toilet in the Ubud market, but OH the difference!! I have heard other people say that toilets in the markets are the absolute worst, and I know I try never to use them except in extreme emergency. This one is the exception - clean, well lit, toilet paper, soap, and western-style fixtures. And it has beautiful sinks. I paid a visit to the men's side as well to check out the facilities and they are just as nice. So, if you find yourself in this part of the world and in need of a toilet, don't balk at the price. You'll have to pay someone, and it might as well be a pleasant experience. Also keep in mind that you are helping to support the Balinese people.

Oh yes, the bar! I almost forgot. Beyond the toilets is an open courtyard with orchids and other plants on the walls, and beyond that is Cracker's Bar. The bar is open for business with large comfortable bar stools, and elegantly simple decor. We had a pleasant chat with Ni Nyoman Suratini, who was on a rotation from Pacung Indah. She explained to us that all of the staff at the restaurant should be able to work at the bar and the shop as well, and that everyone is being cross-trained. The service at the restaurant is always impeccable, so you can expect the same at the bar and grill. The grill is under construction above the toilets, and I'm looking forward to taking a meal there on my next visit. Of course, then I have to choose between the grill or the buffet. Hmmm . . .

Monday, 21 November

We wanted to buy Made a new pair of glasses. He said Denpasar would be the best place to go, and that while we were there, we could shop for fabric. We said that sounded great, and it was determined that we would go on Monday. So, after breakfast and a little shopping, we set out for Denpasar. Along the way, we did the usual ogling out the window at the wonderfully interesting shops we were passing - mostly furniture, but we also saw a bakery with a beautiful selection of birthday cakes in the window, puppies and fish for sale (not in the bakery), floral shops, and many other things I had never seen in Bali before.

While Made had his eyes examined, we all looked at frames and watched TV. Jake helped Made choose just the right frames, and they look great. The total cost for the exam, frames and lenses was Rp 600,000 ($60) and they would be ready in an hour. The children informed me that they were lapar (hungry) and that it was time for makan siang (lunch), so we told Made and he said he knew a good place. He took us to Tiara Dewata. This is a Bali shopping mall with a food court, kiddie rides, and a swimming pool. Lace and I ate at the dim sum stand; we both got noodles with meat, vegetables, mushrooms, crispy fried noodles and broth for $1 each (total meal with tax $2.20). Made helped the kids with their lunch decision and they ended up with pizza and sate ayam (chicken) with white rice. He also bought a plate of Balinese treats for all of us to try. After they finished lunch, Made took the kids to ride the carousel and play in the ball room.

After all that excitement, we headed back to get Made's glasses and then on to the fabric shopping. Although Lace keeps saying I went crazy, I say we exercised quite a bit of self control in not buying a piece of every fabric we liked. Cotton batik in all variety of colors and patterns cost Rp 15,000 per meter, and rayon batik was only 13,000. I think in all we bought about 50 meters. What are we going to do with it all? Ummm . . .

Rainy Sunday

After our adventures on Saturday, we decided to take it easy. The kids could get some extra school work time in, and everyone could get a little rest. Besides that, it was pouring rain! Well, after a while we decided we should go get some lunch, because I didn't feel like cooking. We donned our oh-so-fashionable orange plastic rain ponchos and set out for Murni's. About half-way there Jake complained of having something in his shoe, so we accepted a very conveniently timed offer of "Transport?"

Since it was still pouring, and it was Sunday after all, we decided to make it brunch. We started with onion rings (plain, not spicy) and battered fried tomatoes (yum!) at 17,500 each. The rain was splashing on the table a bit, so we scooted away from the rail. Lace and the kids all got chicken schnitzel (39,000) and I had the chicken chasseur (42,000), each served with fried potatoes and salad. Everything was quite delicious. Oh, and can I get the recipe for that dressing?! Well, by this time the rain was really coming in, so we asked to move to another table. You can't just leave in the middle of a rain like that, so we ordered garlic toast (15,000) and guacamole (19,500) and more garlic toast, and a couple of milkshakes (25,000).

The rain stopped, but by the time we heaved our stuffed selves away from the table, it was raining again. We looked around in Murni's shops for a while, but it became apparent that we were not going to get another clear chance to head home. We negotiated for transport: "How much to Penestanan?" "20,000" "How about 15,000?" "But it's raining?" "15,000?" "Yah, OK" (then we paid him 20,000 anyway). So, back to the bungalow, where everyone but me took a looonnnggg nap (the kids slept through the night). I read a book, played some cards, took pics, smoked cloves, listened to the rain . . .

Sri Bungalows

Location: Jalan Monkey Forest, Ubud
Rooms: spacious and clean, nice verandah, AC, ceiling fan, refrigerator, comfortable beds, phone
Bathrooms: basic, clean, thick towels
Pool: small but nice; no sharp tile edges
Breakfast: good selection on menu, delicious!
Staff: friendly and helpful

We never thought we'd want to stay on Monkey Forest Road; it is so busy! But our short stay at Sri convinced us that there can be peace and quiet even in the heart of Ubud. The gardens were lush and well maintained, and a thermos of tea is provided to each room. Internet service is available at 200 Rp/minute.

We noticed that some of the rooms were undergoing renovations, so one would assume they can only get better.

Saturday, 19 November

Today we visited a family in a village up near Tampaksiring. Out of respect for the family's privacy, I'll call our host Mr. P. It was a wonderful visit. Jake was asleep in the car, and Made told us he would wait with Jake. It became apparent very quickly that we needed Made to facilitate communication. I'm working on my Indonesian, and I know quite a few words, but I definitely cannot hold a conversation with anyone. First I can't construct a sentence, and second I can't separate the words very well when I'm spoken to. I'll get there one day!

We were offered beverages, and introduced to the whole family. I think several children from other families nearby came to visit and see the strangers. Mr. P invited us to see his rice fields, which we gladly accepted. We set out through the village and down the road, across a stream, through a gully and up to emerge right in the middle of the fields. The view was incredible. We asked if this was the rice we had come to see, and were told no. We hiked past two or three fields until we came to one that had corn. There was another with beans and other vegetables, and some kind of flower. It almost looked like impatiens. Here we stopped and he told us that these fields were his, along with several rice fields from there to the palm trees (quite a distance). Mr. P pointed out that the rice and the corn was "not so good" due to lack of rain.

Well, the sky had been looking threatening since we started out, and evening was coming on, so we decided to turn back before things got ugly weather-wise. I'm glad we did, because I had not come prepared for rice field trekking. Instead of wearing my trusty Land's End sport sandals, which strap on securely and have gotten me through several Bali trips, I was wearing slip-ons. And slip I did, several times. We got back to the edge of the fields to head down into the gully, I looked down this tremendously steep path. I had been watching my feet the entire way up, so I hadn't noticed exactly where I was going. What a surprise. I guess another reason I was unaware was because somewhere near the bottom when we were coming in, I got ants on my feet. I didn't know what it was stinging my feet, and I tried to ignore it but my mind started imagining all sorts of unknown jungle bugs that could at that very moment be attaching themselves to my unsuspecting tootsies. I sort of yelped, and I started swatting at my feet, so Mr. P turned around and took me by the wrist and led me the rest of the way. He probably thought I'd slipped.

We returned to the family compound, and took loads of pictures. We were invited to go to the family temple, and during the discussion about appropriate clothing (which we did not have with us), the bottom dropped out of the sky and Mr. P's fields got their rain. I sat down with the kids to show them previews of the pics I had taken, and they were thrilled to see themselves looking back out of that screen. We socialized a while longer; Macaela had an audience in all those kids, and she took full advantage of it. She had them all sitting at her feet while she told stories, sang songs, and acted goofy. She even got an umbrella and did a dance in the rain.

Friday, 18 November

After a wonderful breakfast (banana pancake, toast with scrambled egg, egg and tomato jaffle, fruit salad, and hot tea), we headed out to walk around and see what was going on in Ubud. Monkey Forest Road was extremely quiet. On returning from dinner the night before, we had been approached by the manager of one of the restaurants with an offer of free beer if we would just come in and listen to the music for a while. We had declined because we all needed sleep, but it was a little depressing to see so few tourists.

Made had said he would get us around 10:00, so we went back to the rooms to repack everything for the move. We didn't want to offend anyone, so we had Made explain our situation before he loaded the bags in his car. When we got to Londo, we settled right in. The kids went upstairs to work on their schoolwork, and I started taking pictures. It is amazing how much those plants grow in two years. The lotus in this picture was just a tiny thing when we were here last. The rice fields had just been planted, and the fields were calm and glassy.

Well, we can't go to Ubud without a trip to the market on the first day. Lace had packed light - real light - we had to go buy her some clothes. Since we hit the market pretty late in the day, we didn't spend much time. We found what we were looking for (we thought), I did the bargaining, and then whipped out the camera to get some quick shots. I've never gotten market photos before because when I'm there, I'm shopping, and I don't want my bargaining power spoiled by a camera hanging around my neck. We had finished buying, but we had to walk past the shoe men in the courtyard. One man told me I could buy his shoes for "only 1,000 ma'am!" Hmmm, a 10 cent pair of shoes? I'll take 20. I didn't even try to bargain with him. I knew I'd end up paying more than I really wanted to for some shoes I didn't really want.

So anyway, the clothes we got didn't fit, and we had to shop more another day! Whee!

Arrival

We have heard from many people about corrupt immigration officials in Bali, but this is the first time we have encountered the problem ourselves. We were taken into an office where I was told that the children's passports were too short. They don't expire until May; more than six months after we will return home. We were told that in order for us to stay, we would have to pay an additional fee of $50, for which he would not give us a receipt. After this, we claimed our bags to go through customs. The customs official told us that it was illegal to bring second-hand clothing into Indonesia, but that he would let us in "this time." Next time, he told us, we need to have the people we will give things to write a letter to customs before we come. We finally left the airport more than an hour later.

Our driver from Escapes Unlimited was waiting patiently outside to take us to Sri Bungalows (report to follow) in Ubud. We checked in there and were shown to our rooms - two downstairs doubles right next to the pool. The kids took a swim while we chatted with an Australian woman who was there with her family. A quick shower and clean clothes and off to dinner we went . . .

Made arrived unexpectedly, but right on time. We invited him to dinner with us, and since it was starting to rain, he took us to the restaurant on his motorbike. I'm not comfortable riding side-saddle, so I hiked up my sarong and climbed aboard.

We ate at the Bamboo Cafe on Jalan Dewi Sita. We've been there many times before and knew the food would be good. We had a table upstairs - nice view, but loud western music. The music was eventually turned off to be replaced by a guitar and bongo duo playing . . . more western music (U2, etc.). Pizza Margarita, Sate Ayam (chicken satay), Spaghetti Carbonara, a pork dish that Made ordered, and 5 drinks (tea, water, etc.) cost us 119,000 Rp (about $12).

Making the Journey

Everything was running right on schedule until we got a call from our travel agent around noon. "Call American Airlines right away," she said. Something about a cancelled flight. So I called. It seems that our 5:00 flight to Chicago had been cancelled by air traffic control. So we were to be rerouted through Miami - on a 2:45 flight. After a couple of frantic calls to arrange transportation, we showered and gathered our luggage. We left the house about the time we should have been at the airport.

We arrived at the Richmond airport to find a great deal of construction going on and not a porter in sight. Still in panic mode, we got through check-in and hurried to the gate, only to find that we had been selected for screening. This is not something I ever want to go through again. Every bag was opened and searched, our shoes were inspected, and each of us was "wanded" and patted down. Thank goodness they held our flight! When we got to Miami, we had barely enough time to catch our next flight. The trip to Los Angeles was uneventful, except for the fact that the kids were in row 38, I was in row 34, and Lace was in row 31. Someone was kind enough to move, so we at least got two sets of two seats together.

In LA we had to claim two of our bags and recheck them because there had been some error with the kids tickets. We were able to get dinner at the airport before boarding the LONG flight across the Pacific to Hong Kong. Cathay Pacific airlines did an OK job, but we probably will stick with Singapore Airlines in the future. The hot towels offered by SIA were replaced by giant wetnaps; snacks and beverages are available if you ask, but they are not offered regularly as on SIA. Also, we have always gotten "Meet & Assist" service when flying with SIA; they escort us from gate to gate on our journey, and walk us through immigration and customs upon arrival in Bali. Cathay's M&A consisted of showing us which line to stand in when we got to Bali.

The Progress Thus Far

We leave on Tuesday! So today is the day we will (try to) finalize all our packing. Remember earlier when I said pack light? Well, with all of the gifts and donations we're taking, we will have more full baggage than usual on the inbound trip. We usually have only 2-3 large duffels to check in; each containing some extra empty bags for the return trip, along with non-essential items. So far, we have packed 4 bags full with shoes, clothing, school supplies, and more. And these are not small bags. Each one is the largest size the airline will allow us to use without paying for extra baggage. This part is pretty much done. We've been gathering these items for months.

Now we're working on packing the essentials: clothing we actually intend to wear, toiletries, books and games for the kids - you know, all those things I talked about in my last post! Each of us has our own carry-on bag (also the largest allowable size) that we are responsible for. The kids take this very seriously, and no matter how tired and ragged they get, there is pride in dragging that bag through the various airports across the world. Here you can see our guest room with everything we are taking or might want to take spread across the bed awaiting the final assembly.

It's hard to believe that in about 53 hours, we'll be on a plane headed west to visit our beloved Bali again.

See you there!

Packing for Bali

When we go to Bali, we stay in bungalows, not in resort hotels. We don't have air conditioning, and we travel paths in the dark that the casual tourist might never see. It is not luxurious, but we love it. My feeling on resort hotels is this - you can stay in one anywhere in the world (almost), so why travel to the opposite side of the earth to experience what you could back home?

Packing for Bali is similar to packing for camping. Pack light and take a flashlight. For a two week trip we usually only take about enough clothing for 3-4 days. Laundry service is cheap, and so are clothes.

A camera is a must. Bring along extra batteries though, because they aren't cheap in Bali. Film developing is available just about anywhere, for those who haven't gone digital. It's not cheap, but it is fast.

Shoes are a special consideration. They need to be able to get wet, provide good traction on wet surfaces, and be easy to remove. The custom in Bali is to remove your shoes before entering a home. This is also observed in many shops and some restaurants and temples. If you plan to visit any government offices for any reason, you do need to have proper business footwear, so plan accordingly.

What else to pack? Toiletries, of course. But don't panic if you forget something; you should be able to find a reasonable substitute in the stores. I also like to take along a good book and a deck of cards. Oh, and don't forget sunscreen and insect repellant. Although, I prefer the insect repellant available there to anything I've found in the states. It works better and smells better.

Just remember that you will want plenty of room in your luggage on the return trip to accomodate all of the wonderful things you found in the shops and markets, and don't take more with you than you need.

15 days - The countdown is on!

Now we enter the final two weeks. Making lists, checking lists. Last minute panicking about whether anything has been fogotten or left out. The first time I went to Bali, I forgot to pack my shoes. I did find a very nice pair in the Singapore airport that I still wear to this day.

What to wear on the plane? Traveling to Bali from Virginia is a challenge at this time of year because of the temperature difference. You have to dress warm enough that you don't freeze between home and the plane, but you don't want to wear anything too bulky to stuff in your carry-on when you change clothes. We usually travel eastward with a stop in Amsterdam, so we change en route to Singapore. This trip we will travel westward, so the change to tropical clothing will probably take place in Los Angeles.

Well, enough about clothes! We will have the honor on this trip of visiting the village of Baliman's (http://www.baliforum.com/) brother-in-law. We always take a selection of school supplies with us as well as appropriate clothing that my kids have outgrown, and it is a joy to be able to distribute these to families that need them. We have never been to this village before, and we are quite excited about meeting the people and seeing life away from the tourist track.

Ah, well . . . back to work!