Day 4 Ubud
Day 5-6 Lovinia
This morning after another great brekkie at TS (cant beat those mixed fruit juices squeezed fresh each day- considering buying a juicer now I'm home in Oz) decided to admit defeat and go to the mobile phone outlet next to the supermarket down the road from TS. My daughter had rung up optus for me but their advice was useless still receiving text messages but unable to reply or receive calls.
I ended up with a simpati card- 80,000r credit and was receiving and sending text messages without any difficulty. Rang Begonia from Kupu-Kupu who said that there was a cremation on in a village? south of Ubud called Batuan (I haven't got my LP guide here so apologies for any misspelling) and that her driver would take myself and another couple who had been doing volunteer work with Kupu-Kupu along if I could be ready by 10-30am.
Well- this allowed me a few hours to go shopping and have an early lunch ( if I didn't want to eat at the cremation).
First stop-830 am - TS drivers dropped me off near Ubud markets where I headed upstairs to find that purple and pale blue wavy striped quilt from last trip. Found one straight away, starting price 270,000R and I ended up paying 230,000R (very well sewn, and coloured, good price at that so I didn't bargain harder). Also brought from these markets at different stores, trying to spread my custom around in an effort to be fair.
· a dragonfly sarong for 20,000r (teenager besotted with dragonflies as my shopping list will testify to by the time I'm finished)
· T Shirt printed with ganesha (100,000r at a fixed price store on main road leading towards Jalan Hanoman really unusual shirts there really good quality printing and beading and different from the normal bali t-shirts)
· Purple two layered dress in that material that doesn't need ironing 70,000R
· Blue cotton dress 60,000R
· Purple self embroidered top at a fixed price store 100,000R (too much but it is really well made)
Off to casa luna only to find no coffee coz the machine broken and no lime tart so off to the Bali Buddha café in Jalan Jembawan really colourful place with great coffee and tucker (cinnamon rolls to die for). Great Buddha paintings too for sale if that way inclined. Id forgotten about this little oasis that Id been to last trip- glad to have found it again.
Meet Begonia at Kupu-Kupu Foundation (http://yamp.com/KupuKupu)
and had a full tour of the office/ accommodation/ school, took lots of pictures to show workmates who had also contributed some cash towards their cause. Then met up with Lisa and Greg (two aussies from Byron Bay) and on to the cremation.
This was quite something. I have been fortunate enough to have been in Bali on Nyepi Day and loved all the 'ogeh-ogehs' and ceremony that went along with that. Cremations in Balinese culture are very important, and very expensive. They tend to occur some time after the death normally, (can be years) the body is usually buried and at a later time, bones exhumed with appropriate ceremony and blessing, and wrapped in white cloth. The families make 'statues' (papier-mâché?) of animals e.g. bulls- horses- dragons depending on the status of the deceased ( eg. The one we saw that day had a large white horse for the high caste priest to house the bones. The royal grandmother s in July 04 will be a dragon). Until today, I had assumed that the bones were already placed inside the statues before the procession started down the streets, but in fact at this cremation, the bones were brought out to the statues after they arrived at the cremation site by the family (I'm still none the wiser as to what happens when the cremation takes place very soon after death, which does occur).
On arrival in Batuan, the police were there closing down the streets where the funeral procession was to take place. There were nine villagers being cremated on this day, which is probably a small cremation in Bali terms? (I heard in Candi Dasa of a ceremony for 203 villagers). Each statue was secured onto a raft of bamboo poles, there was a family member male- that 'rode' the statue, and about the 30 odd men carrying the bamboo float s down to the cremation site- with much swaying and tossing to confuse any spirits that may be around, so that they don't go home. Im glad I wasn't the rider, trying to stay on! I had seen post cards of other cremations where the cremation tower was metres high but this was not the case in this village (less expensive?). There were two very small statues (small red bulls) that Made said was probably because the deceased were poor people (I had wondered whether they had been children).
Once at the field, it was almost a carnival atmosphere with vendors selling food. Ice-cream, toys and even a pizza guy was sighted (I took a pic of that for my daughter who used to work for Dominos pizza in oz). There were quite a few tourists patiently alongside the villagers .A chap with a bull horn was giving instructions out from time to time. There was an area marked off with bamboo woven screens and the fine intricate woven bamboo decorations which the driver said was for the families and priests.
After about 1 ½ hours the families walked out from the bamboo pavilions with the priests and walked around the cremation pyres in single file numerous times carrying the bones of the deceased wrapped in white cloth , along with the offerings before the men started to cut and load up the statues with the bones and offerings. Once all were loaded up, a bit of petrol was thrown over the pyres and the cremation was away. My understanding is that later that afternoon the ashes would have been collected and taken to the coast to be dispersed in the ocean.
If you are in Bali and you get the opportunity to go to a cremation you should do so it is not a grisly affair nor is it sorrowful as the Hindu believe in re-incarnation and that this is a positive experience for them. Tourists are most welcome to come and view these ceremonies.
Back at the TS, I found a phone message from my dads friends who were in Ubud after all and we arranged to have dinner at Kafe Batan Waru in the street that links Monkey Forest Rd to Jalan Hanoman. Kay and Davidf are frequent bali visitors to Bali and were over this trip expressly to fill up a container with tiles, furniture and statues for their new home. This café is a great place to eat I had walked past it before and it was full of diners. By then I needed a fix of something western, so opted for a tortilla stack which was great. Kay had a laksa curry and David a pasta dish, with a few bintangs and wine I think the bill came to about 200,000R. It was late by the time I got home to TS.
Day 5 6 Lovinia
Friday Day 5
Today was my birthday and here I was on my own in Bali, so no cake or candles or anyone really to share it with. What the hell- Im was in paradise and not at work- what more could a girl really want? My daughter sent me a text message which cheered me up no end.
I had brought over baby clothes and flannette nappies, which I had designated as being for the Gentle Birth Centre (http://www.gentlebirthsbali.org)
which had been talked about on some of the bali forums. I didn't get time to visit Robyn Lim at the center, but rang her and arranged for Robyn to pick it up from the Tegal Sari along with a cash donation later that day
Still had second suitcase of clothes with me, as Begonia didn't need them and we decided to drop them off at Gloria's Crisis Care in Lovinia.
I had arranged with Richard Rambutan from Rambutan Cottages to send down a driver for 10 am, and we were to go to Lovinia via Munduk- Banjar Hot Springs- Buddhist Monastery. 250,000R as I decided that Id make a full day of it, and do some exploring along theway. Made was on time so off we went. Sad to farewell Tegal Sari, which was a great place to stay- suspect I will be back there again even though I do like to check out other places as well. Cant speak highly enough of the staff there.
I had been to Bedugul/ Lake Bratan / Candariking (sp?) and the botanical gardens on previous trips so we proceeded straight onto Munduk. Id forgotten how high the mountain areas can get ( temperature cooler) and how pretty the area is. First stop was along the road overlooking the twin lakes ( Lakes Buyan and Lake Tamblingan) further on from Lake Bratan There were a lot of swifts flying around, which Id read about in my LP Guide , and noticeably very few other tourists around. Then onto the Coffee plantation at Ngiring Ngewedang, and we were the only people there. There is an amazing view from the restaurant but unfortunately this day there was a lot of haze around and the normal views to the ocean at Lovinia and beyond were obscured.
The staff gave me a ½ hour demo of how they still harvested, roasted and ground the coffee by hand daily to ensure fresh and natural coffee. We then ordered lunch for both of us (nasi goreng, bintang, lemon tea, gado-gado, and coffee plus 500 grams of coffee for 120.000R)
As we left the mountain area and started to go down the windy road down hill, there were some more of the amazing rice paddy terraces you so often come across, so out with the digital camera and a few photo stops were in order. Made also pointed out the clove trees and we drove past numerous tarpaulins stretched out alongside and on the road at times with drying cloves. I also noted the rickety bamboo ladders in use (one long bamboo rod, with smaller bamboo literally tied accross at 90 degree angles- no workplace health and safety in Bali!) Noticed a few groups of villagers on their way to a wedding, all dressed in their finery and the cars decorated with fine bamboo woven decorations.
Next stop- Banjar Hot Spring near Seririt. By now it was about 2 pm and pretty warm. I had to pay the usual 3000R and run the gauntlet of store holders and hawkers at the front of the Hot Springs but thankfully they are not allowed to enter the landscaped grounds. There are two main pools fed by hot springs, looking very green and murky this afternoon, with another pool of cold water as well. The water is fed into the pools by carved stone serpents into the polls midst beautifully landscaped grounds and restaurant. It was a real oasis but the water too warm for me to indulge. After about 15 minutes of watching the ten people cavorting in the pools and taking some photos I decided that heading onwards to Lovina and the pool at the hotel was probably best plan. One more detour though, to the Buddhist monastery near Banjar. (Brahma Vihara Ashrama Buddhist Monastery) supposedly modelled on the world-famous Buddhist icon Borobudur, built in the 12th Century AD in neighbouring Java. I am very interested in Buddhism, and this is Balis largest Buddhist monastery. Unfortunately for me, there were meditation courses being conducted and there was no one available to talk to me about the monastery and its history, nor could I see anything available in English to read. It was still worth seeing though, and I walked (albeit very quietly) around and took photos of the stupas, and various buildings where I could . Apparently they do run various mediation courses here for those interested, although whether available in English ?. It was a very peaceful place and one that would be worth revisiting with a guide.
In one courtyard, beneath a bunya tree was a statue of Buddha, surrounded by stunning and colourful relief paintings. I took many photos here and now must try and puzzle out how to get them up on webshots later.
On way to Lovinia we passed through many fields of grapevines (which Made said are mostly exported to Java and used for bali wine).
By 3.30pm we had arrived at Rambutan Cottages and unpacked all the bags and I had been settled into first floor of a bungalow overlooking luscious gardens and pool no.1. After a quick orientation around the property by one of the staff, it was on with the swimmers and back to pool no.2 and that welcome drink. Pool no.2 is overlooked by restaurant, bar and has great kids play area stocked with toys and bikes/tricycles, perfect for families. . The grounds of this property are immaculate, with beautiful gardens, ( ah, frangipani and orchids always get me thinking of bali) and some friendly pet ducks who usually wandered around each afternoon.
My room was large, basic and clean, with a verandah and fan cooling. My only complaint was no plug for either washbasin or bath (despite trying to get one of staff next day so I could soak my feet) and couple of towels with holes. In hindsight I should have taken towels down to the owner when it occurred, as she was most concerned when I reported it on leaving. Breakfasts were included with tariff of $30 US per night.
I then headed out to see Lovinias main streets and the grey sanded beach. Lovinia is renowned spot for snorkeling and diving excursions but I do neither mainly because Im a poor swimmer and Ive never really gotten over JAWS movie all those years ago. Next trip Ill make time to use a life jacket just in case- and go snorkeling but as I was on limited time I decided on a relaxing and sightseeing agenda.
Found a couple of internet cafes but took me until my 3rd try before I could find one that had current version of msn messenger so that I could chat with my daughter on line (turns out most internet cafes have windows xp but the staff are not the administrators of the account, therefore whenever up dates need to be loaded, they cant do so and msn stops running) I was to come across this problem in Amed as well. Prices quite reasonable I think I was paying 300 per minute, which was quite comparable with Ubud and Kuta.
The Euro Cup was a big attraction that week in Lovinia and whilst I did see a few tourists around I suspect a lot of them were having late nights and staying up late to watch the footy in some of the pubs. If you are into diving or snorkeling this is the place for you. Most of the tourists during my visit seemed to be Europeans. I ended up dining at Bali Kupu in the main street leading down to dolphin statue on the beach for dinner, after walking along the beach and getting mobbed by hawkers ( I tend not to buy off the beaches as I find it opens up an avalache!). Dinner ended up a very good seafood basket (prawns, fish, calamari chips salad and bintang for 35,000R), and the place was full of dinners which is usually a good sign of a great place to eat.
Lovinia renowned for dolphin watching, for a very reasonable 30,000R with a 6 am start but I decided to do that on the Sunday. I still had a suitcase of clothes for Gloria's Crisis Care to drop off and I hadn't contacted her yet to let her know my intentions.
Sat day 6
After quick breakfast, I headed out to find Made who had offered to take me up to GCC on the back of his bike, free of charge (we'd been talking about my bag of donations the day before). This was my first ride on the back of a bike in three trips and he was very good- didn't go too fast for this novice. GCCC is about 2 kilometres I think from main Lovinia area, and once we got closer we stopped for directions with some locals along the road. Made commented that there could be a problem, as there had been a death at the clinic the night before. On our arrival , Gloria came out in some obvious distress, as it had been the clinic owner who had passed away from a stroke unexpectedly. All I could do was give her my condolences and a big hug , and let her know that there was a bag of clothes at Rambutan Cottages for her to pick up.(with my apologies fro not contacting her beforehand).
I would have liked to have spent a bit of time with her but it was not the right time to do so, perhaps next trip.
Back in Lovinia I wandered down the street, did a little bit of shopping (purple temple sarong, plain blue sarong 70,000R) and had a coffee at Kakatua Bar and Restaurant in Jalan Paintai Binaria , which is fronted by a cage with two large ex-pat white Australian cockatoos. ( I reckon they'd have bitten off your fingers if you were silly enough to poke them through the cage wire) . Now it was back to the hotel and the pool and some serious relaxing after booking a dolphin watching tour for next day with front reception. I ordered hamburger and bintang (30,000R) for lunch and settled in for the afternoon.
On consulting Filos pages on Lovinia, which I printed off and brought with me, Octopuses garden came up as an excellent possibility for dinner. It looked as though it was about 600 metres down the road so within walking distance. On the way down there I couldn't help but notice a lot of closed warungs and cafes, I think the tourist numbers have been really down up here. I was first tourist for the night as it was only 630 pm, (I did tend to eat early as I used to like to walk where possible and didn't like to walk around late at night on my own) but more arrived as I was leaving. The meal was great I didn't really have any bad meals whilst in Bali to be honest calamari in a Balinese sauce and an iced coffee came to 30,000R. I had a quick look at the art exhibition they had on the walls ( modern abstract s) then it was back down to the main street to Café Lumbung where they had advertised Balinese dancing at 730pm. This turned out to be a solo performer, a very young girl who netherless was very good given she had to dance between our tables. Its amazing how graceful and talented these dancers are. Early night tonight- up early for the dolphins tomorrow. The bars were just cranking up as I made my way back to the hotel but it wasn't for me.
Day 7 Lovinia and dolphins watching.
5.45 am and it was still dark .I went down at the main reception area awaiting my 'lift' ( or so I thought ) to the dolphin watching, much to the surprise of the two guys sleeping in the reception area ! I felt very guilty as they jumped up and turned the lights on for me. At 6 am Nyoman appeared and we set off walking down the road ( it wasn't far to the beach after all) along the way he stopped and picked up the motor for the boat, on a small skateboard looking device under the motor. Down at the beach there was quite a few boats setting off in the dark, but I was Nyomans only passenger. As we set off the sun was just starting to rise and I could see about 30 odd native boats ( pradhus) all chugging away and back in Lovinia the smoke of numerous fires set on the beach, no doubt burning off rubbish. This is one aspect of bali life I can never quite get used to and I hope one day that a solution to rubbish dumping can be found for both the environment and the inhabitants of the island! We never did see any of those dolphins (bashful critters) but it sure was nice and peaceful chugging around up and down the coast looking for them anyhow. I saw the biggest blue bottles I had ever seen in the ocean ( for some reason I thought they were only in Australian waters).
Back on the beach, there was a gathering of school children around the dolphin statues, apparently it was a celebration for the kindergarten class, being end of term? They were all dressed in their best clothes, another photo opportunity!.
Breakfast was at Café Lambung of noodles, fresh fruit and tea (30,000R) . I had possibly the worst cappuchino in Bali here- I suspect it was made with condensed milk as it was impossibly sweet despite them saying they hadn't put any sugar in it. Fresh milk is almost impossible to obtain in Bali . It was then was back to Rambutan Cottages and the pool for more relaxation and later a lunch of nasi goreng and bintang ( 30,000R). Id spotted a warung on the beach that morning , just down from Rambutan Cottages which was noted in Filos pages as a great spot to catch the sunset so I timed it to be there from 530pm to do just that so glad I did , as it was magical. Meet two dutch couples, one with a three year old who were there for the same reason. The three year old was having a lot of fun playing with the Balinese children despite the language barriers. The local boys and men as usual were loafing around playing volleyball as the sun set ( never did see any Balinese women playing a sport unlike the men)
The dutch couple with the child were heading out to Australia next , so we chatted about their travel plans and they were a bit disconcerted to hear me confirm that prices in Australia were high for accommodation and food ( compared to Bali) . As they intend to hire a campervan and use caravan parks I think their euros will stretch for the six months they plan to do the east coast. I told them to look for the RACQ accommodation guides so they can plan ahead and budget. The other couple had been traveling along western australian coast and were off to India and Vietnam next ( lucky devils).
I then headed out to the Jasmine Kitchen which I noticed down Binaria Lane- what a find that was. Prawns in basil and chilli sauce served with rice plus a bintang only 40,000R . My only complaint was I couldn't fit in one of their desserts from their excellent dessert menu as I was too full. I wish Id found this place earlier! Met a lady on way out Id noticed there the night before when walking past- she said she'd been eating there for several days now ! and wasn't going to anywhere else for the rest of her trip. Make sure you check it out for yourself if in Lovinia.