This beach town is kind of a disappointment. A bunch of little retreats all strung together, and no real town. I get a ride here with a couple of guys from the Ashram, at a good price, and they take me to check out three of the four places mentioned in the Lonely Planet Guide. The first one is right on the beach, and it seems fine (only $8 a night, with just cold water). The second place is closer to the third place which has some potential as a a retreat location. The third place is the possible retreat location, but it doesn’t have enough lodging—the Swiss man tells me to come back tomorrow to speak to his partner. I was really hoping to find an Indonesian-owned place.

So I stay at the second place (also $8 a night, with cold water, which I have learned to adapt to). It has a good view, and they say it’s a short walk to the beach. But it turns out to be quite noisy because it’s just above the highway. Next morning  the woman owner, Wayan, tells me that the best beach for snorkeling is down the road, and she can take me there—for $3.50.  Plus $2 for the gear.

It’s 7:30 and I’ve arranged for a driver to come and get me at 10, to take me to Tejakula where there is a beautiful upscale retreat center with a great meeting and yoga room, and fairly affordable. That’s 1-1/2 hours from Amed.

Meanwhile, I’d love to experience the famous snorkeling at Amed. Wayan drops me off at the top of the stairs leading down to the beach and shows me where to walk. There’s a sunken ship down there. There is no beach; just a lot of rocks. I walk down and there are a few guys hanging around, and a little café, where they rent snorkels and masks. They’re friendly, asking me the usual questions: “Where are you from? Are you married? Are you traveling alone?” They say I can leave my backpack there. One guy offers to guide me, but I say I’m okay on my own. After all, I’m from Hawaii! So I go down to the water and put on my mask and fins and head out into the water.

No sooner do I get into the water than I feel as if something has slashed across my face and it’s burning! Then I feel stinging sensations on my legs and arms. Suddenly it feels like I’m surrounded by jellyfish! Visions of a woman I met whose husband died in Australia after getting bitten by something in the ocean dance in my head.

I’ve only experienced being stung by jellyfish once, in San Diego as a child, but it was a memorable experience. “Well, maybe I’m just imagining this,” I say to myself, “but here I am with my eye all swollen up, and I don’t need to expose myself to any further abuse! Why the hell did I come to a third world country in the first place? Maybe this was all a big mistake! If I’ve been stung, I’ve gotta get out of this water and take care of myself!”

So I turn around and head back for shore, thinking I must look really wimpy to those guys, and I go over and get my towel and ask if there are jellyfish out there, thinking they won’t know what I’m talking about. “Oh yes, sometimes there are jellyfish here. But no jellyfish at Gilly Island! We can take you there for just 180,000 rupiahs.”

I vetoed that. “I need some green papaya,” I said. It’s a good remedy for jellyfish sting. They don’t seem to know what I’m talking about. “What do you use for jellyfish sting?” I ask.

One guy says, “Tobacco!” He’s thin, with a soft, kind face and a little cap; maybe around 18 or 20. I think his name is Made. He looks a bit like a Modigliani painting. At first I’m not sure whether he’s a man or a woman.

I say, “Can you get me some tobacco?”

He goes back to the house and comes back with a bag of fresh tobacco. By this time the other guys has wandered off.  “What do you do with it? How do you put it on?” I asked, vaguely remembering something about moistening it, maybe chewing it first and mixing it with saliva.

But he says, “You just put it on!”

My face is hurting. “Could you show me?” I pleaded.

He came up to me and took a bunch of dry tobacco in his fingers and just started rubbing my face with it. “Your face is all red!” he said sympathetically. He seemed to be rubbing off the scratch marks with the tobacco, and it did seem to be helping. It was kind of an intimate thing to do. I really appreciated his tenderness and concern. “You have a big heart!” he said, smiling as he cupped my face in his hands.

Then he rubbed some on my arms and legs as well, and it definitely felt better. But I was still wanting some green papaya.

“We only have yellow papaya,” he says apologetically.

“No, no! Before it turns yellow, it’s green!”

“Oh!” he laughs. “Oh! We can do that!” He runs off to tell a younger kid to go get me a green papaya. A few minutes later the kid comes back with two green papayas and I chose the small one and he peels it with his knife, and I asked him to slice off the top and I gratefully take the papaya and pass it over my skin in all the tender places. That definitely helps a lot, and Made is quite fascinated. He thinks I am very clever.

By this time the other guys are trying to convince me to buy a drink or something. I give the kid a tip for getting the papaya and pack up my stuff and started heading up the stairs to wait for Wayan to come get me, even though I still have 15 minutes. Made touches me arm tenderly and says he will walk up with me. I am glad he is coming, and I am glad to leave the others behind. We walked to the top of the steps and he sits close alongside me, touching my arm.

Then I see a sign saying that Meditasi is just 1.5 km. That was the last place listed in the Lonely Planet, and I wanted to check it out since there were signs saying that it was “very peaceful.” Made is eager to give me a ride on his motor scooter, so that seems like a good use of my time. He wants 30,000 rupiahs, but I say, “No, I could walk there! 20,000 at most!”

“How ‘bout 20,000 and a kiss?”

“You’re funny!” I say, but I climb on his scooter and we head down to Meditasi, stopping on the way for petrol.

I’m a sucker for a tender touch. Of course it was flattering to receive such sweet attention from a good-looking young man. Maybe I’m just kidding myself, but who knows? Maybe he was just interested in my money. But honestly, I felt that he was totally seeing through to my spirit, beyond anything external, and completely unabashedly appreciating what he saw and felt.

In any case, it was fun to have a playmate, and as we sped along on his motorbike, he took my hands, which were gingerly placed on his hips, and wrapped them around his waist, and I let him do that. But when he started to feel up my leg, I figured that I now knew enough about motor scooter seduction, and I removed his hand.

Meditasi turned out to be a lovely place, and I would gladly return there, just by myself or with a whole group of people. It is owned by locals.

Later, when Made dropped me off, he said, “I will always remember you, Joy.” And I do believe he will.

This whole experience gives me more compassion toward older women who go for younger men, and for older men who go to the Orient and return with sweet, pretty young wives.

Candidasi (pronounced Chan’-dee-da-see)

The Ashram doesn’t look like much from the road! They aren’t exactly trying to bring in tourists! I hired a driver in Ubud for $15 and asked him to choose a nice route, so he brought me over the mountains,

and past the rice paddies,

and down to the coast,

and it was so lovely. We left at 9 am and arrived at noon.

The Gedong Gandhi Ashram feels like one of the most peaceful places I have ever been. My lanai is literally right on the ocean.

At the moment, I’m the only visitor here, though I’ve heard there’s a couple from Italy next door, and about ten people living here at the Ashram. My little bungalow is precious. It even has a loft, so in a pinch it could sleep four. To the right is the ocean, and to the left is a sweet lagoon.

On the other side of the lagoon is the road, and almost every other lodging in Candidasi is right on the road, so Candidasi is not considered a highly desirable location.

The Lonely Planet Guide (that’s how I found out about it) said that there were bungalows on the ocean and you could stay for a donation. I pictured a little bed platform with a grass roof. I figured that would be nice for a night or two. When I arrived, they told me it was $20 US per night, but that includes three meals (and tea at 3:30)—of absolutely delicious vegetarian food, with occasional fish and eggs if you wish, and water. How perfect. Then Deena, a soft-spoken young Balinese woman, walked me down to the little bungalow, and I fell in love. Yes, you can go swimming right outside the bungalow!

On the back of the door is a sign:

Let Us Live Simply
So That Others May Simply Live

“We invited all our guests to take part in as much of our Ashram life as they choose, and otherwise come you to relax and enjoy our community while observasing these few rules
•    Maintain quiet during times of prayer and meditation.
•    Refrain from smoking, drinking alcohol, and mixed sex cohabitation while on the Ashram grounds.”

At the bottom it says:
Augustus 2004

If you wish, you can also join the group for activities throughout the day, very much like at Sogenji, starting at 5:00 in the morning. The only requirement is that you join the group for yoga and prayer in the morning and in the evening. Suffer! There is an internet place nearby, but it’s expensive.

I find that I am deliciously unmotivated. I will take three days of rest. I try to do that once a month, and I am very ready and this is the perfect place. Normally it is difficult for me to do nothing, but I worked hard at cultivating that ability when I lived in Big Sur.

Well, Ubud certainly wasn’t a place to do that! Nonetheless my early morning meditations on that lanai with the grasshoppers and birds were exceptional.

After lunch I chill out for hours, and then go inside to take a nap. I can hear the wind picking up. At 3:15 I get up, knowing they will be bringing tea.

Now I am wishing I didn’t stay in Ubud so long! I only have five more nights before I have to be in Denpassar for my dental appointment, and I want at least a couple days in Amed. But I had a good time in Ubud.

I arrived here at the ashram just as they were finishing their lunch, so Deena offered to serve me lunch on my lanai. Here she is.

The Balinese women carry things so gracefully on their heads. Each dish was covered with a cute little straw hat. So much food! There are greens with a great sauce, a fried egg with another great sauce, a good potato dish, sliced cucumbers, and a tangerine.

Deena keeps me company as I eat (the Balinese seem to think they should do that and I feel torn between enjoying these visits and just wanting to be alone). She tells me that she has been here for 6 years, since high school, and last year a woman came from Australia and offered to pay for her college education. But it is difficult to commute one half hour each way without a motorscooter. The founder of this Ashram, Ebu Gedong, was an Indonesian woman who died four years ago at the age of 80 (her face is on one of the four Indonesian postage stamps honoring great women). When she was alive, many many people came to the ashram. That was when there was a wide sandy beach, before all the tourists came and destroyed the coral.

When I finish lunch she leaves with the tray on her head and I lay down for a nap. When I wake up, there is a Balinese man sweeping around the house. We get to talking and I tell him that I am looking for a place to bring people for workshops. We talk about a couple places that I know about, and a locally-owned place, and he offers to take me there on his motor scooter tomorrow afternoon. His name is Ja-ti.

Then I take another nap (realizing that I am really quite exhausted; I’ve been waking up at 4 or 5 am most mornings). I awake feeling inspired to take a dip in the ocean. I stand up and I hear a voice, “There you are!” She must have seen me through the window. I grab my skirt and go to pee, feeling a bit guilty for not responding to this cheerful voice more immediately. Well! It’s a good thing I found such a nice private place to be alone!

When I open my door I see a round-faced Balinese woman standing alongside my lanai looking up at me from under the tray on her head (apparently she has come to do an offering), anointing her own forehead with water from the bowl on her tray, and fishing around in the bowl with her fat fingers for flower petals that she is pasting onto her forehead as she asks me how long I will be here and where I am from and do I like it here and her name is Maria. She is like the backwards-clown version of the graceful ladies who did the offerings in Ubud.

When she leaves I put on my bathing suit and go down the stone steps directly into the ocean. It is very shallow and the bottom is full of coral, so I go flat on my belly as soon as possible, and float out, guiding myself with my hands. It is barely deep enough to swim. Three little girls swim up to say hello. I swim out deeper but it isn’t much deeper, and I swim back and forth a few times, watching the beautiful patterns in the sky. I’m very happy here.

Then I go back and wash off the saltwater. When I’m dressed I hear a voice out front and I walk outside and Na-Om introduces himself, telling me he used to live here, but now he lives about 1 kilometer away, but he comes every day to help out. His real job is a fisherman, and he goes out in his little boat every morning at 3 am with all the other fishing boats, and comes back at 7, and sometimes he takes tourists with him for very cheap, and almost every day the dolphins come out, sometimes 200 of them. He likes to watch them jump, but sometimes they make him angry because they rip apart his fishing net trying to get his fish, He just charges $8—much less than the commercial places.

I heard there were lots of dolphins here, but I hate going out in a big tourist boat, so I wasn’t going to go at all. This sounds perfect, so I agree to join him on Friday morning (because Thursday is a big festival so everyone will be going to the temple) and he says that on the way back from fishing he will take me to a good place where I can snorkel. By now I’ve decided that I will go to Amed on Friday, after I come back from fishing. That will give me two nights in Amed before I go to Denpassar.

Just as he leaves, another fellow comes up and says it’s time for dinner. After dinner I go back to my lanai and though we are supposed to go back and pray in half an hour, there is a wonderful thunder-rain (not a storm, just a gentle rain with lots of gentle thunder and a little lightning), which I record, and I use the rain as an excuse to stay on my lanai and just relax and enjoy this time in QUIET and SOLITUDE!

People seem to feel sorry for me, traveling alone. But I actually spend very little time alone. Half of me is really a loner, and sometimes it gets a bit frustrated with the other half which is so darn friendly.

FULL MOON IN BALI

The full moon and the “dark moon” are two important days in Bali. Everyone goes to the Temple.

Tonight I see just one star. I’ve always wished on stars, but what is there to wish for?

Here it is: I wish that I will continue to have clarity in making decisions about my life, one step at a time.

I love it here, and I feel as if I will come back to Ashram Gandhi. But I have no concern about it; the world feels full of special places. So if I can just have clarity in each decision . . . no anxiety, no desires, no disappointments.

I’m going to jump ahead of my story. In real time, I’m getting ready to leave Bali tomorrow night. I’ll be heading back to the monastery in Japan for 8 days. Then I’ll be going to Denver for the International New Age Trade Show, and then to Portland for a few days and on to Bend, Oregon, where I’ll chill out for a couple of weeks before I head up to Alaska, to camp out and then teach at an Herbal Conference.

As I’m packing to go, this is the perfect time to share my personal recommendations to anyone coming to Bali. Many of these places and people are described in detail, often with photos, in the text of this blog. If I place an asterisk* after a place, you can find out more about it by clicking on the corresponding key word in the right column. (Though I may not have written about it yet.)

Blissings,

JOYSAN / EBUJOY

[Note: If you go to the Archives on the Home Page, and click on Jan 08, you can read the rest of my story about Bali.]

I’ve organized the following section according to regions and towns.

SOUTHERN BALI

Denpasar

This is where the airport is located. Lonely Planet recommends avoiding it, but my dentist is here, and I’ve enjoyed my time here. These are some of the places I’ve liked or have checked out.

ACCOMODATIONS
Nakula Familiar Inn*
Jln. Nakula No. 4 (near Kartini)
(0361) 226446
nakula_familiar_inn@yahoo.com
$8 with fan / $12 A/C – no hot water – breakfast served but not included
Sunu is the manager, and he speaks fairly good English. For me, this
place was a haven in the midst of a pretty crazy city. Nice courtyard.
Nice people. They will provide a free motorcycle service (modest tips
appreciated) to places that are nearby. The climate is hot and the water
is not very cold, and cold showers can be well appreciated. The rooms have small balconies. I would call ahead and reserve the last upstairs room, which has the most privacy and the least noise.

Adi Yasa
Jln. Nakula 23B
$4-6 for simple accommodations, fans, cold water, communal style living
no privacy but it’s friendly, like a hostel. It’s across the street from Nakula Familiar Inn and up the block. It’s been the a longer time, so cab drivers who don’t recognize Nakula Familiar Inn will know where Adi Yasa is.

DENTIST
Dr. Sucipto*
Jl. Diponegoro 150 / A-32
Komp. Ruko IDT (Genteng Biru)
From States: 011-62-361-222541
sucipto_angga@yahoo.com
www. drsucipto.com
Dr. Sucipto is not cheap, by Balinese standards, but he is highly professional (trained partly in the US), conscientious, thorough, and he speaks very good English, he’s relaxed and extremely friendly, and people come to him from all over the world. You want to call ahead by at least six weeks (eight is safer) to be sure to get an appointment. Tip: his office is not easy to find; you might want to scout it out before your first appointment. Take Diponegoro North to J. Dewi Sartika and turn West (left) at the Apotik Kimia Farma (pharmacy), go 1 block to Pulau Seram and turn South (left) and it’s the second building on the right as I recall.
There is a form to fill out on his website, but it didn’t work for me. It’s probably best to call direct. They do speak English.

OPTOMETRIST
Dr. Nym. Seri Sukmawati
J. Drupadi 1/3
(0361) 263833
seri124@yahoo.com
If you happen to need an optometrist while you’re in
Bali, this woman is very good and she only charged $15 for an appointment.

WIRELESS INTERNET
Denpassar is surprisingly bereft of good internet connections. I was fortunate that Dr. Sucipto let me set up my laptop at his hotspot. Otherwise it was a long haul to one of the two Bali Bakery places, and their wireless wasn’t always working, their food was not cheap, and you have to pay at least $2.50 to get hooked up. There are regular internet stations, but they’re few and far between and they are hot and painfully slow.

FOOD
Wr. Sari
Jl. Hayam Wuruk
Sorry I can’t tell you more than this. It’s a little local Warung (where there is no menu and food is displayed in pots and you can point to what you want), very popular with the local folks, great food; you can get an excellent meal for $1.00 (not including drinks)

Wr. Satrya
Jln. Nakula
Good seafood satay – you can get a good meal for less than $2.

Cheap Steak
Srikandi No. 52
Inna Bali Food Court
This is a real restaurant in front of a big business hotel where you can get all kinds of steaks, including a grilled mahimahi and nice veggies and fries, all for $2.

MISC
NIGHT MARKETS
There are many night markets and they are fun. You can get fish satays for 10 cents, and red rice for 40 cents and endless exotic fruits like mangosteen and snakefruit for good prices. It’s a feast for the senses. I liked the Pasar Badung Market, which is a reasonable walk from Nakula St.

HEALTH FOOD, ORGANIC FOOD
I was told to go to Dijon, Simpany Siur. But it’s out toward Kuta, and I never made it there.

Taxi
If you need a ride, look for the little blue cabs called Bali Taxis. They’re all over the place. The basic price is about 60 cents (5,000 rp.), and it goes up slowly from there. A/C, and they usually speak a little English.

Guide
If you want a personal guide and translator, go to Pasar Badung Market and ask for Wayan (a man) and Made (a woman) and show them these pictures. Wayan can take you around on his motorcycle, or accompany you if you get a taxi. Or write ahead of time to him and ask him to meet you at your hotel on a specific day and time. Don’t expect an answer to your letter, but he is reliable, once you find him. Probably the best plan is to look for them at the market. He probably won’t
charge you a specific sum, but he will expect you to pay for gas and other expenses. When you eat, it’s polite to offer to treat him also. When you are getting ready to leave, his wife will make a suggestion of
an appropriate gift. For a week of driving me around town, she suggested a bedspread that cost about $25. He will save you at least that much money by bargaining for you and finding the best prices.
Wayan & Made Rencani
Jalan Kebolwo
Bajanr paqutan
Padang Sam Bean Kaja
Gang No. 2 / 8B
Denpasar, Bali

SANUR

TOWN
This is a fairly pleasant tourist beach town. If you like to shop, this is probably a good place to do it.

BEACH
I’ve heard that the beach in Sanur is obnoxiously full of tourists on Sundays and during the high season. But when I was there it was almost deserted. It is a white sands beach and fairly pleasant to swim in.
I was told that I could rent snorkel equipment for about $2 and take a boat, for about $20, a few miles out to where the snorkeling is good. I didn’t want to pay that much.

LODGING
Puri Gopa Hotel
Jalan Desuma Sari No. 4 Semawang
(0361) 289-948
reservation@purigopabali.com
www.urigopabali.com
Is owned by Balinese. It has clean rooms with A/C and hot water, and some rooms have a view of the ocean. A single standard room with fan is $35 and a single deluxe with A/C is $45. It seems pricy to me.

CENTRAL BALI

UBUD

ACCOMODATIONS
Jati 3 Bungalows & Spa*
Monkey Forest Street (Jalan Wenara Wana)
Ebudewa, owner
62-361-973-249, 977-101
http://www.jati3bungalows.com
jati3_ubud@yahoo.com
$15 per night including breakfast, with the back rooms bordering on the jungle,
hot water, fans. Note: you can request a small refrigerator (no fee) and a
big bottle of drinking water (small fee) for your room.

Ubud Bungalow*
Monkey Forest St.
62-361-971298
Wayan, mgr. “boss”
w_widnyana@hotmail.om
www.ubudbungalow.com
$20 per night for pure luxury, including breakfast, hot water, A/C, and a great pool

Ari House
Quiet river setting, 5 minutes from Bali Spirit Kafe (head south and look
for sign on the right, then turn down the lane)
Surrounded by tropical forest
Breakfast included (other meals too)
Extremely affordable ($7 off-season; $11 on)
“Riverfront Questhouses (I only saw one)
Modern Bathroom With Has Showers, Hot & Cold Water”
Hanoman St. Gang Anila No. 10
081 338 666 384
Ari does not speak much English. An opportunity to live in
a Balinese compound. Nice room, but a bit musty. Great view.

FOOD

Bali Buddha Restaurant and Health Food Store*
Across the street from the post office
Great organic salads
Non-wheat, non-dairy choices

Bali Spirit Kafe*
448 J. Hanoman (Anuman)
This is the famous coffeehouse where the expatriats come and hang out. It is connected with Bali Spirit Yoga (a little north of the café, same road), which is connected with the Bali Barn (head south down Anuman and turn left at Ubud Aura and down a lane), where various yoga classes and related workshops are presented. Wireless internet access is available, but not cheap. There is a cheap (and slow) Internet place across the street. Definitely a great place to make connections of all kinds. They serve good food. Once a week they have a movie night at the Bali Barn (same owners) and they charge $5 for the movie and a great all-you-can-eat dinner.

Bali Pesto Café
West side of Monkey Forest Rd.
Sign in front says: “Barberkyu”
I liked their Burbur Injin black rice pudding with bananas and coconut milk
And their pumpkin soup

Café BiangLalah
East side of Monkey Forest, at the end of a lane (south of Jati3)
I had a tuna kabob that was fantastic for under $3

BALINESE TRADITIONALIST HEALERS

Wayan Nuriyashi*
Traditional Balinese Healing Center & Multivitamin Lunch
Across the street from Bali Buddha and next to the Post Office
Awesome herbal massage and herbal healing

Ketut Liyer*
Traditional Balinese Healer, Painter & Woodcarver
(0361) 974-092
Take Anoman south, before Pengosekan, pass Arma on left, pass Guci on
right and big petrol station on left – I think it’s the next little left
turn with a sign that says OKA Home Stay – to left of sign is white sign: Ketut Liyer. Turn left and follow road til it curves right. Just past the corner on the left is a sign: Ketut Liyer

I Made Sumantra*
Mantra Aura Clinic
Bali Yoga Master & Healer
Often works out of the spa at Jati3 Bungalow
Phone (62-361) 7941089 / 085935029306
madesumantra@hotmail.com
www.balineseyoga.com

INTERNET ACCESS
Ubud has great internet access—except once or twice a week, when everything goes down.

Baby Face Café*
On East side of Monkey Forest Rd.
Has free wireless and you can even go upstairs, where it’s quiet, if you want to Skype. Their mixed fruit, and lime drinks are very good.

Waroeng Café
On East side of Monkey Forest Rd., a few doors down from Baby Face Café
Charges $5 hr. for a good wireless hook-up.
They have a great spicy Chinese noodle soup for about $3.

MISC

MAP OF BALI
The Bali Pathfinder was invaluable.
I found a copy at Bali Bungalows for about $3.50
Contains maps of Bali, Ubud, Denpasar, Kuta, Lovina, Sanur, and more

TRAVEL INSURANCE
Expacare $578 YR – quarterly payment option Division of JLT in UK
Apipacific.com

SEAMSTRESS / TAILOR
You can buy beautiful hand-woven cloth in Bali (or bring your own) and bring something you love as a pattern, and these women can reproduce just about anything, at great prices.

Rai Pasti, Tailor
Monkey Forest Rd.
0361 973-259
raipasti@yahoo.com
Rai Pasti is right near Jati 3, along the same lane. She was just getting ready to open a shop as I was leaving,, so her prices will probably go up. She has lovely cloth and I was pleased with everything she made for me. She was always fair, her prices were very good, and she speaks English.

TRANSPORT
One of the most annoying things about Ubud is that tourists are constantly being hawked by men trying to sell “Transport, Madam,” and women passing out brochures about their Spa and Massage services.
They will ask for 20,000 rp. for a motorcycle ride, but 5-10,000 during off season should be plenty. (2,000 if you’re cute.) They will ask for 200,000 rp. for a taxi ride to the airport or to Candidasa or Amed, but 150,000 may be enough. Or you can get a shuttle.

AROMATHERAPY OILS
BAS Buana Amertha Sari Agrowisata
Wayan Kesuma Yasa, owner at 6281805417090
Has nice rose oil for 70,000 rp ($7.50)
Also nice lemon and orange oils, same price
(will visit their shop during the Bike Tour)

Bike-Baik Bali Countryside Tours*
I Wayan Sujana, Tour Guide & Owner
0361-978-052 / 081-33867-3852
wayansujanaa@yahoo.com
www.balibike.com

Arma Rai Museum of Art & Park & Restaurants
Admission: 25,000 rp ($3) used for cultural preservation
Beautiful grounds and museum
Also has upscale luxurious lodging

EAST SIDE

CANDIDASA

Ashram Gandhi*
Just before the lagoon on the right (going north)
Right on the ocean – very peaceful, idyllic
Ideal if you like yoga and prayers sung in Sanskrit
No alcohol, cigarettes, or “sexual cohabitation”
Cold water—but they bring huge thermos of hot water
No A/C – just fan and ocean breezes
Has 2 bungalows that sleep 2-4 people each
$20 for one person includes 3 delicious vegetarian meals
(with fish and eggs if desired)

Agung Bungalows
Several buildings before the lagoon on right going north
Pleasant cool grounds, nice rooms
$8 per room, includes breakfast
cold water, fan
(0363) 41535
Call ahead to reserve the prime room, right at the
ocean, same price

Dewi Bungalows
Several buildings after the lagoon on right going north
Grounds are okay; rooms are average. No views. Fan.
A room with double bed and hot water is $15 at high season
And $10 at low season
A room with double bed and cold water is $8
Includes breakfast
081 747 19487
www.eastbalionline.com

AMED
Just south of Amed I Jemeluk, reputed to have great snorkeling – equipment rents for
20,000 rp. My experience: I went to the place where the shipwreck is and the
water was full of jellyfish. But if other people are swimming, it’s probably fine.
Megan told me to call Alek at 628 523 716 3115 if you need something done in Amed. I forgot to do that when I was looking for transport to Tejakula.

3 Brothers
In Lonely Planet as $8-12. In fact, during off-season she asked for $15, but would
settle for $10.
Nice place, with the last room right on the beach. Cold water. Not much privacy,
especially in the last room, because the kids hang around the beach. She
says you can swim and snorkel right there.

Deddy’s*
In Lonely Planet as $4-5, but they asked $8. Cold water. Nice view. A fair walk to the beach. Clean rooms. But it’s above the highway and kind of noisy. Food is good. (Fried rice with vegetables; fruit juice.) Free b’fast.

Meditasi*
$15 per room in low season, $20 in high
this is the only place that was consistent in their price with Lonely Planet right on the ocean, lovely rooms, fantastic views, free b’fast
fans, cold water except the villa at $50 night with hot water and a big
outdoor room with two luxurious beds in separate rooms
It takes a long time to get there, at the end of the road, but it’s worth it.
The beach is right outside the door, and it is reputed to have excellent
snorkeling and no jellyfish.

NORTH SIDE

TEJAKULA

Gaia Oasis
1-1/2 hours up the coast from Amed. (Drivers will try to get 350,000 rp., but it shouldn’t cost more than 150-200,000 in off season.)
Can be reached directly from Ubud – 2 hours (about 200-250,000 rp.)
62 81 23853350 or 44696 or 62952.
info@gaia-oasis.com
www.gaia-oasis.com
The website has lots of great pictures.
This place is owned by a group of 40 Europeans. The prices are in the mid range. Prices are in Euros, so you need to check the exchange rate if you have U.S. dollars or rp. The place is gorgeous. They are booked over a year in advance for groups, so be sure to call ahead and make reservations. Individual reservations are more readily available.
This is the place you’ve always dreamed of when you’ve thought of an idyllic vacation in Bali. This is where I’d like to go with a lover. It’s romantic and delicious (and, unlike Ashram Gandhi, any kind of sexual cohabitation is fine—in fact, they are quite comfortable with gay guests).
For 1 room in a bungalow with open-air bathroom and kitchen: Single is 33 Euros; double $46; extra bed $15. Breakfast costs 4 Euros. Three meals a day, buffet style, for 14.50 Euros. The food is excellent. There is a 21% tax and service charge (as compared to 10% elsewhere).
The beach is right there at the edge of the property and it is reputed to have good snorkeling and no jellyfish. For a fee you can go out in an outrigger canoe to fish, and you may see dolphins. In fact, the dolphins can be seen passing by almost every day.
They have a second location, about 15 minutes away, up in the mountains. It is also lovely, in a Swiss chalet sort of way, and it would be cooler in hot weather.
Each location has a large group room. The one at the beach is a huge octagonal temple-like room. The one above is smaller and more intimate.
At the beach, will need to park outside and walk for 10 minutes through a lovely peaceful lane. There is a parking area just a short way inside the lane, but it’s awfully tight for a van! Once you arrive, they will send out a motorbike to pick up your suitcases and give a lift to anyone who needs it. (Or you can call in and ask for free portage.)
From the main road, look for two long banners on either side of a lane; one is bright orange and the other is white, and they say Gaia Oasis. There are other signs, but you haven’t arrived until you find those banners.

MISC INFO

WHEN TO GO?
July to September, early April, and between Christmas and early
January are the high seasons. Very busy and more expensive.
April to June is very pleasant weather.
October to March is rainy season, and it can be humid but it only rains
part of the day, and that cools things off, so it’s not bad, especially
in Ubud, which is cool, and especially in February and March when it usually rains less and when you can avoid the tourists and be extremely welcome because your business is badly needed.
The average temperature is about 85 degrees all year round.

TRAVEL GUIDE
Lonely Planet, Bali & Lombek
Ryan Ver Berkmoes & Ian Stewart

Whenever I leave Jati3 I hear the sweet voice of a woman saying “Good Morning!” or “Good Bye!” Her voice comes from within the compound, and she is often sitting on the step, preparing offerings from a variety of leaves and flowers and rice. Sometimes it is she who comes and makes the offerings at the shrine next to my lanai. She always walks tall and proud, often balancing a basket on her head.

This morning, as I’m eating breakfast, she comes and sits down at the edge of my lanai. She tells me she does massage, and facials at the spa here. “Have you seen the spa?” she asks. In fact, when I was wandering around this place before I decided to stay here, I did notice a very nicely equipped spa. “Yes,” I reply.

“You come back?” she asks. And I tell her that yes, I am thinking of coming back.

“You come stay with me, then?” she asks, and I think, how sweet of her to offer!

“How much do you charge?” I ask her.

“Here!” she says, but I don’t understand. “This my place!” she says.

“Oh!” I exclaim, happily. How different from Hawaii, where most of the Hawaiians own nothing, and foreigners own everything, especially all the tourist places. “My husband architect,” she says. “He build this place!”

“Really!” I said. Then I told her that I have been thinking about possibly bringing a group of people to Bali, for a workshop and a holiday. In fact, that was one reason why I was planning on going to the Coast, to look for a suitable place.

“Oh!” she says, “You can bring them here! I have many rooms. And soon I am building yoga studio, out there,” she points to the open area near my room where scattered coconut trees grow, bordering the open jungle and the stream below, just as my room does. What a perfect place for workshops. Perhaps we could do one week in Ubud, and one week at the Coast?

How interesting that, without even trying, everything I need is being brought to me! That certainly feels like a good sign.

“Have you been to the temple?” she asks. That seems to be the main form of entertainment around here. But I don’t want to go as a tourist. “You come with me!” she says.

“Yes, I’d love to,” I agree. “When can we go?”

She thinks for a minute. “In two days, yes? Just had dark moon ceremony. Wait a little bit. Then go. I have car, but no drive. Will look for driver.”

“That’s wonderfiil! Thank you.”

“You need sarong and sash. You have?”

Well, maybe. I thought about the purple pareo with the little round mirrors from India, and the rainbow-colored scarf that Angela gave me. I showed her those, and she thought they would be all right.

“On top? You have long sleeves?”

Well, I had a peach-and-black kimono with a peach-colored top. Kind of a funny outfit, but it might work in a pinch. I tried it on and she tied the pareo, and got me all fixed up. It was fun to do girl stuff with my new friend. Then I asked her to take my picture.

“You want come to my temple on roof?” she asks.

“I’d love to!”

She takes me for a walk, showing me several other rooms, then we go up the tall steps to the roof, where there is an very elaborate collection of altars to the various gods. Here is my friend, proudly standing in her own personal temple; something that every Balinese house and business must have.

May 11, 2007

The trip from the Monastery to the airport is mercifully easy, because the man who was visiting the Monastery from the distant island left at the same time, and he speaks Japanese as well as English. He showed me a clever way to roll two suitcases onto the escalator, since there are usually no elevators in the train stations. This was the main thing that intimidated me about taking the trains.

The trick is to push one suitcase in front of you and pull the second one behind. Then, as you come to the other end of the escalator, hold the handle of the front suitcase down low to the stairs so it won’t get caught up in the grooves, and give it a nice push. The first time was a little scary, but it got fairly easy after a couple of times.

We parted ways at the airport, where I went to Japan Airways. Originally I was going to spend 2 weeks teaching in Taipei, and then 2 weeks in Bali. But then the Taipei event fell through, so I extended my stay in Bali to a month. Well, actually 31 days.

Little did I know that, since the bombings, Bali now requires a visa to enter the country, and further restrictions apply if you stay more than 30 days. The two Japanese women behind the counter at Jalways kept leafing through various books, while I kept mentally putting white light around them (which tends to make things go well).

One woman is a Trainee, as her badge indicates, and neither of them speak much English. Miss Trainee keeps standing up from her desk to lean over the counter to address me, saying, “I’m sorry . . .” implying that she’s about to give me some bad news. But in fact she’s confused about her idiomatic expressions, and she really means too say, “Excuse me . . .”

They can’t decide whether to bring me back a day earlier, which would cost $100 to change my ticket, or to let me fend for myself with immigration in Bali.

I was so busy finishing my manuscript before I left on this trip that I had no time to research this trip to Bali. I did go to Borders to try to get a Lonely Planet Guide, but their only guides to Indonesia and Bali were old, and the most recent one hadn’t yet arrived. So I asked everybody I knew who had been to Bali, about where to go and what to do, and the only thing that almost everyone said was, “You have to go to Ubud.” Several talked about a coffee house where local expatriates hang out.

Then two women friends, who both own metaphysical bookstores (one in Columbus and the other in Kona) told me, “You’ve gotta read Elizabeth Gilbert’s book, Eat, Pray Love, about her life and travels in Italy (Eat), India (Pray) and Indonesia (Love).” So I bought it, and it has been the perfect travel companion. Incredibly honest, insightful, and wildly funny. I strongly recommend this Very Funny book, even if you’re not traveling.

It turns out the main place she visited in Indonesia was Bali, and the main place in Bali was iUbud. I read the “Pray” part of the book while I was at (and en route to) the temple in Japan, and that worked really well, so I saved the Indonesia part for when I came to Bali.

While this whole drama about the visa was unfolding over the period of about an hour, I pick up my trusty book, thinking to distract myself. Elizabeth had just left India and was arriving in Bali (I purposely waited to read that part in Bali).

I open it to the first page of the Bali section and read:

“I didn’t realize that I’m actually not allowed to stay in Indonesia for four months, even if I want to. . . . Turns out I’m allowed only a month-long tourist visa.”

That’s why people read travel guides before they go traveling in strange places!

Gilbert also mentions that the Balinese name their children according to their birth order: First, Second, Third, Fourth, and then it starts over again. Wayan means First. You will see the relevance of this comment quite soon.

When I get to the part where she explains that she handled the visa situation with bribery, I have made my decision. When I traveled with my parents in foreign countries, my Dad often got us out of difficult situations with bribery.

As I’m approaching immigration in Bali, I stick $20 US in my pocket, bring out the white light, and hope for the best. Then they tell me I will have to pay $20 US for the extra day. How ordinary!!

I finally walk over to claim my bags. A young man tries to convince me I need his help, but someone has courteously posted a sign above the baggage rack saying it costs 20,000 rp. (about $2) per bag for porter services, and the carts are free. It seems like all the porters have the only available carts. I mention this to one of them, and he gives me his cart without the slightest protest!

On the way through the final baggage check, I notice that the older Balinese women are just opening one of their smaller bags at random and sticking it under the inspector’s nose. He peeks in, nods his head, and off they go. I do the same.

Once I get through immigration, I walk outside the airport. It is now one o’clock in the morning; the plane arrived at 11 pm. Will my driver still be waiting for me, and if so, how will I find him? They told me he would have a sign with my name on it. Right outside the door I see an overwhelming conglomeration of men behind a fence, with a variety of signs, calling out “Taxi, Madam!” It’s a bit intimidating, but so much more civilized than Buenos Aires, where there was no fence, and the men just converged on you without restraint.

I am delighted to see one young man with a sign with my name on it, who is smiling and in perfectly good spirits about having had to wait for two hours. When I introduce myself, he happily sticks out his hand and says, “I’m Wayan!”

He grabs my bags and leads me to his van. It is almost 2 a.m. before we arrive at the Ubud Bungalows. The manager is waiting for us (his name is also Wayan, and he is a cousin of the Wayan who picked me up). They both tell me that I can register and settle up with them them in the morning. Meanwhile the taxi driver takes my backpack (the one with the rocks and one of my suitcases, and the other Wayan puts my suitcase on his shoulder (I’m just carrying the computer case now), and I follow down what feels like another endless stone path in the midst of an absolutely elegant lodging. In the morning I took this photo of the path:

And the entryway to the room:

The accommodations were first class! What a lovely room!

In the morning I found the lovely dining area where they served a great breakfast of scrambled eggs with onions and tomatoes and home-made (white) bread, plus a dish of fresh fruit: pineapple, papayas, watermelon and bananas.

After breakfast I set up my laptop on my lanai where I could admire the stone wall with the inset Buddha and the well-placed plants.

There are a lot of contradictions in Bali; it is very poor, and feels like a third world country, yet there are aspects of this culture that feel vastly more civilized than America.
As Liz Gilbert points out, Bali is an outpost of Hinduism in the midst of a huge archipelago of Muslims. Traders from India brought Hinduism by way of Java during the fourth century AD. The Javanese kings fled from their own country in the sixteenth century, escaping to Bali with only their royal families, their craftsmen and artists. Which helps to explain why these people are so gifted.

For example, they are incredible builders. They do miracles with cement and tiles. And they use gorgeous tiles. They make incredible stone walls and stone sidewalks, forming them into lovely patterns.

So here I am staying in what I consider to be one of the most elegant accommodations that I’ve ever been in, and it is only a slightly expensive hotel, at $20 US per night.

Nevertheless, my goal is to find an equally nice place, at a lower rate. I got spoiled by paying $7 per night in Chiang Mai in Thailand.

So I wander off the next morning, and I do find an even nicer place, from my perspective, because the lanai opens onto a wild jungle, with no one else around. It’s huge, actually, with an extra bedrooom upstairs. They throw in a refrigerator and that settles it. They want $15, but it’s a slow season and I bargain them down to $12, plus $1 tax.

I will spend one more night at the Ubud Bungalows and enjoy their luxurious pool and their nice long bathtub, and then I can truly settle in. I figure I’ll be in Ubud from 4-7 days, then out to the beach.