We next arrived at the bike launch point. We stopped at a local restaurant for some more energy - tea/coffee and fried bananas.  Yum!  After taking in the beautiful volcano-filled vista, our group was off on our downhill bike ride through the villages and countryside! 

Hello Mrs. Barbier! Your son is crazy! 
At one point, we passed by an elementary school. Nyoman asked our guide if we could stop in to say hello to the kids.  The teacher agreed and a handful of our group introduced ourselves to the students.  They loved Paul & Nyoman because they kept calling each other crazy to make the kids laugh. 

Chris' mom teaches second grade back in Massachusetts and we thought it would be really cool for the Bali class to say hello to the Massachusetts class, especially because they were similar ages.  Nyoman explained this to the class, who agreed to send a video message back to Lunenburg, MA!  Here it is:

We were all laughing, especially Chris who was filming the whole thing. The kids were so cute! Nyoman left them some money (about $5) so the entire class could have an ice cream party.  This is a rare treat for these kids so they were surprised and ecstatic, smiling ear to ear!

Happy Birthday Nyoman!
After our wonderful bike tour, our group had lunch at a local restaurant. It was Nyoman's birthday so Paul made an announcement and the entire group sang Happy Birthday at the lunch table.  The Balinese typically don't celebrate birthdays (many don't know the day of their birthday) so Nyoman was a little shy at first, but accepted the congratulations graciously.

That night, we headed back into town to eat at one of Nyoman's favorite spots in town, the Deli Cat, where we had great steaks with mushrooms and potatoes!

Last Day in Bali
The next day we had to catch a flight to Kuala Lumpur, Myanmar.  Before we left, Nyoman took us on a walk through his village to see a beautiful, remote, water temple and fancy yoga retreat. 

We were so sad to leave Bali, but incredibly thankful for the wonderful experience we had and the friends we made on this trip. Paul and Nyoman were incredible, and we will be forever thankful for such a warm, thoughtful and eye-opening experience in Ubud. We were only there for five days, but thanks to them, it already felt like home.  

Our third day in Ubud began with a morning walk on a black sand beach.  Since Bali is a volcanic island, some of the beaches are made from black volcanic rock.  I thought I had seen a black sand beach beach before years ago in the Canary Islands but that beach was grey compared to this one! 

This is a very popular beach among the locals. But they don't come here to swim and soak up the sun. They come here pray and purify themselves. In my previous post, I mentioned how important being pure is to the Balinese Hindu people.  The beach is another way to wash away impurities. We passed by three men praying on the beach and Nyoman said they probably were down on their luck, so they came to the beach to wash away the bad luck. 

Morning Market
After a stroll on the black sand beach, we hit up the huge morning market in one of the nearby villages.  This is actually where the shops in town pick up their inventory at wholesale.  Here you can find endless carvings, crafts, jewelry, housewares and furniture at great prices.  You have to bargain, but even if you only get a rupiah or two off the original price it's still a deal. I had a hard time resisting shopping here!  If we had been going straight home after Bali, I would have purchased an extra bag and filled it with many treasures from this market! 

Bali Safari
Next on the list was a visit to the Bali Safari to see their show and visit the zoo. This was one of the few touristy things we did in Ubud and for good reason. The one-hour show was really fantastic and looked like something you'd see in Las Vegas.  They didn't allow us to bring cameras so I don't have pictures of the show, but check out the website to get an idea.  The set is beautiful and colorful, the story is interesting and the music and dancing is really fun to watch. 

After the show we took a spin on the safari, which consisted of an encolsed trolley that drove through various habitats featuring animals from Asia, Africa and local Indonesian animals. We saw a lot of new animals, including a pair of beautiful tigers!   

Monkeying Around
At one point, we had the chance to hold an orangutan. You had to buy tickets, so Chris bought 3 tickets - for me, Paul & Nyoman. Surprisingly, he didn't purchase one for himself because I think he was a little afraid of the monkey! Here are some shots Paul, Nyoman and I took with the silly orangutan. 

Dinner at Wahyu
That night we went out to eat in Ubud at a little warung called Wahyu. Set just off Monkey Forest Road near the soccer field, this place is  a favorite of Paul and Nyoman's because it has tasty food at great prices. Here I had a great nasi gorem seafood and Chris had the seafood tempura salad. Delish! 

That night Ren escorted us to the guest house as usual, and we fell asleep to the sound of the jungle, excited for the next day's excursion - Ganung Kawi Temple & the Summer Palace! 

Our second day in Ubud began with a wonderful breakfast of omelettes, pancakes and fresh fruit prepared by Nyoman.  We then headed off for the 9:30 AM performance of the Barong Dance.

Celebrities for a Morning
As mentioned in our previous post, the Barong Dance is a traditional dance performed regularly throughout Bali.  The particular performance that we attended was held in a large covered outdoor theater not far from Ubud.  It's a popular attraction for people from throughout Bali as well as the neighboring islands, but rarely for tourists.  

Our performance was being attended by four massive tour groups of people from Java, plus the four of us.  It turns out that Java does not get many foreign tourists, so Paul, Chris and I became the show's opening attraction! Everyone wanted to have their picture taken with us and we posed with various groups of people for a good 15-20 minutes before the dance began.  It was a really odd feeling to have so many people smiling at us and patiently waiting for their turn to get a picture with us.   A few of the ladies rested their heads on my shoulder for the picture. One man asked me if I was from Hollywood.  At one point, Paul gave one woman a one-armed hug in the middle of their picture and all the ladies around them squealed in amusement.  We enjoyed the attention and we hope we gave them a good impression of foreigners!

Barong Dance
According to custom, the Barong is a playful yet fearsome creature which represents good, and is used to chase off evil spirits.  The Barong can take one of many forms, but frequently, as in this case, it is represented by a sort of tiger/dog played by two dancers.  The evil spirit is represented by the witch Rhangda.  Typically the dance ends with no winner, symbolizing the ongoing struggle between good and evil.

We really enjoyed the Barong Dance and seeing the talented performers act out this epic battle.  The show started off with the Barong and a crafty monkey taking on a band of hunters in the woods.  We were very impressed that the people playing the Barong and the monkey captured the movements and behaviors of their respective animals uncannily well.

Temple Visit
After the Barong Dance, we headed off to see another one of the beautiful local temples. This was one of the older temples in the area:

Master Carvers
We later visited Nyoman's uncle, who is a master carver of objects from wood and stone.  He was the artist behind the beautiful teak furniture in Paul's guesthouse shown in the previous post.  Nyoman apprenticed at his uncle's shop for many years before heading to the US to study.  

Family Shrine
We were then invited to Nyoman's uncle's house to visit the family shrine and meet his family members!  In Bali, each home complex has a family shrine where people pray to their ancestors. Nyoman's uncle had a beautiful shrine which was adorned with his beautiful carvings, naturally!

After saying goodbye, Chris and I spent the afternoon walking around downtown Ubud, and later met up with Paul and Nyoman to head back to town for dinner at one of Ubud's oldest and most interesting restaurants, Cafe Wayan, for an excellent meal.  The food was wonderful, but the most memorable thing about this restaurant is the setting.  It sits on the busy main drag of Ubud, but once you leave the street, you enter a vast courtyard that goes back deep past the backs of the neighboring buildings.  Tables are set in individual pagodas separated from each other by lots of distance, vegetation and string lights, so that you really feel like you have your own little warung.  Chris ordered Nasi Campur, a traditional Balinese dish, and I had bacon-wrapped shrimp.  Both were sensational!  We highly recommend Cafe Wayan if you ever visit Ubud, for both the food and the ambiance!

After 3 wonderful days strolling around Seminyak, we planned to head up to Ubud, Bali  - a region known for its bright green rice terraces, paddy fields and rich culture. It was here that we met Chris’ dad’s long-time friend Paul, who has retired to Bali, and his friend Nyoman, who grew up in Bali and spent 11 years living in the US.  Paul graciously invited us to stay in his guest house while we were in Bali! 

Paul and Nyoman picked us up at our hotel in Seminyak and we drove about 45 minutes to the small village of Lodsema, located about 10 minutes south of Ubud.  This is where Nyoman and his family live, and where Paul built his villa almost 10 years ago. The place was stunning!  Paul has a two-story home with an extensive tropical garden (my favorite kind of garden), pool and guesthouse surrounded by jungle. It's a paradise you have to see to believe.  Here are a few pictures, which really don't do it justice:

To our delight, we were welcomed by 3 adorable dogs – Jess, a yellow lab and Ren & Kim – both german shepards.  Ren would be become our bodyguard for the next 5 nights as he walked us to the guest house and slept outside our door every night.  It was so nice to be greeted by Ren first thing every morning! 

Paul & Nyoman spoiled us rotten and we loved it.  They had asked us earlier about the kinds of things we liked to do. Based on our response, they drew up a list of recommended activities and places to go. We didn’t have to do any research, which was a treat after planning daily for the last 5 months!  So here is a recap of what we did on our first day in Ubud.

Temple Festival
We timed our visit perfectly, since the village was in the midst of a religious festival celebration that happens once very 50 years.  The 4 sub-villages in this area attend the Hindu temple called Pura Dalem Desa Mawang.  Religion is extremely important to the local people.  They pray several times a day and regularly contribute to the temple with offerings and services. 

Everyone who enters the temple must wear traditional attire – a sarong, sash/temple scarf around the waist and a head scarf for men.  

Being pure is very important to the Balinese.  For example, before you enter the temple, you are sprinkled with holy water.  Then there is a ceremony to rid the temple of evil spirits.  First, there is a meditative-like prayer where the lay priests come around and sprinkle holy water on the participants. 

Once this part is done, the gamelan players begin to make music and everyone dances, claps, sings and yells in an effort to scare away the evil spirits:

In this part of the temple are heaps of different types of offerings. Some are beautiful palm leaves, flowers and incense:

Other offerings are less pleasant to behold.  To be specific, they sacrifice animals – usually pigs, chickens and even small dogs.  While it was difficult for me to see this (and smell it), I could also see how important these sacrifices were to the people of the temple. These are people who don't have much, and a pig or chicken is one or several meals, so giving one up for this ceremony is a huge sacrifice to their gods. 

They also have daily cockfights outside the temple called Tabuh Rah (spilling of blood).  One rooster kills another, and the spilling of the blood is a form of purification that will appease the evil spirits.  The men of the village also raise their own roosters to compete, and then bet on the matches.  The winner gets to take the loser's bird, which then comprises his family's dinner that evening.  Chris attended one of the cockfights, while I stayed back at the villa.  Definitely not my cup of tea!

Barong Dance
The Balinese fundamentally belive in the balance of power - dharma which is something like order and adharma which is its opposite - disorder.  They have a dance ritual where the Barong - a lion-like or pig-like creature representing dharma - battles Rhangda the witch, who represents adharma.  The dance often ends with neither side winning, because the point is to restore balance. The Balinese also believe that the Barong will protect them from things like disease and other impurities. We didn't see the Barong dance at this temple, but we did see one the next morning, which I'll write about in the next post. 

Storytelling at the Temple
Balinese Hindu have many religious stories involving their gods. During these festivals, they use various methods to tell these stories including dance, plays and shadow puppets. 

Eating at the Warung
After the temple ceremony, Chris really wanted to sample some local cuisine. Nyoman told us about this little place near the house that sold local Balinese food.  A warung is a little family-owned neighborhood cafe or food stall.  Being of weak stomach, I decided to pass on lunch here.  Chris and Nyoman, on the other hand, enjoyed every last morsel! 

Hand-Painted Kites
Kites are a big part of Balinese culture.  When we landed at the airport, we saw an array of kites in the air.  On our first afternoon in Ubud, Nyoman brought us next door to his brother's house where his sister-in-law was painting beautiful kites.  This was our first glimpse at the artistic talent prevalent throughout this area.

Welcome Dance
To officially welcome us to the village, Paul and Nyoman arranged for the local girls to perform a traditional Balinese dance for us at the house. They were gorgeous! They performed four dances:

1) Welcome Dance
2) Golden Deer
3) Scarecrow
4) Peacock

All the girls aspire to be the peacocks, but we enjoyed all four dances equally. These girls were beautiful, graceful and really embodied the persona of each dance. 

Trivia Night
We capped off our first day in Ubud at one of Paul's local haunts, the Fly Cafe in Ubud, where we joined his local team for weekly pub trivia night!  While we didn't end up winning trivia, we had a great time and a lot of laughs.  

It's hard to believe we saw so much in just our first afternoon with Paul and Nyoman.  Stay tuned for lots more adventures in our next few posts!

After more than a month, we finally said farewell to Australia and traveled about three hours north from Perth to the island of Bali.  Bali is a popular vacation spot for Australians due to its tropical climate, low prices and close proximity.  Thus our plane was full of Aussie spring breakers (mostly Bogans) in varying stages of sobriety.  

Airport Chaos
While most of our trip to Bali was relaxing, our arrival was anything but. Our arrival coincided with several important events occurring on the island.  First, our planed landed at the same time as the Indonesian President, who was there to inaugurate a brand new highway that had just opened on the island.  As a result, upon landing we had to wait on the plane for a while while the president and his entourage made their way through the airport.  Later, while we were waiting in the immigration line, we saw hundreds of photographers, video cameras and news reporters following a group of important people.  We were right at the front of the line, and several cameras were  in our face so we probably ended up on the local Indonesian news.

Bali was also hosting the APEC conference, a global economic summit, early the following week, and some of the delegates – who had their own section of the immigration area allotted to them – were already trickling in, which added further to the chaos.  After about an hour waiting in line for the passport check, we finally made our way out of the airport and met our ride to the hotel.  

D’Penjor Hotel
We got a great deal on a brand new hotel called D’Penjor located a 10-minute walk from the main drag in Seminyak and about a twenty-minute walk from the beach.  We were hugely impressed by this hotel and the wonderful staff there.  Here are some photos of our room and the hotel:

All this plus free full breakfast and wifi for about $60 per night!  Keep in mind that walking in Bali is not the safest since they don't really have sidewalks. We learned this on our first night there and thus decided to use taxis to get around town, which usually cost us no more than a dollar per ride. 

We spent the next few days wandering around Seminyak, sampling many of its restaurants and cafes, visiting the unique shops, and watching the sunset over the ocean. I even treated myself to a Thai massage at Bodyworks, which was wonderful (spa treatments are very inexpensive in Bali). 

Strolling through Seminyak:

Pura Petitenget Temple
This temple is situated right by the beach in Seminyak. There has been a temple here since the 16th century and it is still used regularly today for ceremonies. This was our first of many temple visits in Bali.  In order to enter the temple both men and women must wear a traditional sarong and sash.

Seminyak Nightlife
Seminyak's nightlife was just right for us. The town is chock full of delicious restaurants and we were far away from the college/spring break crowd in Kuta.  Seminyak is really laid back and full of people who want to enjoy the local food and drinks in a more relaxed atmosphere. These are a few of the spots we tried:

Motel Mexicola - Fun, colorful atmosphere; cheap tacos
Chandi - Fancy for Seminyak; great place for sharing appetizers
Khaima - Good Nasi Goreng lunch & ginger lemon juice

Potato Head Beach Club - This club is quite a scene.  It's expensive (for Bali), and it gets really crowded at sunset.  We went for one cocktail at sunset, which was beautiful. It would have been more fun to rent a daybed for the afternoon & evening but you need to reserve one in advance and there is a minimum spend.  If you like a scene, then this is a great spot. I prefer to watch the sunset directly on the beach for free and then hit up one of the many restaurants in town. 

Seminyak is a beautiful, affordable and fun getaway. If you love the beach, dining out, shopping, spas and great service then you'll really enjoy this part of Bali. We were here just 3 nights and were very content staying in town and exploring the local area. We quickly learned that there is a lot to do in Bali and there never seems to be enough time to do it all. 

While we were really sad to say farewell to Seminyak, we had a bigger treat in store for us as we headed off to meet up with friends near Ubud...