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Just Back Reportby Carol from Texas |
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Part 1Well, I guess it's time for a Just Back from Carol from Texas, if you think you can stand it. The jet lag had mostly abated and the head is clear, so here goes. My husband and I are just back from our fourth trip to Bali in as many years. Upon arriving at the airport (nice remodeling job), swarms of porters were eager to help with our bags, but we got a trolley and avoided them as best we could. We arranged for a taxi at the taxi window and were helped with out bags (from the trolleu to the trunk, all of 3 feet away) by what we thought was the tazi driver. WRONG. It was an unsolicited volunteer, who of course expected payment. You know, I don't mind paying for services rendered, but that's just silly. So watch out, newbies, for this type of thing. One observation about the airport -- seems like money changers were offering more reasonalble rates than in previous years. Someone did tell me, however, that the rates INSIDE the airport were better than the outside windows of the same place! Can't vouch for it personally, but it sounds pretty much like Bali to me. A pitiful fellow-American had only brought $20 bills, and the money changers didn't want anything to do with those. We were sure to bring only nice, new, unmarked, pristine big-headed Franklins, as the changers can be extremely fussy about anything less. So onward to Kuta and the Sea View Cottages (Kuta Segara Hotel) I will NEVER darken their run-down little doorstep again. Well, to be fair, they have a nice pool, but the rooms are getting tired, to say nothing of being poorly lit! But the real kicker was that we lost our key (just the key, with no identifying marks) and they wanted to charge us $150, claiming they would have to change all the locks in the hotel!! Yeah, right. Because this discussion went on and on, and we were eager to check out and move on, we finally came to an agreement of $75, which I still think is robbery without a gun. This kind of extortion doesn't surprise me, but I hated that we gave in to it. While in Kuta, we ordered some leather jackets at Rhamadan Tailors on Poppies II from James. James is very diligent in taking your measurements, and cautious as well. I wanted a red jacket (bright red, cherry red, fire engine red, RED) and he wasn't about to make it until I had approved the exact shade of red. David ordered a vest and a bomber jacket in black. I ordered a black vest and a jacket, zippered, hip-length, in RED. Price for all four pieces was US$230. We found it had to dicker about such a reasonable price, so we didn't. Personally, I was delighted. Everything fits well, and looks super. James gets my unqualified recommendation. I can hardly wait for cooler weather. By the way, Kuta looked practically deserted of tourists. Low season it may be, but I was amazed. We have always gone at roughly the same time every year and this was as quiet as I have ever seen it. Most of the tourists we saw, here and in Ubud, were Japanese, a change from years past. I guess Asia must be recovering from the economic crisis. We did all our money changing at Matahari with no trouble, then found a driver to take us to Pemuteran for 175,000 rp. In the four times we have traveled north to dive, I swear the drivers have gone a different route every time. This guy was hands down the winner for getting us there the best/fastest way. Although there was beautiful scenery on the way, he thankfully did not feel compelled to show us any tourist buffet restaurants or anything else out of the way. We drove through Tabanan, and it looked like quite a pretty place, not much overrun with tourists or touristy things. We also passed through a city named Sereritt, and a grubbier little town I cannot imagine. The coastal road to Pemuteran has deteriorated since last year, but it does appear that repairs are underway. The usual method of dealing with a pothole in this part of the island seems to be to stand a stick upright in the middle of the hole. Especially large holes get a plastic bag waving atop the stick!! No orange cones for these guys. Part 2When last we left the wandering Texans, they were on their way to Pemuteran Bay.... Arrival at Pondok Sari brought cries of "Mr. David! Mr. David! We are so glad you have come!" Mrs. Carol was greeted warmly as well, but it's Mr. David who's the hit at this place. Much hand shaking and smilang and exclamations about how we haven't changed a bit, which is always good for the ego. Pondok Sari is probably my favorite spot on earth, at least for a vacation. The staff is friendly, the rooms are fairly spacious and charmingly furnished in bamboo, the bathrooms are open-air, and the rate is about $30, including breakfast. Can't beat it. OK, there' no hot water, but we go here to dive, so all our showers take place in the heat of the afternoon and it's no big deal. Plus, massages are 15,000 rp per hour. Paradise. We planned to dive for four days, but the weather and ocean chose not to cooperate. On the third day, the swells were enormous, especially for this part of the island. Even the dive staff was in awe. Our dives were awesome, especially the last day. We even saw some dolphins on the way back to shore. All told, we saw many different kinds of fish, including a big school of banner fish, a cuttlefish, a turtle, a cute little frog fish (rare and unusual to see, so I'm told) plus all the usual suspects. YOS diving is the best. Hermann was conscientious and was always on the lookout for something interesting to show us. A two tank dive is $50. We shared Bintangs with all the dive guys every day and had lots of laughs and shared lots of stories. Mostly, we spoke English, but occasionally there would be a bout of Balinese break out, greeted with laughter. I'd point my finger at them and accuse them of "dirty laughing". They never bothered to deny it! We have gotten to know the staff fairly well over the last few years and were lucky enough to be invited to our waitress Nila's house for dinner (and a "show" as it turned out). We gave her a baby gift and she was showing her gratitude. Staying at a hotel is great, but being asked to share in the local life is a wonderful opportunity. Her baby girl, Yenti, is a little doll, healthy and happy. That evening we were also invited to attend a full moon ceremony with the family at two local temples, Melanting and Pulaki. The ceremony was very interesting. We noticed that the offereings always included three colors of flowers -- red or pink, white and blue, representing the three Hindu deities. Unlike Christian services, which take place at a given time, these services seemed to run continuously, with people arriving and leaving all the time. The blessings of the priest always included water (you drink three times and then you wet your head three times). By the time the evening was over, we were very damp. Everyone was friendly and welcoming, and some even shook our hands as though we were visiting dignitaries. To give you a little perspective of how different our lives are from the Balinese, Nila told us that her salary was 150,000 rp. per month, 50,000 of which goes to the woman who helps to watch her baby. Nila's husband made something she called "glass pieces" but hadn't been paid in two months because the price was way down. Small wonder our gift was well received. That's why a tip of 5 or 10,000 rupiah is a big deal, and why we must seem like millionaires. She and here husband were living with her parents in a small room adjacent to the main house. I was very touched that these folks shared their dinner and time with us. The main house was small, maybe 4 or 5 rooms, plus a mandi. Nila said her father bought it some years ago when his business was doing well. His business was taking cows to Java to sell, but (this is what she said) the police put a stop to it. I did not inquire any further. All her father did currently was raise fighting cocks and gamble. This did not make her happy, I could tell. Beware-- I'm climbing on my soapbox. If you ask me, there is a good deal too much sitting around in Bali. Everywhere you go, there are men squatting by the side of the road. I'm not blaming these guys, mind you, as I realize that unemployment is undoubtedly high. On the other hand, most women I have seen there are working, even if that means sitting in a warung all day. This kind of enforced idleness surely cannot be good for developing any kind of work ethic or entrepreneurial spirit. Guess that's why it's a third world country. Thanks for listening. I'm off the soapbox now. Also at this dinner we heard about a young lady who was killed. She was riding on the back of a motorcycle on the way to a ceremony at Menjangan. The bike hit a pothole, and she fell off because she was holding onto the offering and not the driver. But she was not wearing a helmet, so she died. "It wasn't very far from here," they told us. So sad, and such a waste. Even as they were telling us the story, the son in the family was getting on his motorbike to visit the girl's family. "Wear a helmet!" I blurted out. (I'm a teacher and a mom. It just came out.) "It's OK" he said, "It's not far." I just stood there with my mouth agape. I did NOT, as I desperately wanted to do, scream "Well, DUH!! The dead girl wasn't going far either!" As far as I know, he returned in one piece. The cremation was two days later. I know, because we could hear the chanting and gamelan all night lonf. As one ex-pat described it, "Pray a little, play a little, Pray a little, play a little." I wasn't please that it kept us awake that night, but as it was a religious occasion, and such a sad one at that, it's hard to complain. Part 3Our diving finished, we headed to Ubud thru Munduk and past the mountain lakes. This is a beautiful part of the island, and if you have not visited here, I highly recommend it. It's cool and refreshing, and the lakes are in the caldera of an extinct volcano. There is a jet ski rental and parasailing for the adventurous. You can rent an outrigger and paddle out to see Ulan Danu temple. The botanical gardens nearby are lovely. I believe there are a couple of markets nearby where you can sample some local fruits and produce (or buy just one more sarong!) As I recall, one market seemed to specialize in, um, well, er, phallic symbols. All sizes. Light and dark. The most memorable thing about this drive was the aroma of cloves that pervaded the air. In Ubud, we stayed at the Pradha Guest House, on Jalan Kajeng, bargaining for $55 per night, w/ breakfast. Location was quiet and very central to the market and to Tino's, the local 7-11 type place. Rooms were spacious, with a fridge and lots of closet space. The only downside was that the availability of hot water was spotty. We took to calling the front desk in the morning to announce that we wanted to take a shower. I suspect that the staff was too cheap, or too strapped for cash, to refill all the propane tanks, so they were switching the one full tank from room to room as needed!! This is so-o-o-o Bali. David says that by the choices we make in hotels, we are choosing our own level of frustration. His resoning goes like this. We pick a hotel based on (1) price and (2) Balinese style ambiance. If we stayed at a more upscale, westernm sytle hotel, this kind of goofy stuff would probably not happen. But we think that we're getting closer to the "real Bali" whatever the heck that is, by choosing other accomodations. Thus, we choose our level of aggravation. Makes sense, I suppose. The Pradha has an internet area, as well, for 21,000 rp. per hour. We attended some dances in Ubud as usual. The Puri Saren has a dance every night. They have upgraded the lighting and even had some special effects this year! David, the true afficianado in the family, and I both agree that the troupes have really improved over the last 4 years. My favoite dance in the Kecak, or monkey dance. (Tues. and Thurs. at a temple on Jalan Hanoman) The fire dance is also performed and it si something to behold. A man, said to be in a trance, dances around a coconut husk fire with a stick horse. As the fire dies down to coals, he rushes thru the fire and kicks the flaming coals around the floor! He prances all over these glowing embers, kicking them toward the squealing audience. The coals are scraped together again, and off he goes, dancing on fire. Finally, he's restrained and awakened from the trance. It's amazing to watch, and a must-see in my book. No gamelan music here -- all the accompaniment is provided by the voices of the men. Got a massage at Nur -- what a treat. A 2 hour massage and body scrub for 80,000 rp. I went with my new friend Elayne (Hey, Elayne, how's it going?) also from Texas, whom I met as a result of her querries on the aol travel forum. Amazing how small a world the internet has created. David went to get a massage at Verona. He claims his masseuse had thumbs strong enough to push thru a vault door! One new thing we did this year was to visit the village of Petulu at dusk to watch the herons fly in to roost. It may sound ho-hum, but I found it enjoyable and charming. As the sun begins to set, the herons fly into this little village 3 km outside of Ubud and begin to roost in the trees. Soon the trees are almost solid white with birds. The village asks for a small donation (your choice) and there are two buildings set up in the rice paddies where you can sit for the best view. You can buy a drink (or not) and use of the binoculars is, believe it or not, FREE. A quick, inexpensive side trip that I can recommend. We also went back to Tirta Empul this year, mainly because I know they sell crocheted tablecloths there, and I wanted to get one for my friend. The temple itself is very lovely and definitely worth a visit. It's different from most other temples we've seen because of the water. This is where the Balinese come for holy water, believed to come out of the springs here. Tourists are routed thru so that they come out (ta-da) at the "gift shop", a huge labyrinth of hawker stalls. This place is like night of the living dead, with hawkers lunging at you, wild-eyed and hand outstretched, pleading with you to buy "one more, one more." On the other hand, things here were way cheaper than in Ubud, so if it's cheap souvenirs, trinkets and batik clothing you're after, this is the place. Providing, of course, you can stand the aggressive and seemingly desperate peddlers. Part 4We also revisited Yeh Pulu, mainly to see our favorite wood carver, Ketut Gama. Last year, we commissioned two figures from him -- a wedding couple, kneeling for a ceremony. Apparently, while he was finishing these up for us, several other tourists offered to buy them. He had never thought of doing this kind of work for anyone other than a Balinese up until that point, so we must have opened up a new market for him! This year we noticed our same figures, in several sizes, on his shelf. When his wife saw us, she recognized us almost immediately and lit up like a Christmas tree. Hand shakes and even hugs all around. We'd paid (perhaps overpaid) 800,000 rp. for the pair (reduced this year, she said, to 500,000 because wood was cheaper. Just my luck!) and I believe that must have made a real impact on their lives. We bought something small, but unfinished, and she insisted on delivering it to our hotel in 2 days. When she met us at the hotel, she had gifts for us -- fruit, pink Balinese cakes, and two small wood carvings. It is really gratifying to be remembered so well and to know that we helped someone out with a simple purchase. I encourage you all to find a way to do something similar. It's easy enough to do, and the rewards are much greater than a couple of free wood carvings. (There's that soapbox again. Sorry.) If you go to Yeh Pulu, several small boys will be glad to accompany you, like it or not, and explain the stone carvings. The old lady at the end gets a donation, you get a blessing, and in time honored Balinese tradition, the boys make every effort to separate your wallet from some of your money as pleasantly as they can. We gave them 10,000 rp., but the leader (also in time honored tradition) wanted "a little bit more." He asked us, "Do you have a dollar? I collect foreign money and I need another dollar for my collection." Cute. I told him that I, too, collected dollars, and that all of MY collection was in the bank back home! We also got to see our friend, Matt, again (another met-on-the-net bud. Hey, Matt!!) and were pleased to be able to hang out with him for the day. He showed us Gianyar, where he lives. Not much to interest a sight-seer, but a nice little town. We all had burgers that evening at Naughty Nuri's in Champuan -- arguably the best burger in Bali. I had been craving a burger, and Nuri's delivered the goods. Dang, that tasted good! The homemade tater chips (crispies, I think they called 'em) were delicious. We never had a real problem with Bali Belly, by the way. Our doctor told us before we left to take eight (count 'em, eight!) Pepto-Bismol tablets every day as a preventive measure. The bismuth changes the PH in your gut so that the bad bugs don't stay. A warning though: if you take a lomotil (Imodium), quit taking the Pepto, or you may get bismuth poisoning. You want that Pepto to keep moving, so to speak. Anyway, it seemed to work well for us, and my husband eats EVERYTHING. Shopping -- I bought some gold chains at the gold shop in the Ubud market and was very pleased with the price. I got a fairly heavy 28 in. chain for about $130. The selection of rings, earrings, etc. was mostly more Balinese than most westerners might prefer, but a chain is a chain, right? I'm pleased with my purchase and the price, so please don't burst my bubble and tell me I could have gotten it cheaper elsewhere! Everyone needs a fantasy life! We also shopped the market at Sukawati, which I found depressing, but inexpensive. The inside is hot, stuffy and incredibly claustrophobic. Outside is just crowded and dirty. They also seemed to have cornered the market on truly ugly, mangy dogs. Bargains abound, however, so don't let my description stop you if you can put up with some inconvenience. Eating -- Our favorite restaurant in Ubud was the Swasdee Thai place on Monkey Forest just south of Lotus Lane. They make it hot and spicy here, folks, so if you're not used to it, tell them "no heat." The dry beef red curry is one of the best things I've ever put in my mouth, and it leaves quite an afterglow, too! The Sai-Sai bar, under new management since a bust by Interpol some months ago, had some very tasty pasta in cream sauce and a fabulous pesto spread. Looked like good pizza, too. Mumbul's was awful. The Pradha's restaurant was fair, and it sure was handy. Stringy beef, though, as in many places in Bali. And so to bed. All in all, as in every trip, I was happy to get to Bali and just as happy to be going home. We flew home on Cathay Pacific, and service, as usual, was impeccable and friendly. I love feeling pampered like that. We arrived home about 35 hours after we left Bali, tired but happy campers. Part 5Some final observations and opinions from Carol from TX. In Bali, you can carry anything on a motorbike. I have seen several rolling disasters waiting to happen. There were the guys with: a HUGE inflated innertube around him expecting a flood, perhaps? or a Bali air bag?; three rolled up mattresses; a chain saw (not running, fortunately!); a bundle of ten foot long bamboo poles; an enormous pile of vegetation, making the whole affair look like a rolling haystack. But the most frightening thing to me is to see women riding sidesaddle and holding a baby. Thankfully, it must work well for them. David says that traffic there is 'organic' and just flows. Food sanitation is probably inadequate, even, so one resident claimed, in the expensive restaurants. He might know, in as much as he was married to a chef at one of the better restaurants in the area. David took a cooking class and said that the cooks were using rusty knives. And you wonder why you get Bali Belly? On the other hand, people aren't exactly dropping like flies, so it must work. Organics, again. We spent an evening talking with some transplants to Bali; part of the conversation involved a litany of all the tropical diseases, parasites and bacterial ailments that they have suffered over the years. Leading to my next observation. Medical care in Indonesia sucks. You don't want to get really sick here. My nails always grow wonderfully long and my hands look great. David said, 'It's all the sunlight and additional vitamin A & D.' I looked at him like he had grown a second head. Vitamin D, my happy *ss!!!! It's not doing housework for three weeks that does it! (And, I might add, that is something I could get used to real easy!) Like we don't have plenty of sunshine in Texas. Humph! Bintang on tap is a bit better than Bintang in the bottle, but a cold Bintang is good anytime. No one is too poor to have a TV. (That's true enough in this country, lord knows.) I base this on all the antennas and satellite dishes we saw everywhere we went, even in the smallest of villages. 'Quick, Wayan, hide the TV. Here come the anthropologists!' Personally, TV is one thing I DON'T miss. My favorite menu misspellings: crapt corn soup and braided veal. Those Balinese who deal with tourists on a daily basis speak at least a smattering of several languages. They're better at it than I, that's for sure. What's the difference between a cab drive in Bali and a cab driver in New York? The cab driver in Bali speaks English. (Pa-rum-pum.) THINGS I LOVE ABOUT BALI
THINGS ABOUT BALI THAT DRIVE ME CRAZY
THINGS I DON'T MISS WHILE I'M IN BALI
THINGS I MISS WHILE I'M IN BALI
Carol from Texas
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