Friday, October 21 - Home

Flight from Vancouver to Winnipeg was uneventful.  Leah met me at the airport.  It feels cool in Manitoba, as I knew it would.  Gave Leah her leather messenger bag, she likes it.  Stopped to see Yvonne on the way out of the city.  Showed her some of the batik and silk stash.  Then I headed home.

Didn't even spend half an hour at home before Don and I headed to Treherne to the Chili Bake Off, a Cancer Care fundraiser.  Got a chance to say hello to a few people.  Then headed home to unpack and hit the sack.  Boy did my own bed and pillow ever feel great!

Thanks to everyone for reading the Bali blog. I am going to try to move to a different blog site that will be more serviceable for entering pictures and video clips.  I will post my new address on this site once I change over.  (Give me at least a week to make the move.)  Then I can enhance my Bali blog entries with the photos I took.

Also, Don and I plan to use a blog while we are away on further journeys in 2011/12.  So stay tuned!!

Cheers,
Krista

Thursday, October 20, 2011 - Flying home

Renee and Agus met up with me at Ubud Aura today and gave me my silk kimono jacket.  It is amazing to wear, light and flowing.  I love it.  After we said our goodbyes I still had a couple of hours before I had to catch the taxi so I took a last dip in the pool and enjoyed some last few rays.  Taxi ride to airport was crazy with traffic, but I got there in lots of time.

Now I am sitting in the Hong Kong airport waiting for my next flight (to Vancouver).  Free WiFi is sure handy.  I'm checking my emails, reading the news (Gadhafi is dead), and people watching.

Flight from Hong Kong to Vancouver was uneventful.  I was able to sleep off and on.  Arrived in Vancouver a day earlier than when I left?!?

Our flight got to Vancouver airport early.  Now I have 11 hours to kill instead of 9.  Sigh.  Found myself a little nook with a plug in (charging the laptop) and a bench with no arm rests so that I can lay down later.  Amazing what I look for in an airport now that I have experienced long layovers.

Wednesday, October 19, 2011 - Monkey Forest

My first stop this morning was at Monkey Forest Sacred Sanctuary.  In this small park of only a few acres there live over 500 Macaque monkeys.  I was warned that people should not wear anything valuable when they go into the sanctuary in case the monkeys are naughty and grab things away from you.  I found that the monkeys were not that bad.  One of the sanctuary workers told me that these monkeys are not as bad as the ones in Lomboc because these ones are fed daily.

These monkeys have lots of natural food - figs, branches, etc. and they are fed sweet potatoes and bananas as well.  I found them really interesting to watch.  The giant old 'grey back' ones put up with no nonsense, teenagers covort around, nursing mothers and babies of various ages.  All amazing to watch.  I took some videos as well.

www.monkeyforestubud.com

It had rained earlier this morning and I mistakenly thought that it might be a cooler day; not the way it works in Bali.  Rain in the morning only means very hot and humid during the day.   My 4 km walk provided me with a lot of sweating!!  Ultimately ended up with a migraine.  Darn.  But a great massage on my shoulders and neck minimized the headache.

Bali really is full of wonderful spas and masseuses  for very reasonable prices.  When I paid I also gave the lady who did my massage a little gift of a makeup bag with lipstick, blush and a Canada pin.  She was so amazed and touched that she hugged me over and over again!!  The Balinese people are so warm and friendly.  I asked a young man one day if he wasn't sick of tourists in his country.  He looked at me as if I was nuts, shook his head and said that he liked tourists; he explained that tourists need to keep coming, it is important to his country's survival.

Bali is only one small island in the large country of Indonesia.  However because Bali is largely Hindu (over 80% of the population), whereas the majority of the rest of Indonesia is Muslim, Bali doesn't get much assistance from the Indonesian government.  The head of the Indonesian government is in Jakarta, Java, which is only one island to the north west of Bali.  The government will pass laws that say that all children will have free education, but in reality that is not the way it is in Bali.  The Balinesians are very discouraged with the federal government and do not trust it as it is very corrupt.  The people of Bali are very community minded and work hard to make sure everyone within their community is taken care of.  This sense of community comes through the Hindu religion.  However, if a person is outcast from this religion, by stepping outside of tradition (lets say to divorce a husband) they will get no assistance.  Thus you do see the occasional beggar.  Invariable a woman with a baby.

I only have one sleep left!  Tomorrow I will meet up with Renee to receive my silk kimono jacket.  Then I will be off to Kuta (probably over an hour ride through traffic even though it is only 18 kms away) to catch my flight home.  Jet lag and cold here I come!!

Tuesday, October 18, 2011 - Setting silk dyes

This morning I was 'scootered' to Renee's studio, Goddess Silks, to finish my silk painting project.  When I walked into the studio the green silk background shone!  The silk material just seems to glow; it is beautiful.

I started the day by learning how to tjant.  This is how to put the fine lines of wax on the silk.  It is how a silk painting usually starts.  I am doing the process rather backwards.  Trying to do the fine tjanting, made me appreciate the fine work that Agus did on my pieces.  I did manage to get through my little handkerchief with only two poo-poos.

Once I was done the wax work, then I painted the little lotus I had tjanted.  It looks rather beginnerish, but that is what I am, just a beginner.

We spent the later part of the morning fixing the dyes and then boiling off the wax from both the kimono jacket and handkerchief.  To set the dye you immerse the fabric into water glass, some kind of chemical, that is akin to flubber; very gooey.

The goo is rinsed off and the fabric is placed in a hot water bath to get the wax out.  Once the wax is boiled off, the fabric is then cooled and rinsed many times.

Then we hung the pieces in the sun to dry.  It is very humid these days, Bali is nearing the rainy season, which is hotter due to the humidity.  (I can't imagine any warmer than it already is, but they say the rainy season is hotter!!)  So I imagine the fabric will take all day to dry.

Then Agus will drive the material over to the tailor, who will roll the hems by hand.  It will probably take her all day tomorrow!  I hope to have these two silk pieces before I leave on Thursday to fly home.

Monday, October 17, 2011 - Goddess Silks

Got up and had a wonderful breakfast of scrambled eggs, toast and fresh fruit at my new home, Ubud Aura.  Then one of the young workers drove me to Goddess Silks on the back of a motorcycle.

I met up with Renee and we began work on the short kimono jacket.  It has a lotus inside a medallion on the back and lotuses on the front.  I got it all painted today.  The lotuses are light pink to burgundy and the medallion has yellow, brown and slate grey on it.  The entire background is a natural leaf green.   I can hardly wait to see it when it is dry.

Painting the lotus.  Notice that I am kneeling on pillows.

Lotuses are done, now working on medallion.

We have to dye the background quickly.  If any of it dries before we are done there will be water lines in the dye.  Agus helps me so we can get done quickly.  Notice his large brush and my small one for getting into the small details.

Tomorrow we will set the colour, boil the wax out and dry it.  The next day Renee's friend will sew it into a jacket for me.  Renee brought me home on her scooter and then I had a swim.  Felt great.

AT 6pm I went to Zen Spa next door for a special massage.  The Mandi Lulur, Floral Bath took almost 2 hours!  It is a 17th century Javanese royal treatment, a traditional body massage followed by a body scrub with tumeric, sandal wood and rice powder, which is an exfoliant.  Followed by a coating of yoghurt (rather cool and shocking surprise) to eliminate toxins.  Ending with a fragrant blossom bath.  The luxurious treat cost Rp 150.000 or about $15US!

Decadent spa setting!!

www.zenbalispa.com

Check out the above site for photos of pseudo me, having my Mandi Lulur.

Sunday, October 16, 2011 - Back to Ubud

Today I transfered back to Ubud.  I am staying at the Ubud Aura Retreat Centre.  It is very much cheaper than previous locations but is really beautiful!  Check it out on the link below.

www.ubudbodyworkscentre.com/ubud_aura.html

I think I will just relax today.  Enjoy the pool and a good book.  Ahhhhh.

Very large room.  No air conditioning, but large fans.

Saturday, October 15, 2011 - Island tour

Mary (from  the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State,) and I took a 30 minute fast ferry to a small island, Nusa Pasida, off of Bali today.  

Nusa Pasida has traditional villages that farm seaweed.  The farmers tie small pieces of viable (dark green coloured) seaweed every 10 cm or so to a long rope. 

Here, in a small shed, a family (Mom, Dad and Son) are tying pieces of seaweed to the long rope.

Only the green pieces of seaweed are alive.  These pieces are used to propagate new seaweed beds. 

Dark square patches on the sandy ocean bottom are seaweed beds.

The rope is then anchored to the seabed floor, back and forth in the shape of a square, and left for 40 days.  The rope is then pulled up and the seaweed is harvested.  The harvested seaweed is left in the sun to dry.  

Seaweed drying in the sun on the rocky beach shore.

Dried seaweed is shipped off the island and used as a thickener in many products. ( Just look on any salad dressing bottle for xanthan gum.  That is really seaweed!)  Some viable pieces of seaweed are then retied on rope and replanted on the seabed floor for the next harvest.

Also on the island is a rehabilitation facility for Bali Starlings and Java Sparrows.

Bali Starling

Java Sparrow

We stopped and got the tour at the Nusa Penida Bird Sanctuary which is affiliated with Friends of National Parks Foundation and sponsored by Began Giri Foundation.  The facility staff work with the village people and in return the villagers protect the birds that they release.  We saw about 6 starlings in the wild.  A dozen or more Bali Starlings and the same number of Java Sparrows in captivity being readied for release.  When the birds are ready to be released there is a temple ceremony.  The birds are blessed and released from the temple as so they are considered sacred by the local people and are not poached.

www.fnpf.org



We also saw the gardens where the foundation staff plant seedling trees to give to the locals to plant wherever they want and also to plant in deforested areas.  (they have over 10,000 coconut palms planted as well as many other trees.)  This tree planting keeps the habitat for the birds and helps the locals have fruit trees that they can eat from.  A win - win situation.

The centre is conducting studies about composting and growing vegetables.  Currently all the vegetable produce has to be shipped to the island.  Mr. Mike is using hand composting and mulching to provide nutrients and retain water in this dry area.  He has been very successful so far.  It is hoped that this vegie study will provide some local vegies for the people.  We ate some of the first ever grown Roma tomatoes on the island.  Wonderful!!

We were allowed to visit their temple which is very highly revered by the people of Bali.  There were ceremonies going on there today.  We had to don a sarong to enter the temple.  It was very beautiful.

Friday, Oct 13, 2011 - Jenggala and Jambaran Bay

 Today is our last full day together as a tour group.  We have had such a good time together that it will be hard to say goodbye.

This morning we had merchants drop items off for various people.  Ajick came with our leather goods.  The strap on the purse he made was a bit long so I asked him to shorten it.  Then the jeweler, Mr. Patra, dropped the last of the designed jewelry off.  Last, Renee and Agus came to drop off the silk paintings we did.  They are all beautiful!! 

Eli showing off the silk scarf she bought from Renee.  Gorgeous!!

I spent some time at the beach and the pool before we left on our last day’s adventure.  This afternoon we traveled (through traffic as always) to a ceramics factory, Jenggala.  It is a beautiful building housing awesome dishes and other ceramics.  I bought a cream and sugar set that look like leaves.  Gorgeous.

We stopped at the Bali Beach Resort where Kaduk works, to drop off a thank you card with a bit of money in it from the tour women.  She was very surprised and I think touched that we thought so highly of her.

For supper we went to Jambaran Bay to have a BBQ beach supper.  We chose our fresh seafood – snapper and prawns.  Then sat on the beach drinking the local beer, Bintang, while watching the sun go down.  The fresh BBQed seafood was delicious.  It was a wonderful way to end off a fantastic trip!

Chose my own snapper and prawns to be BBQed.  (Yes, they filleted him!!)

The ten of us on the tour.  Our last supper.

Awesome sunset.

Offerings left on the beach.

Yes, this is paradise!

Thursday, October 13, 2011 – Earthquake!!

Today was a day of rest.  Mary and I went down to Nogo to try on our clothes we are having made.  She is getting three dresses and I am getting a blazer made.  We took a taxi down to the shop and began walking back to our hotel.

www.nogobali.com

We were in a small boutique type shop when we felt the tremors of an earthquake.  I looked at the shopkeeper, a Balinese woman, who looked very frightened.  I headed for the door and went outside.  Many people were exiting shops and congregating on the street.  I looked up and saw electrical wires, so I moved away from them.  I looked to the street and saw a silver van rocking back and forth.  Then I looked at my feet.  The ground was moving.  Whoa!  Scary!

Eventually the shaking stopped and we returned to the shop.  We have been waiting for more tremors, but have felt none so far.  The people from California thought it was nothing, as they feel tremors often, but I was very scared.

Apparently the epicenter was in 62 miles from Danpasar, the capital city of Bali, which is only 30 miles away from where I am in Sanur.  The magnitude of about 6.1 was not extreme but may have caused some damage.  Here at the hotel there are some tiles missing and cracks in outer walls.  No major damage, and no one hurt.

Wednesday, Oct 12, 2011 - Batik Fabric Shopping!!

Today we had another trip into the busy city of Kuta.  We finally went to a material store, CU Dewi Mas, Cotton Batik Quilting, run by Rayyis Aljaidi.   I was in heaven.  I bought 57 metres of batik quilting fabric for about $3 a metre!  My heart be still!  The material is hung over rods in the shop.&nbsp7 B There would be about a maximum of 20 metres of any one design, unlike in North America were the fabric would be wrapped on bolts and would have many metres of fabric on one bolt. 

View of entire shop.

 Sales woman measuring fabric for cutting.

My pile of fabric - 57 meters.  See the smile on my face?!

For lunch we went back to the Bali Bakery.  I had a wood fired spinach pizza.  (Shirley, you would have loved it!)

Then after lunch we drove around the small shops to find batik shirts for men, sarongs for women and button shops.  On our way home we stopped by the Bali Bomb Memorial.  It will be 9 years tomorrow that Muslim Extremists from Java detonated two bombs that killed many Australians and some Canadians.

Tonight we will see Ajik to try on our leather jackets for a fitting.  I am anxious to see mine!

Tuesday, October 11, 2011 - Mengwi Temple

Today we have a free day until 3pm.  I am sitting on the beach in a yellow and white striped cabana overlooking the Indian Ocean listening to gabalon players plunk out a distinctly Balinese meditative tune.  Life it tough!

This afternoon we drove to Mengwi to see the temple there.  Mengwi Temple was extremely serene.  The entire grounds of the temple is encircled by a river and then the temple itself has a moat around it.  The area had the most open grounds of anywhere I have seen in Bali.  It was beautiful.  And because we were up in higher elevation the breeze was even cool  (not like a blast furnace as usual).

The sacred temple areas are roofed with black thatching from the inside of the palm tree.  It is very regal in colour and keeps for many years longer than the regular straw-coloured thatch.  But as you can imagine the black thatch is not as cool.  Each of the thatch roofs represents a mountain.  To the Balinese people, mountains are very sacred as that is where you will be nearest to God.  The structures with the multi-layered roofs are more sacred than the single layer roofs.

From Mengwi we drove southwest to Tanah Lot Temple.  The entire temple area is on the ocean.  The coastline is very rugged and many of the sacred buildings are built right on the rocks.  At high tide the temples are stranded.

Today was full moon so there were many people at the various temples for a purification ritual.  On this day they may ask God to be purified of any sins over the past month.  The priest will bless them and put a bit of rice on their forehead, neck or behind their ears. 

On ceremony days the Balinese Hindu people wear their ceremonial clothes, which are beautiful.  Even the children are dressed for the occasion.  I enjoyed watching the children play in the water.  They were making little channels out of the tide pools and waterways for the water to escape.

Supper was overlooking the ocean at sunset. 

The view was superb!  We had a traveling band to serenade us.  They played Country Roads for the Americans at our table and Neil Young for the Canadians.  (They wanted to play Celine Dion when they hear some of us were from Canada.)

Looking up from our supper table we were able to isolate the Southern Cross.  I had looked for it the night before, but there was too much ambient lighting at the resort to see the stars well enough.  Another item notched off the bucket list!