The answer is yes. I have never been more ready for a break in my life. Over the holidays I taught a 2 week English Camp on my own, in addition to two daily morning classes. I was going crazy, and the freezing temperatures, with no end in sight, weren't helping my situation. It was time to get away.
Before dawn, Scott and I layered up the warmest clothing we could afford to pack in our small bags. Scott's issue being actual space allowance, as he insisted on packing th
e smallest bag he could find to the brim, and mine being the space I was reserving for all the treats I planned to buy in Bali. The below-freezing temperature, our lack of winter clothing, and our inability to call a taxi to pick us up, left us only two options; jog to the shuttle bus stop or freeze to death. It was tough, but we opted for the 15-minute jog; the thought of the warm bus keeping me going. Well, turns out that bus wasn't quite as warm as I'd hoped. In fact, it was 'warmer' outside. The driver had apparently forgotten to warm the bus up that morning. Not the best day for us to skimp on our clothing....All the thoughts of cold weather, and Korea quickly faded away as we stepped off the plane and got our first glimpse of beautiful Bali. That's right, even the airport was charming! After a transitional night in Kuta (a popular touristy beach town) we headed no
rth and inland to Ubud, the cultural center of Bali. In typical 'Scott and Mindy fashion' we had not booked a place to stay. Not to worry though, we were soon whisked away to the Three Dewi's Guesthouse, named for the owner, Made's three girls (dewis). The room was sweet and simple with a balcony overlooking the family's small Hindu temple, garden and rice paddies. And, included with our $12 room was free breakfast, served on our balcony. It couldn't have been more perfect.The next days were filled with plenty of excitement, but also with lots of rest. Our first night "on the town" we stumbled upon Ibu Rai, an open-air, thatched-roof restaurant engulfed by tropical plants. I was pleasantly surprised when my seemingly simple $3 plate turned out to be one of the more elegant and beautiful dishes I've ever had. Before our delicious cocktails arrived we were treated to miniature spring rolls for our amuse bouche. I've only had something like that at Nimbus, and for a hell of a lot more than three dollars! Needless to say, we had found a little gem. The entrees were delightful, the dessert scrumptious, and the bill cheap; only $25 for the whole spread, with plenty of cocktails I might add. We also made plans for the day through Dewa, the manager of the restaurant.
In addition to managing, Dewa also runs an ecotourism company that offers cooking, dancing and carving classes, as well as guided treks through local rice paddies. He employs youth from his community and puts a percentage of the earnings back into his local village. Dewa casually mentioned his other job, and only after we hounded him for information, did he ask if we'd like to take his cooking course. No pressure...how refreshing!
Our morning began with trip to the local market for fresh vegetables, rice and essentials for our day of cooking. The women at the market were also keen on giving us samples of the local fruit, hoping we'd buy it. Good saleswomen! After our fill of rambutan (lychee's cousin), we headed north to the village of Tampaksiring to get cookin'. The entire drive was filled rice paddies and dense jungle, interspersed with villages and local handicrafts.
Then it was time to cook. We chopped, shredded, mashed and sautéed everythin
g from peppers to peanuts, creating a smorgasbord of Indonesian and Balinese dishes. We made curry paste from scratch and pounded chicken to a pulp for satay. After two hours of cooking we sat down and ate to our hearts content and 'till our bellies ached. And just when we thought it couldn't get any better, Dewa took us to his local Hindu temple to bathe in the holy water and wash away our evil spirits.Now that we were purified, it was time for a more dangerous adventure, so we booked a white water rafting excursion on the roaring Telaga River. Okay, so it was more like a purr, but there were some class III rapids in there, and plenty of bamboo bridges along the way that could've clotheslined us. And for the big finish we went off an 8ft dam....crammed down into the raft....without paddles...for our safety. We luckily survived, and had a damn good time along the way!
The next day we decided to take it easy, since things had been so intense thus far. So, Scott and I both enjoyed massages. I had a masseuse and Scott a masseur. We splurged and got the $16 package that included a 1 hour 45 minute massage, a body scrub and a soak afterward in the tub....all naked. Yes, I've had a massage before, but I've always had a towel covering the vitals. Not this time. When my masseur told me to turn over onto my back, I couldn't help but giggle thinking of Scott in the next room.
Fully rested and rejuvenated from our time in Ubud, we were ready to embark on our journey to the Gili Islands off the coast of Lombok. Stay tuned for Scott's addition of our island adventure on Gili Trawangan.
One thing we didn't do in Ubud our first time through was shop. I made Scott promise that we'd make it back there for some of the greatest shopping. Unfortunately, I couldn't do as much shopping as I would have liked, due to our seemingly internationally-accepted Korean bank cards that wouldn't work...the entire trip. Actually, maybe it was a blessing in disguise!
Upon arriving back in Ubud we went straight back to the same guesthouse, an
d it felt like coming home. The next few days were spent recovering (Scott...he'll tell you why) and shopping (Mindy). We also went to a Balinese Hindu trance dance performance that Made, the owner of the guesthouse, and his daughters were in. There were at least 30 men, young and old, chanting and singing together while the girls danced in full costume around the candelabra in the center....it was pretty amazing and quite hypnotic.Hours before we headed to the airport I wanted to get a quick,
cheap ($4) pedicure. And....so did Scott, polish and all. I think his manicurist was actually a man...quite fitting. Lastly, we headed back to the first restaurant we went to in Bali (and my favorite) for our last meal.What a lovely ending to the best vacation! I can't wait to go back!
~Mindy
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