Sunday, June 1st, 2008
Malaysia. Hmmmm, give me downtown Dallas, during rush hour, in the middle of a hailstorm, with a car-load of screaming kids, blinding headache, running on empty, ANYDAY over Malaysia! I think you get where I'm headed here….what an experience! Much like a road trip to Mexico, only MUCH worse! You haven't a clue what the road signs mean, the white lines on the road, if there are any, are purely for decoration - if a two-lane road can fit three cars wide then it will! At any given moment you'll have a car either side of you with a motorbike or two squeezed in too, balancing on the edge of the road!!! I'm not exaggerating or kidding here!!! It's hard to put into words how crazy it was.
The hotel was…..notably rustic. Probably a one or two star by US standards. We got to experience the Malaysian way of life - I'm trying to look at it in a positive light here! The causeway over to Malaysia was about a 15 minute drive from our house. Unfortunately, we hit rain along the way which slowed our trip a little, and added to the harrowing driving experience!
We had a garden villa, a short 5 minute walk away from the beach. Rory and the kids spent almost all their time in the ocean, while I moved to the pool area after I'd had enough of the sand! Why does beach get just get EVERYWHERE???
There was a HUGE contingency of Muslims at the hotel and we felt very conspicuous with our Texas and Cowboys stickers on the back of our cars!
We've come to appreciate that an International Breakfast has a whole new meaning in Asia! The only thing we recognized was toast, cereal and eggs! There was only a small 2-slice toaster for about 200 people, and the line for the eggs was at least 20 people deep! We tried the French toast but the syrup tasted funny, only realizing after a few bites that is was actually warmed honey! Same for the pancakes the next morning. Asians eat a lot of savory type food for breakfast. It seems that no food really has a definite time that it should be consumed - they had viennas and noodles and beans for breakfast - YUK!
When we returned from the beach to get ready for supper we saw Sydney's packet of Oreo's, a vacation treat, were sitting on the a/c unit outside our door! They had been opened and the crème licked out of each one! It was monkeys! They had sneaked into our room though the bathroom window which was cranked open about an inch. They were quite fussy monkeys since they left the huge slab of Cadbury's chocolate and the Cheetos, and made off with the expensive, American, Oreos! Quite a treat! I had visions of the mischievous monkeys pulling apart the cookies and having crème-licking competitions just like the commercials on TV!
On Saturday evening while we were having supper Rory noticed one of his work colleagues walking by! She works between Singapore and China, and also lives in Coppell. They were there with another couple on a golfing trip. Not only was it was strange to see another "white face" but one that we recognized too! Since the barbeque wasn't yet ready and we had to leave for our tour, we started with dessert first!!!! My kind of meal! We consumed more than our fair share of flan - hey, you snooze you loose! I also tried Teh Tarik, which is basically warm tea made with condensed milk and frothy on top - too sweet and icky for my taste, but I tried it. The lime juice they have here was much more refreshing.
The highlight of the weekend was the Firefly tour. After dark, we along with about another 10 passengers boarded a boat and we floated through the mangroves! It was so dark you could barely see your hand in front of you. One of the tour guides started splashing water up under the trees along the banks and suddenly they just lit up with hundreds of fireflies! It was amazingly beautiful to see….and looked just like Christmas trees! We, along with everyone else on the boat, tried taking photo's but they just don't do the scene justice. After a while the tour guide showed us how, if he dragged a net in the water, the "fire-swimmers" would light up the water surface just as they did if they were flying around. We all agreed that the water surface in the wake of the boat looked like a fountain of dark chocolate rippling away. We had a lot of fun and Maxine even caught a firefly. It was quite mind-boggling to think that here we were, traveling through the mangroves in the middle of Malaysia!
After the firefly tour we walked down to the beach and bumped into Rory's colleague again. She and her husband, as well as their friends who came from England, but lived in Bantan, a small island off Singapore, spent an hour or so chatting and enjoying an ice cold beer on the beach in the torch light.
Sunday morning the kids squeezed in as much time as they could on the beach before we left shortly after noon.
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Our 6am flight to Bali was quick, a mere two hours. The flight attendants were dressed in form-fitting, full-length skirts and tops in a red and gold batik-type fabric. Immediately, upon leaving the plane, we noticed all the beautiful stone and wood carvings typical of Bali. On our taxi ride to the hotel we passed through roads filled with crafts stores, stone carving workshops and furniture makers. It was an amazing sight and we wondered how, with so many stores creating the same item, each one managed to make a living.
Upon our arrival at the hotel a big gong sounded, we were each given wonderfully fragrant Frangipani lei's. As we walked through the entrance two Balinese musicians started playing their gangsas to announce our arrival and we were treated to a guava fruit welcome drink. That's when we truly had to pinch ourselves to realize where we were!
The hotel grounds are beautiful, 36 acres of manicured gardens and lawns, right on the beach. The hotel is made up of 3 "hollow" squares with gardens in the center "hollow" part. Each square is joined at the corner, staggering towards the beach, so although it's quite a large hotel, you feel like you're only with twenty-or-so other guests! Everyone is so polite and everyone greets you and asks how you're enjoying your stay. The gardens are exquisitely lush, with highly fragrant flowering shrubs, numerous koi fish ponds and palms of various types and enormity! So far I'm very pleased with my hotel choice!!
After we got unpacked and situated we took a short walk up the beach, along the esplanade. There's a coral reef about 200 feet off the beach. When the tide is high, the water is about 3 feet deep and you're still able to walk out towards the reef but not all the way. At low tide, it's no more than a few inches to a foot deep and you can really walk far out. Most of the way the ground is covered with seaweed which isn't a problem if you've got water-shoes on, which luckily we'd thrown in. There's an abundance of sea-life in the shallows, from tiny crabs and fish of all sizes, to wonderful starfish to size of dinner plates! In addition to sea-life there are plenty of fishermen too…all wearing crash-helmets!!! It was the funniest thing to see. From what we can gather, since everyone travels on motorbikes or scooters here, they must wear their helmets to ride, and then, wear them to avoid having them stolen from off their bikes! It sure does make for a funny picture though! That, and the stranded boats at low tide!
Friday, June 13, 2008
Yesterday we took a tour of some local arts and crafts workshops and attractions. We started out visiting a Bakit workroom. We saw how batik fabric was made, from drawing the pattern and the different symbolic meanings within the patterns, to the alternate waxing and painting of the fabrics to create the intricate, brightly colored fabrics. We also got to see them weaving some sari fabric on a large loom. The thread is tied and numbered and then the color is added to the strings. The thread is already patterned before it even gets to the loom.
From there we drove on to a wood carving workshop where we once again got to see artisans working and we bought a few souveniers to bring home. The carving s were priced and rated on how well they were done, whether done by a master craftsman or a novice. Although we bargained the down I'm sure we still overpaid, but I really like what we got!
Our driver and guide were both excellent. The driver did a great job of avoiding the hundreds of street dogs, and the tour guide gave us a lot of information and history of Bali as he was born there and had lived there all his life. The Balinese, who are mostly Hindu, hold ceremonies for almost anything you could possibly think of! While pregnant numerous ceremonies are held, then at birth, then a few weeks after birth, then when the umbilical cord falls off, when the baby cuts it's first tooth….and on it goes! When someone dies, a cremation service is held. If a private ceremony is held it costs thousands of dollars (the locals all refer to US dollars even though the local currency is a rupiah) whereas, if you hold a communal ceremony it costs only a few hundred at the most. Also, is preferred to have the service in June, July or August, for some reason. I suppose you have to time your demise really well in Bali!
Bali is divided into regencies, and then smaller areas which our guide, Dar, likened to hamlets. Each hamlet consists of 300 close-knit families. Also, different areas are known for different crafts - wood-carving, stonework, silver and jewelry, painting….that's why you see shop after shop of the same thing.
Our next stop was Monkey Forest which Dar assured us was the safe and "friendly monkey" forest unlike some others on the island! It sure lived up to its name - there were hundreds of monkeys roaming around, all of them really friendly, that we came across anyway. There were lots of really cute little babies scurrying around, and an exhausted looking mom holding onto her mischievous little offspring by the tail while he tried relentlessly to join his playmates. We strolled along the cobbled walkway enjoying the shade until it was lunchtime. Dar had organized for us to have a set lunch at a restaurant tucked away in a beautifully tranquil location, set back off the road. You would never have known it was there. We had small bite-size portions of various traditional Indonsian dishes served in small dishes made from folded banana leaves. After a relaxing lunch we made our way to our next destination. We passed through fields of rice paddies, streets lined with traditional Balinese houses, and long winding roads that fell off the side into deep gorges before we arrived at the Elephant Safari park to ride elephants! After enjoying our welcome drink of pinapple juice we bought some food for our elephants and walked to the "loading zone".
To get onto the elephant you have to climb up about 10 steps onto a platform, where the "driver" of the elephant will try to keep him still long enough for you to jump onto the seat on his back! If you miss, not only do you fall about 8 feet into a muddy puddle, but you also risk being trampled by the huge beast! Rory and the kids rode on one elephant while my mom and I went on another. Apparently they weigh a couple of tons, and can carry half their weight - thank heavens! I thought they would be very stinky but they weren't. They were so timid and shy looking. The ride took some getting used to as it was very wobbly and it felt like you could fall off at any moment, or topple over as you felt very top-heavy up there! Our guide explained to us that he had come from Sumatra with his elephant 18 years ago and had remained his trainer although the elephant now belonged to the Indonesian government. Going downhill was the most nerve-wrecking, the elephants seemed much more comfortable and steadier going uphill. We staggered past some younger elephants, about 5 years old, munching on some palm leaves. The elephants consume hundreds of pounds of palm fronds, fruit, vegetables each day! Our elephant guide also pointed out some coffee bushes, cocoa bush and numerous fruit trees during our stroll. After a walk around they took us into the splash pool for photo's and a good soaking with stinky elephant water!
After disembarking our elephants, which was possibly worse than getting on, we had one-on-one time with them. We got to feed them some corn, yams and fruit. We each got to hug their trunks! It felt really weird! Prickly hairy, kind of squishy, and not as rough as you would imagine. Their skin was very soft and the trunk almost seemed to have a life of it's own in a very eerie way! We took lots of photo's and spent some wonderful time with them. It was Maxine's dream to ride on the elephants - I think it was the only reason she came to Singapore! It brought tears to my eyes seeing her interacting with them, hugging them and stroking them.
One the way home we stopped in at Ubud Market. Ubud is known as the artist hub of Bali. It was CRAZY! Noisy, stinky, overcrowded with wares and people, dark and cramped. Hawkers are very pushy about trying to sell you their wares for the best price, competing against each other and your pocket book! You learn to barter very quickly. What starts out at 250 000 rupiah will inevitably be sold to you for about 100 000 rupiah! To give you an idea on the exchange rate, 10 000 rupiah is worth one US dollar. Most items were in the $1.50 to $10 range and we could have come away with truckloads of stuff we didn't need - sarongs, carvings, beaded jewelry, sundresses, shirts, batik, silk, leather, paintings….there was an endless supply of goods!
It was nearing the end of a long day and we were all beginning to tire. Our last stop was at an art gallery where we learned all about the traditional Balinese style of painting. We bought a few Frangipani paintings that were done by young children, the same ages as Maxine and Sydney.
We had a fantastic day and arrived back to the hotel exhausted and ready for a dip in the pool.
Saturday, June 14, 2008
After a day at the beach, with Rory and the kids snorkeling and mom and I reading by the pool, we went into Ubud, to visit the market for a short while, and to have supper (we all had crepes!!!) We also, at the suggestion of our guide, went to see a Balinese Legong dance and music show. They are so expressive in the way they dance. Although their movements are not very physically demanding, their facial expressions and stance and hand expressions are amazing. The dancers were very beautiful and graceful, and the musicians very talented, playing their gangsas at break-neck speed, but after the first 10 minutes I'd seen and heard enough to last me a lifetime, and the show was two hours long!!!! We got through it with much fidgeting and sighing, as did the rest of the audience.
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Today, we had quiet, relaxing day on the beach and around the pool, playing chess - nothing exciting to report!
Monday, June 16, 2008
Today we went on a tour to Kintamani, and had lunch at a restaurant overlooking a crater-lake Batur, in the shadows of the volcano. On the way we visited a traditional Balinese house. Made up of various small buildings, for specific uses, the house looks more like a small compound. There's the kitchen, with a wood-burning stove, and numerous rice and vegetable steamers hanging on the stone walls; the sleeping room, which consisted of nothing more than a blanket or two on the floor; and a meeting room, more like a platform where the family would meet in the evenings and discuss the day just passed and the plans for following day. Numerous "temples" are also found in this small complex of rooms. In the center of the courtyard, is a raised platform, about 10-foot square, that is only used for dead people. If someone dies, they are laid the rest there before their cremation. We didn't ask for how long.
Although very basic in their design and building materials the style was very distinctly Indonesian, with the flared rooftops, ornate doorways, and cobbled floors. In the more rural areas many of the people still live in this type of house.
We also visited Goa Gajah or Elephant Cave: Goa (cave) Gajah (elephant). It's a temple built by monks about 1025 AD which was hidden deep in the forest at the bottom of a steep hill for hundreds of years until about it was discovered in about 1920. You have to wear a traditional sarong before entering the temple site so we each donned our bright green cloths. When you walk down the pathway to the temple grounds you feel like your walking into another world. The stone carvings are blackened with age, and weathered with time, although not as much as you would think for the length of its existence. The cave entrance is elaborately carved in the form of an elephant. The cave was actually hand-dug and has three main niches which house carvings of Ganesh, half elephant, half boy from which the temple gets its name, and other statues. In front of the cave there are spring pools of holy water, which is typically found in many temples.
We also visited Tampak Siring Temple which is a beautiful temple built around 925AD, located in the countryside of Gianyar Regency in northeast Bali. This famous temple is where the holy spring water source is located. The local Hindu people use this water for religious ceremonies. Many will travel miles to collect water in bamboo stalks, but they are only able to collect water after going through a cleansing and spiritual ceremony. If not collecting water, spiritual visitors can make use of the spiritual bathing pool. Each large pool, which is a sunken bath about 20-feet square, made of stone, has decorative water spouts from which the holy water spurts forth. Bathers can stand under the falling water and depending on which pool they're in, can either cleanse away physical maladies, spiritual evils, or receive a "general cleansing" of the spirit. There's also a separate pool for private ceremonies. Our guide, Dar, explained to us earlier in the week that each house, room or establishment in the Hindu faith has a temple. Each temple must be in direct proportion to that specific house, etc. So, sometimes, you'll see just a small offering table whereas at larger buildings you'll see larger more elaborate temples consisting of numerous rooms, and alters. The traditional "holy color" is yellow or gold, so wherever you see a temple it's shrouded in yellow or gold fabric. Black and white checkered fabric is also abundant. It reflects and acknowledges good and bad spirits. Offerings of flowers and incense are made three times daily. After a while you find yourself constantly watching where you step in fear of standing on someone's offering!
Dar had also explained to us how much of an impact the two bombings had on their entire existence. Since 70% of the Balinese are employed in the tourism industry their livelihoods completely fell away and many were forced to leave the island in order to find work to support their families. It formed such a definitive time-stamp in their history. Dar often spoke of "before the bombings…." or "after the bombings….." His mother had been killed in one of bombs, and he had moved to Singapore to find work. Naturally, security has been heightened throughout the island. The under-carriage of our car was checked with a mirror every time we entered the hotel, as well as our bags. It didn't bother us any, but it was somewhat of a constant reminder of the hardships they had been through and are still recovering from.
Our last stop on the way back to the hotel was to a coffee plantation. We got to see coffee, cacao, ginger, ginseng, and numerous other herbs and spices growing. We also got to taste-test the coffee. We tried the Bali coffee, ginseng coffee which was surprisingly good, ginger tea, lemon grass tea which was wonderfully refreshing, and cocoa. We bought coffee and lotion at the store which was filled with hundreds of different spices, coffee, teas, and essential oils.
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
This was our last day in Bali and I still hadn't found any beads!!! After visiting a web-café and finding some stores online, we made a list, hired a driver for a few hours and headed off to Seminyak and Kuta, slightly west of where we were staying. We had noticed during our entire stay in Bali that there were always dozens of kites in the sky, of all shapes and colors. Our driver informed us that there was a kite festival coming up at the end of June and that everyone was honing their kite-flying skills. Maxine and Sydney bought two and had a great time on the beach. There seems to be a constant breeze in Bali so it was excellent weather for kite-flying. Kuta is most definitely more commercialized and westernized than Sanur which is way more traditional and relaxed. There were dozens of designer stores and trendy spots but we avoided those, focusing on the few bead stores we'd planned on visiting. Although I really didn't find all the wonderful silver beads I still managed to get some beautiful stones to work with. I was quite frustrated and disappointed seeing that no-one really knew what the heck I was taking about!!
Before lunch we took a glass-bottomed boat ride out to the reef. We went out at 10am and Granny wasn't too pleased with the rough seas - I could see the daggers flying Rory's direction, and the nail marks on his knee! Rory couldn't see anything on the reef so they agreed to take us out to a different reef a little later when the surf had dropped a little. So, a little while after lunch we headed out for an hour or so and it was awesome. We saw lots of starfish - large white ones with black spots. Rory saw a bright blue one. We also saw lots of tiger fish, barracuda, a stingray, angelfish…..and most were within only one meter or so depth so you could see them really clearly.
We had a wonderful time in Bali, so much so that we all agreed that we would return, although, perhaps to a different area to experience some different crafts and beaches.
Friday, June 20, 2008
I had the flight from hell. No kidding. I think most of the passengers near me on the plane did too! It seems I got food poisoning, from the last meal I ate in Bali - thank heavens it was the last! The tummy cramps and nausea started as we checked in for our flight and just got worse. Our flight got delayed two hours, to 2am in the morning, all the shops and drugstores had closed, and I spent the entire time in the toilet, dreading what I knew was for sure to come! I have an absolute aversion for public toilets so this was my worst nightmare! Not to mention that we were in a third-world country, where most of the toilets, if actually functioning, were hardly clean, and were only possibly adorned with a toilet seat! No less than 30 minutes into our two-hour flight, I had thrown up twice and ended up spending the entire flight in the bathroom! Fortunately my mom had carried on all her luggage and had a change of clothes for me - one of those one-size-fits-all Bali sets - Thank God -really!!! I was so ill and weak by the time we got off the flight that they ordered a wheelchair for me! I've spent the last two days in bed or on the sofa on meds, recovering, trying to re-hydrate and get rid of this nasty dehydration headache. I suppose the one benefit was that we didn't have to put all our stuff through customs - they took one look at me and rushed us through pretty quickly!
