Gili Air !

Gili Air - slightly larger than Meno - closer to the Lombok mainland. Air has a larger local population due to it's proximity to the main island. We were there on Indonesia's independence day so happened upon a celebratory procession including some wonderful traditional music (recorded by Ted of course!). Our stay on Air was great. We stayed at a hotel on the west side so we would get some sunsets - they had just a few bungalows made in the traditional Sasak style of architecture (tall, airy, thatched roofs) on the 'main road'/sandy path 😆😛 overlooking the water. The beach on this side wasn't quite a swimming beach (lots of coral and seaweed) but we still got in and we took an afternoon snorkeling trip around the islands on our second day so we got to see lots of reef activity (including SEA TURTLES!).  It was truly magical!

There is soooo much reef damage however - due mostly to tourism (there's no foresight or oversight or regulations of any kind - so lots of people stepping on the corals, lots motor boats and gasoline) overfishing and of course climate change. All of this makes me sad - and also sad to be part of the 'problem' while we were there - hard to know what to do - and not much that really can be done I suppose?

You can see Bali's Mount Agung in the background!

Kitty visiting us on our balcony!

View from our balcony - a Cidomo by the tree (a local mode of transport - horse and cart)

Elsa ready for the beach (tired of me taking pics all the time...🙄)

We were pretty happy there! 

The trip back to Bali on the boat was quite dramatic/traumatic/exhilarating? Lots of big swells and choppiness but our captain was very skilled and (after a couple hours of bumps and rolls) he delivered us safely to the port. It was certainly an exciting trip! We were happy to be back in our house but we could have easily stayed there a few more days. It was a beautiful place. 💜

Gili Islands, LOMBOK! First stop - Gili Meno....

Since our house in Ubud is in the mountains (and we're such beach lovers) - we decided to take a little mini beach trip to the Gili Islands in Lombok! It was quite the adventure. The islands were beautiful - no cars, or motorcycles, just bikes, horse carts and electric scooters. Sooooo peaceful and relaxing (a very welcome change from Ubud crowds and traffic). There are 3 different islands: Gili T, Gili Meno and Gili Air. We decided to visit Meno and Air (the most laid back of the three). MENO was our favorite by farFast speed boat from Bali east coast harbor Padang Bai to Gili T and then small boat to Meno. Sandy main road walk from the harbor to our hotel. Amazing snorkeling right off the beach....Heavenly!

Fast boat to Gili T. I took my motion sickness meds just in case, but it was a lovely ride - we sat up on top of the boat so we could see the world....quite a different view of the the land from the water. LOVED it!

Arrival at Gili Trawangan - the color of the water was unREAL.

 

Arrival at Gili Meno.

 

The beaches are completely made up of coral (beautiful but a bit hard on ones feet!). These are strings of coral hanging from the trees.

HAPPINESS!

 

Bali Manggang - Balinese Cooking Class!

BALI COOKING CLASS! Friday August 11

Elsa and I joined a group of other tourists (from all over the world - Germany, Denmark, England, Australia, France and probably other places....). We were in two groups - 7 of us crammed into a little van and were whisked away in the crazy traffic - not knowing where we were going, how far away the place was or how long it would take to get there! BUT we made it safely - to a family compound outside of Ubud where we were given aprons and knives and ingredients to slice, dice, crush, grind, stir, fry, boil and steam! Then after about 2 hours of labor (making 7 different dishes and 3 sauces) we all got to share our awesome buffet together! It was DELISH! And we got a list of all the recipes so we can attempt to re-create these delicious, Balinese dishes at home!

                                  Grinding peanuts into a sauce with a traditional stone mortar and pestle!

                                         Beautiful Bali nature view from the back of the house.

                                                      All SEVEN dishes ready to devour!

While there's plenty of meat in Indonesian and Balinese food, there are a number of dishes (popular with Balinese and tourists) that are naturally veggie friendly with tofu and tempe (both made fresh locally - the tempeh is soooooo yummy). Enak sekali! ('very delicious' in Indonesian)

1. Bakso Soup (usually has tuna meat balls -- we got to make a veggie version)

2. Tofu and Soya Bean Curry

3. Vegetables with coconut sauce

4. Tofu and Corn patties (rolled in banana leaves and steamed)

5. Balinese fried noodles (Bak Mi Goreng)

6. Fried Rice (Nasi Goreng)

7. Banana Dumplings (boiled and rolled in fresh coconut -- the second to last photo above)

And SAUCES: Balinese bbq sauce (Sambal Ulek - usually has fish paste), Peanut Sauce and Curry Sauce

YUM YUM YUM!!

We made it!

                                                       

On our way! Left Dulles 9pm, 12 hr to DOHA, Qatar

Big Bear in Doha Airport - again. Gained 7 hours!

Got a lovely rest in the airport hotel and then departed Doha 8am...10 hours to BALI 👏

Arrival at Denpasar airport 11pm (gained 5 more hours!) - luggage, visa check, customs....

Picked up by our driver Wayan (son of the caretaker of our house). It was about an hour or so to Penestanan/Ubud - roads still busy even in the middle of the night! Woke to a beautiful house and a beautiful day....'winter' in Bali now (COOLER than CVille!) -- dry, breezy 80's during the day, high 60s at night. Jetlag was pretty intense - waking up very early morning, watching the night go and the sun come - bats making way for starlings. So much birdsong!

                    Gentle and serene living spaces; with all-encompassing, rainforest-esque views. 

                                                           Lots of lounging surfaces 😊

Some music - ing and crocheting. Elsa working on her gorgeous butterfly top (pictures of the finished product to come...)

The house is on a steep hill in a ravine above a river - can hear rushing water from the pool at the bottom of the property...and always lots of birds and crickets (also many bats and lizards and mice and mosquitos hanging around).The pool is unusually big for this place (about 12m/40 ft - good enough for mini laps). The house was designed and built in 1980 when there was much more space (about 2 acres total). Ownership is shared by an American and a Balinese family.  The house has a great vintage vibe - not fancy - very open air - modeled on Balinese style of living. Made (pronounced"Mah-day") - the caretaker of the house is amazing and so helpful. His wife Ketut cooks breakfast for us in the mornings and is available to cook Balinese food in evenings (she's a wonderful cook). We've gone out to eat a bit as well - pretty inexpensive for the most part - LOTS of vegan restaurants here these days! 

Revisiting our favorite restaurant (LalaLili's)! We were very happy to discover that it was still here.

Reconnected with my former teacher and friend D'Ayu. She's a successful business owner now - runs her own hostel for backpackers (new since we were here last - built onto her house). Elsa and I have visited with her a couple of times already - are hoping to spend more time with her during our stay. She was our host at many temple ceremonies during our past visits but is so busy with her hostel that she doesn't really have much time to dedicate to making offerings or helping with temple preparations. But - I think she's enjoying having a break from that kind of work  - being her own boss - meeting lots of people from all over the world. Her guests are VERY lucky to have her as a host. She's so gracious and generous! That's all for now! More to come.....