Wow! February 1st already! We are well settled back into our Ubud routine and it is almost time for us to leave for a few days again. LOL....guess that means we're not meant to get too settled here. :-)
In addition to our regular self-care practices that range from yoga to meditation and massage to reflexology we managed to add in the fine art of shopping over the past week too. What fun! Yesterday was a rainy day (and today is another one) so it was the perfect excuse to spend the day with Jati following a trail of leads I'd found online for locations that cater to larger size clothing. The bonus was that the trail would also take us into some communities that we had yet to visit and so it was a day of exploring, shopping, and laughter for us yesterday. At times we felt like Julia Roberts (in Pretty Woman) with our bags filled with purchases and at others we were channeling our grandkids as we sipped decadent milkshakes while sitting in chairs that made us look like we had rabbit ears.
We lunched at a roadside warung and marvelled at the magic that is the traffic here. Somehow the chaos works and everyone just merges into the maze without mishap. We located parking spots down rutted alleys amidst the chickens and the ducks and then dodged the rain drops (thanks to our ever present umbrellas) as we hopped over puddles on our way back to the store fronts. The rain never let up all day and we were sure thankful to have a car versus a motor bike! It truly is something to see though. When the skies open in a fresh cloudburst (and they really do open and pour down) all the bikes just stop and don their rain gear and start again almost without missing a beat. And because they all do it simultaneously they don't even lose their place in traffic. Bikes weave in and out of cars like professional drivers and so within seconds they are back in the thick of it and only a few seconds behind where they might have been had there been no rain. Keep in mind here that many of those bikes have 2 or 3 or even 4 or sometimes 5 people on them too. The skill of the locals in driving their bikes is without question!
One of our "shopping" stops was at a silver and gold shop. We chose to go to the one that is a bit of a blend of traditional and new styles and where there was a little educational component. This educational component turned out to be a highlight! The intricate detail of the work that they do is beyond description. Everything is done by hand. The size of the silver balls they use to "build" the pieces of jewellery would compare to grains of sand. They glue each tiny ball in place attaching it to the one before ultimately "building" an earring or whatever it is they're working on. Once all those little balls are glued in place the silver solder stage takes place. From there it is solid enough to be polished and cleaned and as simple as I've made this sound....it is anything but simple! Lynda's comment in watching the fine work they're all doing with their incredibly steady hands was that any of them could be called a "silver surgeon" with the focus and attention to detail they demonstrated. It was very tempting to spend money at this stop both because of our appreciation for the quality of the work but also because of the very reasonable price tags. We were both able to resist the temptation but.....maybe next time when we come back to Bali....there will be a budget for silver shopping too. :-). The other thing worthy of note about this shop was that it was magnificent! Marble floors were all polished to a high gloss, coy filled pools everywhere, glass walls that left the impression of vast space, and professional staff to welcome you at the door, guide you through the education, show you the jewellery that is in the display cases, and keep the place clean and shiny. Even the bathroom at this stop was a highlight....maybe the nicest one I've seen anywhere....including some of the fancy hotels we've visited.
Earlier this week I did a little shopping of a different nature. I was off in search of a specific statue and there is an amazing story of synchronicity attached to it that is worthy of sharing here. When we were on Gili we had a lovely little private courtyard that was home to a traditional Balinese style statue at our accommodation (Smugglers). I fell in love with that statue! It was a Balinese fellow in a reflective pose and the serenity that literally oozed off of him was palpable so I missed him when we left Gili. Lynda, clever girl that she is, said "why don't you get one to take home?" Immediately I thought it was a great idea until the logistics of just what that would mean kicked in and doubt began to creep in. The statue I want is a meter high and although I didn't pick him up to see how heavy he was...there is no doubt that he is way too heavy for me to take on the plane! Then I thought about having him shipped but didn't even know where to begin with that process. It was then that I remembered something a friend had mentioned about a year ago. She told me about a friend of hers who used to live in Indonesia and who has an export/import business with shops in BC. I wondered....wouldn't it be something if I could connect with my friends friend and put my statue (if I could find one) in with her next shipment home? So I went online and found the contact info for that shop (Itsy Bitsy Emporium) sent off a note to their business email that I hoped wouldn't make me sound like some kind of a crazy stalker and thought to myself that I'd let this action make the decision....if I heard back and it was possible I'd go in search of the statue and if not...I'd let the idea go. I didn't have long to wait! The very next day I had a reply from my friend's friend (whose name also happens to be Laurie). The Bali gods were all on my team and as luck would have it Laurie was at this very moment on a shopping trip in Bali and to make it even more amazing....she was right here in Ubud! I sent her a photo of "my" statue and she was able to confirm she would have room for it in her container and even told me where to go to see about purchasing it. I couldn't believe my good fortune! I made a date with Jati to take me the 1/2 hour trip to the statue shop (Yuliani) and sure enough they were able to "hook me up". Although they didn't have my guy already there and available, their carvers would be able to make him for me in time for him to get into Laurie's shipping container which would be packing up in about 10 days. So I gave Yuliani's owner a photo of my statue and the dimensions I wanted, paid my bill ($150 plus shipping and I don't know how much that will be yet), and crossed my fingers as I asked if I could see the carvers in action. Again....the gods were all smiling on me and Jati and I were able to drive the short distance to the location where Yuliani's workers do their magic. In fact, I was able to meet and get some video of the carver who will be making my statue (it will take him a full week of working on just my piece to complete it). The limestone comes in big blocks from the neighbouring island of Java. The carver will choose the best piece for my statue and then from the photo I've supplied he will create my "guy". The carving area is very rustic but the carvers seemed very happy in their workplace. They have music playing and they just sit there with their art taking form under their expert hands. I watched the carver work on the face of another statue that was quite similar to the one that I was ordering and it was amazing to watch that face emerge from the rock under his talent and his blade. The knife he was using for the face was quite small and had a rounded end that wasn't as sharp as I thought it might have been. He was using it to scrape away the rock in tiny increments that left everything covered in a layer of limestone dust that left the artist looking like he'd been playing in icing sugar. Bottom line....my statue is being carved as I type this, it will be picked up by cargo between Feb 7-10 and loaded into a shipping container. It will arrive in Abbotsford mid April, about the same time that I'm getting home so this summer there will be a Balinese statue at my front door to greet all who come to visit.
The next day after my statue shopping adventure Lynda and I were able to connect with Laurie Dillon from Itsy Bitsy Emporium. Not only did we have a great visit with her and her friend Anita (over Bintang Radlers of course) but we also got a little more shopping in at a batik factory where she was picking up a few more pieces for her store(s). New statue, new friends, new experience, and a great new story!
Another new adventure we had this past week was a trip to the mansion. And yes....that was exactly as you might imagine when you hear the word mansion. The Mansion is a property here in Ubud that offers both a hotel type accommodation as well as private villas. There were three of us; Lynda, Julie (neighbour and new friend who introduced us to the mansion), and I. We were able to each pay $5 (plus $1 for a towel) to be allowed to use their pool that is in the main grounds. The grounds are GORGEOUS and we seriously felt like we were living the life of the rich and famous as we lounged at that poolside! As well, (and since it was a Sunday afternoon) we decided to have High Tea in a VERY comfortable seating area near the pool. High Tea Balinese style was a little different in that it didn't have tiered trays of sweet and savoury but it did have the sweet and savoury collection served on little plates for each person. We got to choose the type of tea we wanted and it was even served in proper china tea cups which always makes it taste better. Once we were done at pool side we decided to go and tour the main hotel area. Wouldn't you know it....once we were there we were "called" to sit at a table at yet another poolside area and since we were sitting there already to take advantage of the happy hour specials that were just starting. Several happy drinks later we got a cab and made our way back to our place in Ubud. What a fun day we'd all had....its been confirmed that we will have to do this again!
I just heard the click click click of a suitcase being pulled down the laneway....someone else if having to leave. There isn't a day that goes by that both Lynda and I don't thank our lucky stars that we're able to stay here for so long! Having this luxury of time has allowed us to get to know the people and the culture in ways that the typical tourist would never be able to do. Most people are just here for a week or two and during that time they run from site to site trying to fit in as much as they can. We recognize what a luxury it is to be able to take our time as we explore the variety of sites this beautiful island and it's culture have to offer. We truly do "live" in Bali now and are very thankful for that fact.
The other day when we were taking a taxi somewhere....can't remember where it was but I do recall that it was Stun (another wonderful driver who has been given the nickname Stun because his name is Ketut and there are so many Ketut's. He was given the name Stun as he is very quiet....like a stone....hence Stun. This story is an example of the type of thing the gift of time has allowed us to be exposed to.) Anyway, while we were in the cab the conversation rolled around to what we liked to eat and when we said warungs...Stun asked if we liked street food too and our response of "yes" prompted him to ask if we'd had grilled corn. Well, neither of us had seen grilled corn at any street food stalls yet and so last night after our shopping trip we got Jati to take us to see if we could find some and sure enough we did! The choices are steamed corn or grilled corn. The steamed corn is served plain and the grilled corn is served with butter and salt. I opted for grilled corn and Lynda opted for steamed BUT she also wanted to have butter and salt on her steamed corn. Jati did his best to dissuade her. He even gave her a piece of his plain steamed corn to try (which she said was very good) but "no, she still wanted butter and salt on her steamed corn". The funny part of this story is that once she got it she had to admit that the plain steamed corn was better and the even funnier part of this story is that the corn story of Lynda and Jati will long live in Ubud as everyone has found the humour in this event. In fact today, during the impromptu english class that seems to happen on our patio most mornings, that story was the focus of an entire section of the learning. LOL! Gotta love learning that takes the form of real life! :-)
On the english class front and all kidding aside the progress Ketut and Ketut have made is unbelievable! We call them Ketut 1 and Ketut 2. Ketut 1 works here at our place. He makes us breakfast and cleans our room. Ketut 2 has the same job at Julie's (yes, the same Julie who was at the Mansion with us). Both boys are in their early 20's and both are eager to learn english. Ketut 1 was further behind at the start but today both Lynda and I noticed that he seems to have taken the lead. Perhaps it is that he is here with us more often and so his "classes" are ongoing all the time but we both think that it might be that he is a little more serious about the learning and so his focus and motivation is a little stronger. The past couple of weeks he's been working with flash cards and that seems to have really propelled him forward. In fact, some of the sentences he's been coming up with have been so detailed and such a clear demonstration of his understanding that it has moved us to tears. Nice to know that we're making a difference as by having english doors will be opened for them that otherwise would never be. Both boys are from the village and until they came to work in Ubud really hadn't been exposed to english at all. In fact, village life is very traditional on every front. I can't remember if I mentioned about the pizza we had the other day when we were out on our motorcycle tour with Ketut and Jati. Ketut (1) had never tasted pizza and was kind of afraid to. Now that he has....he LOVES it! So maybe we're helping on the english front but the food front might be another story entirely. :-) LOL!
It's been raining here all day and so both Lynda and I have had a "day at home". Tonight we've got plans to head out to a unique restaurant for dinner with Julie and two of her guests. Not sure what we're going to find that makes it unique but....whatever it is....we'll let you know with the next post.
Till then,
L & L
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