Since last writing in this blog it seems a major focus has been rather spa-like and it is easy for me to keep to that theme as I had a honey and cucumber facial this afternoon and in fact we're still sitting at pool side here at Cendana Resort and Spa on Monkey Forest Road. We just discovered this place last night as it is set way back from the road and as of today....it is our new favourite place to go. We can even just walk here it is so close to where we live! Here we have a huge salt water infinity pool that borders on the rice fields so you gotta know that the view is none too shabby. We also have a restaurant and a spa where the staff seem to want to cater to our every whim. Maybe that is because we are the only people here! Well, at the moment we are sharing the property with one other woman but as long as she stays over on her side of the estate we've decided we'll let her stay. :-). Seriously, we've been here all day and up until about an hour ago we were the only people here. Although there was this one little old woman Lynda made friends with while I was off for my facial. The little old lady was wandering the rice fields with her stick trying to shoo away the many birds who are intent on robbing her of her rice. Lynda was helping her by clapping her hands from pool side which was all well and good until the little old lady decided that she would come over to Lynda with her hand outstretched in search of a little "payment" for being allowed to scare the birds in her field. LOL....I'm not actually certain that was why she wanted money but money was what she wanted and even after Lynda gave her a little she still kept coming back for more. Not sure if she is senile or not but she is definitely forgetful!
Enough about her.....I want to tell you what I can see right now so you can sort of 'be here' with us. Lynda and I are sitting up at a raised table at one end of the infinity pool. The rice fields are behind me and over my right shoulder. The sun is setting and I can feel it on my back. The colour of the almost ripe grains of rice are golden in the waning sunlight. The blades of the rice plant are a rich vibrant green made even richer by the shadows being cast by the fading day. The pool at my right side is coated with ripples as the breeze dances over the water and several little birds come to sit on the edge for a drink or to skim the surface as they cool off with a little dip of their belly in the crystal clear water. Behind the far end of the pool there is a huge hibiscus tree that is covered in bright red flowers. There is a Buddha statue featured atop a large rock at the far outside corner of the pool. There are three other statues that line the length of the pool on the other side. Each of them doubles as a fountain and they look pretty impressive as they stand guard along the edge that also has stairs leading into the water the entire length of the pool. A little bird just flew off the outdoor shower wall to my left. He was startled by Lynda when she walked back over here from our lounge chairs on the other side of the pool. A little gecko just chirped his opinion from overhead. I'm sitting under a bale (gazebo) and he is somewhere on the roof. Across the pool and beside our lounge chairs there is a two person swinging chair and beyond all of that I can see the gardens and the villas behind the gardens. To my left (beyond the outdoor shower) is the restaurant. Yes, it is nice and I really really like it!
I am now laughing because Lynda has just come back to the table wearing her sweatshirt over her dress. I am still in my bathing suit! Nothing has changed....she gets cold and I don't. :-)
But enough about this gorgeous place we've spent the whole day at. Now I'll tell you where we spent the afternoon a couple of days ago. That time we were at Sedona Spa and although it wasn't as close (we had a couple of the boys drive us on the back of their bikes and then return to pick us up at the end of the day) the views were just as stunning. That spa was not attached to a hotel so no pool etc but boy oh boy....the spa was something else! Sedona was also adjacent to rice fields and each of their treatment rooms only has three walls so you feel as though you're getting your treatment right out in the fields! I can only imagine what the workers must think during harvest or planting times! Lynda had opted for a balinese massage with a herbal scrub. I went for the gusto and selected the chocolate massage. Lynda enjoyed her massage very much. I LOVED mine! Honestly, it was as though I'd been dipped in chocolate by the time my therapist was finished rubbing two bowls of warm molten locally sourced chocolate all over me. I smelled sooooo good! Once she had me completely coated in the candy goodness then she wrapped me in a cocoon that would allow the chocolate to "work its magic". I lay there in total bliss for about 10 minutes. All I could smell was chocolate and my room was open to the rice fields and the sun was shining and everything was right with the world! Once I was "unwrapped" it was quite a job to get all of the cacao off. Thankfully there is a shower right there in the room where I was able to scrub and rinse chocolate out of creases and folds I didn't even know I had. Just when I thought I was finished I'd find another spot I'd missed. I giggled through most of that shower as I thought what anyone who walked in on me might think! For both Lynda and I the "dessert" part of this treatment package was the flower petal bath they'd run for each of us in our respective treatment rooms. These huge copper tubs are perfectly formed to invite you to lay back and relax as you sip your fresh ginger tea and chow down on some fresh fruit. Oh ya....and the tub is right beside the rice fields so again...it's like you're right out in the open for all of this. Even for those of you who are thinking it might be a little too "out in the open"....honestly, you'd love it! Both Lynda and I are committed to going back to Sedona....she's eager to give the human chocolate fondue a try and there are other flavours on the menu that caught my eye too. :-)
The only down side I can say about all this relaxing spa time is that I've had a couple of nights where I can't really sleep.....maybe I'm getting too much rest during the days! On the upside of the downside though....the other morning after waking at 3:23 for the day it meant that I was up at the ungodly hour of 6:00 when the city just starts to come to life. So for that one day I was out on Monkey Forest even before most of the locals. In fact, I made it up to the market in time to be able to see the bustling event that place is at that time each and every day of the week. This is when all of the veggies and flowers and baskets for offerings are for sale to the locals. It is after most of them leave that all of the other "tourist" type stuff comes in to take their place. It was a hive of activity and I can tell you that I was the ONLY one that looked like me who was there at that time of the day!
So as you can see....really the spa theme is about all that we have to report in on this post. Other than that we've both been doing our regular intentional self-care with walks and yoga and treatments. Tomorrow I've got an appointment to have my tarot cards read and then we're meeting with a bunch of friends for dinner at Rhuma Roda for Indonesian smorg. Yummy!
Till next time,
L & L
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